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MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — On the second-to-last Sunday before the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump settled into a fifth row pew of an Iowa church for a lesson in humility.

"I don't know if that was aimed at me ... perhaps," Trump said after the hourlong service at the First Presbyterian Church.

Religious voters are a major factor in the opening contest on the presidential nominating calendar, and Trump has been working hard to build his appeal among them. His chief challenger in the Republican race is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a conservative preacher's son who's made deep inroads with evangelicals.

The service, which Trump's campaign invited several reporters to observe, included hymns, readings and a performance by the children's choir. Cream-colored stained glass in the window cast a golden glow.

At one point, Trump shared a prayer book with Debra Whitaker, an Iowa supporter seated to his right. She put her hand gently around Trump's waist as the congregation sang Hymn 409, "God is Here!" Trump could be seen by some mouthing the words of the hymn.

At one point, as church-goers offered each other wishes of peace, Trump received warm greetings from those around him.

When it was time to offer tithes, Trump was seen digging into his pants' pocket. Two folded $50 bills were later spotted in a collection plate that was passed down his pew.

One reading during the service, about the importance of humility, included a reference that caught Trump's ear.

"Can you imagine eye telling hand, 'Get lost, I don't need you' or hearing the head telling the foot, 'You're fired, your job has been phased out?'" the reader said. "You're fired!" was Trump's signature catchphrase when he hosted "The Apprentice" television show.

"I heard that," Trump later told reporters, when asked about the reference. "I wondered if that was for me. They didn't even know I was coming, so I doubt it. But it's an appropriate phrase."

In her sermon, the pastor, the Rev. Dr. Pamela Saturnia, also made several references with resonance for the 2016 race.