NEW BRUNSWICK - On the first day of early voting ahead of the Nov. 4th, New Jersey General Election, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro joined Mikie Sherrill at Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church to help transform New Jersey's ragged intersection of religion and politics into another chapter of foundational and vital history.

"I am a person guided by my faith," said the proud Jew. "I was called to serve because of the way my parents raised me."

He pointed out that the first place he wanted to be on the morning after his campaign for governor was Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia.

People here loved that, among them the Rev. Pastor Dale Caldwell, Sherrill's running mate, whose family has deep roots in the AME Church.

This was secular civics meets the Battle of Jericho.

This was your local pothole problem getting elevated to the transfiguration.

This was fixed bayonets at the gates of the apocalypse.

Well attended, packed, in fact, the downtown New Brunswick event helmed by Bishop Samuel Lawrence Green revolved around the backbone of African American AME pastors and diehard GOTV messengers, crammed into the first five to ten rows at the front of the church.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone crunched into an aisle seat. State Senator Bob Smith squiggled in and parked next to Pallone. Assemblyman Joe Danielsen next to Smith.

Broad strokes from the pulpit set the mood. Jesus. Ancestors. Voting. Freedom. Can I get an Amen?

Amen.

The early message? Get the congregation riled up "before the politicians arrive." Someone invoked the names "Tom Kean, Sr." and "Phil Murphy." Imperfect. But compelled by a moral cause to do what's right.

"I'm pumped," said New Brunswick Mayor James Cahil.

A little later, with Mayor Ras Baraka and U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver sat on the altar, a raise-the-roof atmosphere ensued when the Rev. Ronald Slaughter said the church "needs to recapture prophetic zeal, in the words of MLK - in this case, against the MAGA Movement."

"We don't need an attorney general who will give law enforcement a slip to go and do what it wants to do in Black communities," Slaughter said.

The Rev. Charles Boyer stuck the landing on that point.  "MAGA Christianity will not have the last word," he said. "We have to get the souls to the polls."

There's a spiritual war raging under the political war. That was the underlying theme here: the MAGA guys in minotaur headdresses, wrapped in Confederate Flags, and running with guns around aping Trump's anti-social behaviors are Philistines and golden calf worshippers. AME is righteous and just - the real Christianity. Trump is Goliath, Jack Ciattarelli his foot soldier, and every vote against them is a stone in the slingshot of David.

That was the gist.

Baraka grabbed the microphone. "We've been saving America since we got here, making sure everything they said, they meant [when it comes to the content of the country's creed]. MLK said when we went to the bank we tried to cash a check marked insufficient funds. Now, we've got to save New Jersey from itself."

Said McIver: "We have got elect Mikie Sherrill. We need someone to protect us here from Donald Trump. I don't need someone to open up our doors and allow Trump a front row seat. I don't know about you all, but I don't want Trump in my backyard. As a matter of fact, I don't even want him on my block."

Democratic State Party Chairman LeRoy Jones was in the house.

So was East Orange Mayor Ted Green.

A Baptist, and delighted to be present here, she said, U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman added, "We all know why we are here. Because we want to elect Mikie Sherrill the next governor and Dale Caldwell the next lieutenant governor of New Jersey."

Applause.

Go take a nap, the bishop told the congregation - then go vote.

Sherrill treaded carefully as she gently contradicted the bishop, telling the churchgoers, "I don't think you need a nap."

Shapiro, test-driving a 2028 presidential run, got a rousing hand here as he heartily backed Sherrill against the backdrop of Trump shutting down the government and bulldozing the East Wing of the White House.

"She's going to build a community that lifts everybody up, reduces costs and doesn't add to them, streets you can walk down safely, free and just," said the neighboring governor. "She will be the kind of governor who wants to build something. You know, 249 years ago a band of patriots gathered together across the river in Philadelphia. They declared our independence. They didn't look like you or pray like me but they knew the people of the next generation would build on what they started.

"We are those people," Shapiro said.

Mikie Sherrill and Dale Caldwell, said the governor, are those people.