During the War of 1812 between British and American forces, the most dramatic conflict was the Battle of Fort McHenry.

During the battle in September 1814, American lawyer Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that later became the national anthem of the United States of America. Much like the flag, the poem’s most famous expression still stands today: “Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave.”

Let’s look at the inspiring history about the creation of the actual “Star-Spangled Banner” in Key’s view.

Mary Young Pickersgill, a 37-year-old flag maker, set up shop in Philadelphia after being widowed. Her daily job was to make flags for the U.S. militia. In 1813, she received her most important commission.

An attempt to besiege Fort McHenry was inevitable. George Armistead, the American commander, determined that a large flag should gallantly stream over the fort’s ramparts as an ensign of freedom. He called for a flag “so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.” Armistead commissioned Pickersgill to create two separate flags: a 17-by-25-foot storm flag, and an impressive 30-by-42-foot garrison flag that would fly before and after the battle.

Pickersgill solicited help from her daughters, two nieces, former slave women and other local seamstresses for this mammoth task. For six weeks, groups stayed up late creating these impressive flags. Their uncertainty about just when the battle would come intensified their urgency.

The garrison flag was so grand that each stripe was over two feet wide. Each star had a similar span. The flag was so large that Pickersgill relocated the project from her local shop to a nearby brewery to use their large floorspace.

Pickersgill’s influence extended well beyond patterns, stitching and hemming. This widowed flag-maker changed America’s history.

Among the many lessons we can learn from this chapter from the nation’s past, one that stands out is that anyone can contribute to victory. We fight today in a spiritual war “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). We don’t battle alone—we fight together. Whether a widow or a widower, single or married, older or younger, we all have duties to perform.

In 1815 some fought atop the fort, some fired cannons, and some made flags. Today, God has placed all in His Church as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:18). Whether ministers, deacons, Church employees or members serving various roles within our local congregations, we each fill vital roles in God’s army. We live through inspiring history that is forging the identity of God’s Kingdom. Embrace your role, and ensure the star-spangled banner of God’s Kingdom always waves.