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Perriello’s faith guides policies

Tom Perriello, a Democrat running for Congress, stepped up to the pulpit at the Crystal Cathedral in Buckingham County on a recent Sunday morning and addressed the predominantly black congregation.

“I know how blessed I’ve been, so I’m not going to politick today. I’m just going to bear a little witness,” Perriello said, a slow gospel jam grooving in the background. “Let us remember today the people who’ve lost their job, the people who can’t afford to keep their electricity bill paid or keep fuel in the tank. We all know there’s a lot of pain in our community right now from a lack of jobs and costs going through the roof.”

“That’s right!” a lady shouted. 

Perriello, a national security consultant who has visited some of the world’s hardest-hit war zones, told the worshippers that God has guided him through the good times and the bad.

“God has been very good to me. He has protected me,” the 33-year-old told the congregation. “I spent some time in West Africa and Sierra Leone during the blood diamonds war. I was in Darfur during part of the genocide and in Afghanistan. The good Lord has always watched over me, whether it’s in Albemarle County, Buckingham or Afghanistan.”

Inspiration to run

Perriello decided to run for Congress after returning last summer from a trip to Afghanistan on behalf of the Century Foundation, a nonprofit think tank headquartered in New York.