Washington, D.C
The Hottest Spot for Sunday Church Is a MAGA Dive Bar in Washington DC
But Welch and Palka aren’t fire-and-brimstone populists. They are careful. Disciplined. They speak moderation while building something more durable: nurturing a generation of young conservatives who will carry their teachings into agencies, congressional offices, the judiciary, and a returning Republican administration.
So does King’s function as a soft-power pipeline for young conservatives in Washington? Its leaders bristle at the suggestion.
“We have nothing to do with getting people jobs…. We have never, ever, ever done that,” says Palka. “I do think it could be a by-product, though.”
“Part of the Christian faith is that we don’t compartmentalize it,” says Welch. “So we want people to see that it does influence [your career], just like how your faith influences your family, your relationships, your kids, so that’s just natural to how the church operates—it’s not like this is the goal.”
King’s has done 250 baptisms in eight years. Palka jokes more than once that I could be baptized at their next ceremony. When I ask how long it takes to join the church, he smiles: “It could take 15 minutes, it could take 15 years.”
He believes Gen Z is drawn not to megachurch gimmicks like slingshots and zip-lining pastors but to ancient ritual. King’s recites the Nicene Creed weekly, rare among evangelical churches. Members must affirm nine core beliefs: God as Father, Son, Holy Ghost; Jesus fully God and fully human; born of a virgin; lived without sin; died; rose again; and will return to judge the living and the dead. Scripture is final. The church must carry out Christ’s mission until he returns.
“They’re looking to retrieve some of those anchors that have been lost,” Palka says. “That is something the young people are flocking to—the high church liturgy.”
Space, not attendance, is King’s real problem. Expansion plans to cities like Paris and Berlin are on hold until they secure a permanent space in DC, and they need money. Their flock consists largely of interns and junior staffers, earnest but broke.
Palka knows that securing a physical home would give King’s another ring of relevance, one more proof point that the church can be an institution.
“We thought we’d have a building by now,” says Palka. “You can hit up a denomination for funding, but this capital campaign, it’s been very slow.”
Worshippers show up a half hour early to claim seats, and some longtime congregants have grumbled about the intern influx. One faction, calling itself “King’s Church Members Take a Stand,” lines the back wall to save room for newcomers.
They launched with a $50,000 loan from the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board—small by megachurch standards but enough to launch a movement. “I would love if we had a building of our own one day,” Palka says. “All the statistics say it gives the Church credibility, it makes it more real in people’s eyes when you see that it’s their location.”
Robertson, the 26-year-old running the intern ministry, may be one of the church’s most influential figures. “It’s a really interesting city,” he says. “The fact that 25-year-olds kind of run the government.” He is, in effect, their shepherd.
Conservatism Inc.
For interns living on stipends, King’s offers free lunches, Nationals tickets, and speaker events featuring K Street veterans, senior aides, operatives, and even a Fox News producer. There are mixers too, where future staff assistants meet future legislative directors.
For the Republican Party, that makes King’s more than a church. It’s a long-term investment.
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) – A Lawton veteran returned home after visiting Washington, D.C., as part of the Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight.
Dr. Don Sullivan, a Cold War and Vietnam veteran, was chosen for the honor flight and said the experience “turned out to be wonderful.”
Sullivan was stationed in the D.C. area years ago and had seen the memorials before, but this visit was different.
“It gives you the opportunity to see things, even if you’ve been there before, gives you the opportunity to see things in a different light,” Sullivan said.
One-day tour of memorials
During the one-day trip to Washington, Sullivan and 66 other veterans visited the major war memorials, key national monuments and attended the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery.
“The memorials are wonderful. They’re just awesome and to see all of them in one day, it truly is overwhelming,” Sullivan said.
For this April Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight, his son accompanied him as his guardian.
“I didn’t particularly need a guardian, but I wanted him to have the experience,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan served with the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam.
“I served in what was called MAC-V, the military assistance command Vietnam. All of my team survived,” Sullivan said.
Emotional visit to the wall
Though he had seen the wall before, the impact was just as vast.
“I never failed to tear up,” Sullivan said. “Though I know not a name on there, you cannot go to the Vietnam memorial and not become emotional or even thinking of it, you know.”
There was one memorial he had not been to: the Military Women’s Memorial.
“If they want to be hugged, they have a hug from me because I know what they went through, and I was pleased to see that memorial, which does depict a nurse tending to a soldier,” Sullivan said.
The trip made him appreciate the support Oklahoma shows for its veterans.
“One thing that I really got out of this is how fortunate we are here as veterans to be living in Lawton, Oklahoma and to be in Oklahoma,” Sullivan said. “In Lawton, you walk through the park you see memorials.”
Welcome home
When he got off the flight after the day-long tour, he received the welcome home he and other Vietnam veterans deserved decades ago.
“Whooping and hollering and clapping and saying thank you thank you thank you. For some of us who came home from Vietnam to San Francisco or whatever, and literally were just ignored and denigrated, that was a terrific homecoming experience,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he looks forward to seeing the Gulf War Memorial that is currently under construction in Washington.
The Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight is every October and April. All veterans are eligible to apply. Selection priority is given to those who have served in previous conflicts and those who are terminally ill.
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April 22, 2026
City of Kingman Officials Travel to Washington D.C. to Advocate for Local Priorities
Kingman, AZ – Mayor Ken Watkins, Vice Mayor Cherish Sammeli, City Manager Tim Walsh, and Assistant City Manager Tina Moline recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and federal agency officials to advocate for key City of Kingman priorities. Discussions focused on advancing the proposed release of land at the Kingman Airport to support future industrial development, as well as securing federal funding for critical capital improvement projects such as water and sewer infrastructure improvements.
During the visit, the city delegation met with the offices of U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, and Greg Stanton.
A central focus of the trip was the City’s request for the release of land at the Kingman Airport. While the City owns the land, it comes with federal deed restrictions that limit its use to airport-related purposes. In order to use the land for industrial or commercial development, the City must receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to release those restrictions. This step is essential to making the land available for future development that could support job creation and long-term economic growth in the region.
To further these discussions, the delegation met directly with FAA Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports Jess Sypniewski to review the land release request and next steps in the process. Discussions also included congressionally directed spending requests for specific Kingman projects, including upgrades to water service lines throughout the City. This process allows members of Congress to request federal funding in the budget for clearly defined local projects that address community needs.
City Manager Tim Walsh described the visit as a valuable opportunity to continue moving key priorities forward.
“These conversations are important in making sure Kingman’s needs are clearly understood at the federal level,” said Walsh. “From the airport land release to infrastructure funding, we are focused on positioning our community for responsible growth and future opportunity.”
The City of Kingman will continue working closely with federal agencies and Congressional representatives to advocate for projects and investments that support the community’s future.
About Kingman
Founded in 1882 and incorporated in 1952, Kingman is the county seat of Mohave County located in northwest Arizona along Interstate 40, U.S. 93, and the historically famous Route 66. The city’s population is 32,689, and approximately 60,000 including neighboring communities. Kingman is a general law city that operates under a council/city manager form of government with a mayor and six councilmembers elected at large. City government provides a wide range of municipal services that include administration, development services, engineering, public works, parks and recreation, water, sewer and sanitation services, and fire and police.
WASHINGTON (7News) — An early Wednesday morning incident at D.C.’s Metro Center left multiple riders injured after a work vehicle made contact with a Silver Line train just before the end of service.
According to Metro officials, the train was holding at the station when the work vehicle struck the rear car shortly after midnight. Officials said there were 27 customers on board at the time.
Officials say 11 people reported non-life-threatening injuries and that Metro personnel were not seriously injured.
SEE ALSO | Metro’s board to vote on budget that calls for fully automated trains on the Red Line
Passengers who did not report injuries were transferred to another train and continued toward Downtown Largo.
The train involved was the final Silver Line run of the night.
Metro said the incident remains under investigation as crews work to determine the cause.
As of 3:30 a.m., it’s not clear what the potential impacts to the morning service may be.
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