Hundreds were streaming into the Capitol. They call themselves 'Promise Keepers' and by Saturday October 4 1997, approximately half a million participated in the largest evangelical Christian gathering in American history.
For six sunny hours, men (and a fair number of women) from the Empire State of New York to the Golden State of California were planted on Washington DC's 'Mall' (a strip of grass between the United States Capitol and the Washington Monument).
Prior to this event, entitled 'Stand in the Gap - A Sacred Assembly of Men', the Promise Keepers men's movement had organised over 60 smaller gatherings in sports stadiums throughout the US since 1991, but nothing like this. 'Stand in the Gap' was of unprecedented scale. 12 jumbo television screens were placed throughout the Mall. The white dome of the US Capitol loomed large over the gathering.
