Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama have now agreed to participate in a summit on national and community service in New York City on Sept. 11. This will be their first joint appearance after the conventions–not a debate, but a pair of in-depth statements by the candidates. For those of us who have floated around the “service” world for a long time, this is pretty exciting. (I was one of two token college students at a Wingspread summit on service in 1988, so I’ve been in it for 20 years.) There are important debates about whether the federal service programs should be rethought and also whether “service” is the best word or concept to advance the highest values of the movement. There is also a big question about whether Congress will fund a major expansion of service programs in an era of deficits, even if it authorizes an expansion. But it’s clear that service has momentum right now.