{"id":745006,"date":"2026-07-05T18:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/745006\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T18:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:06:08","slug":"andy-reid-honors-americas-250th-anniversary-on-music-and-the-spoken-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/745006\/","title":{"rendered":"Andy Reid Honors America\u2019s 250th Anniversary on \u2018Music and the Spoken Word\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the United States marked its 250th anniversary, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid<\/a> encouraged Americans to keep building a \u201cmore perfect union\u201d through unity, respect and a shared commitment to the nation\u2019s founding ideals.<\/p>\n

This was Reid’s message as guest narrator for the July 5 episode of \u201cMusic and the Spoken Word\u201d from The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. The episode, originating from the Tabernacle on Temple Square, honored the 250th anniversary of the United States. It aired on C-SPAN, NewsNation, BYUtv, and NBC stations in Salt Lake City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Kansas City.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTemple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 \/ 2<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Photos<\/p>\n

Reid said the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide a \u201cgame plan to keep moving toward … a \u2018more perfect union.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He knows something about game plans. Reid is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the National Football League. He is entering his 14th season leading the Kansas City Chiefs \u2014 a team with which he has won three Super Bowls.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether on the football field, in our communities, or in our homes, progress can at times feel like an uphill climb,\u201d Reid said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve learned that when people come together for a common goal \u2014 when they respect and support one another \u2014 progress happens. That\u2019s what a team does. It works to get better every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reid highlighted the truths in the Declaration of Independence that \u201call [people] are created equal . . . [and] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,\u201d including \u201cLife, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

These truths \u201chelp us make better decisions\u2014and correct our mistakes,\u201d he said. \u201cEven in difficult times, they remind us to keep going. To keep building. To keep improving.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coach recalled a story from the day the Constitution was signed. Noting a sun painted on the back of George Washington\u2019s chair, Benjamin Franklin said he had often wondered whether that sun was rising or setting.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut in that moment, [Franklin] said, \u2018[Now I] know it is a rising and not a setting Sun,\u2019\u201d Reid said. \u201cFor 250 years, that sun has continued to rise on this land. And I believe it will for generations to come. We can all do our part. We can help build a \u2018more perfect union\u2019\u2014a nation \u2018under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Among those in attendance Sunday were Church Prophet and President Dallin H. Oaks<\/a>; President Dieter F. Uchtdorf<\/a>, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elders Quentin L. Cook<\/a> and Gary E. Stevenson<\/a> of that quorum; and Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson<\/a> and Primary General Presidency Second Counselor Tracy Y. Browning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reid\u2019s call to help build a \u201cmore perfect union\u201d echoes themes that have shaped many of the Church\u2019s America250 efforts<\/a>, including community service, family history and music initiatives designed to bring people together.<\/p>\n

On July 4, those efforts were highlighted in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. In Los Angeles, JustServe<\/a> volunteers invited community members to participate in local service opportunities. In Philadelphia, a national time capsule included a record of the Church\u2019s and JustServe\u2019s contributions to America250\u2019s nationwide service initiatives.<\/p>\n

In collaboration with America250, the Church is participating<\/a> in nationwide service, food donations<\/a> and volunteer efforts designed to strengthen communities across the country. Additionally, the Church invited U.S. members to participate in a day of fasting and prayer for global religious freedom<\/a> on July 5. The Church is also providing educational resources on religious freedom, using FamilySearch to help people discover their family stories<\/a>, and featuring The Tabernacle Choir in \u201cAmerica\u2019s Soundtrack<\/a>\u201d to honor the semiquincentennial.<\/p>\n

Together, these efforts reflect the Church of Jesus Christ\u2019s desire to honor the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary by strengthening communities, preserving memories and bringing people together in service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the United States marked its 250th anniversary, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid encouraged Americans to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":745007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[349,99],"class_list":["post-745006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=745006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/745007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=745006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=745006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=745006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}