Andy Reid Encourages Americans to Build a ‘More Perfect Union’

As the United States marked its 250th anniversary, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid encouraged Americans to keep building a “more perfect union” through unity, respect and a shared commitment to the nation’s founding ideals.

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This was Reid's message as guest narrator for the July 5 episode of “Music and the Spoken Word” 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.

Reid said the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide a “game plan to keep moving toward ... a ‘more perfect union.’”

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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 — a team with which he has won three Super Bowls.

“Whether on the football field, in our communities, or in our homes, progress can at times feel like an uphill climb,” Reid said. “But I’ve learned that when people come together for a common goal — when they respect and support one another — progress happens. That’s what a team does. It works to get better every single day.”

Reid highlighted the truths in the Declaration of Independence that “all [people] are created equal . . . [and] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These truths “help us make better decisions—and correct our mistakes,” he said. “Even in difficult times, they remind us to keep going. To keep building. To keep improving.”

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The coach recalled a story from the day the Constitution was signed. Noting a sun painted on the back of George Washington’s chair, Benjamin Franklin said he had often wondered whether that sun was rising or setting.

“But in that moment, [Franklin] said, ‘[Now I] know it is a rising and not a setting Sun,’” Reid said. “For 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 ‘more perfect union’—a nation ‘under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’”

Choir member Siope Kinikini said music is one important way to bring people together.

“I feel like music is a unifier,” he said. “When we sing songs that help us remember what the hopes and dreams are for this nation, it can remind us exactly of what we can do together if we decide to work together and make things happen.”

Audience member Steve Smedley had two reasons to be at Sunday’s broadcast. He was able to see his father sing for the last time in the Choir. And, as a football player himself, Smedley enjoyed hearing from Coach Reid.

“[I like the] way he approaches his life outside of football, because football isn't everything,” Smedley said. “We have to find that balance between the Church, our family and also football. That is special for me.”

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

Meeting the Press

Following the broadcast, Reid, his wife, Tammy, and Tabernacle Choir President Michael O. Leavitt met with reporters in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to discuss the nation’s 250th anniversary, service, leadership and the values that have helped unite Americans across generations.

“The world hungers for authentic voices. The Tabernacle Choir is an authentic voice, but there is no more authentic voice in America than Andy Reid,” President Leavitt said. “And for him to be able to sit in front of the crowd and espouse principles of importance and truth could never have been delivered better by anyone.”

Coach Reid’s comments to journalists echoed his message during the live broadcast: strength comes from people working together, supporting one another and remaining committed to the nation’s founding ideals.

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“Two hundred and fifty years is a lot of time,” Reid said. “To be as strong as we still are, and as united as we’re continuously working on being, is something special.”

Tammy Reid encouraged people to apply the broadcast’s message in their daily lives through kindness.

“Go out there and be good Americans and help each other out and be kind to each other,” she said. “Let’s embrace the differences and still be kind to each other.”

The Church and America250

Reid’s call to help build a “more perfect union” echoes themes that have shaped many of the Church’s America250 efforts, including community service, family history and music initiatives designed to bring people together.

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

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In collaboration with America250, the Church is participating in nationwide service, food donations 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 on July 5. The Church is also providing educational resources on religious freedom, using FamilySearch to help people discover their family stories, and featuring The Tabernacle Choir in “America’s Soundtrack” to honor the semiquincentennial.

Together, these efforts reflect the Church of Jesus Christ’s desire to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary by strengthening communities, preserving memories and bringing people together in service.