Dear Friend,
When I compose the League’s monthly appeal letter, I imagine I am at the kitchen table, and seated across from me is a ministry partner who cares about the same things that are important to me: love of God, love of country, the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, parental rights, and Biblical morality. The purposes of these monthly communications are simple and straightforward–inform and inspire:
- inform you on what is going on in our state and country, and inspire you to intelligently and effectively pray
- inform you of opportunities to leverage your voice for truth, and inspire you to take action and contact your leaders
- inform you of the mission of our Church Ambassador Network, and inspire you to pray and promote this work
- inform you of our financial needs, and inspire you to support the League
Informing you certainly includes celebrating our successes. For at least two legislative sessions, our key focus has been stopping an extremely dangerous bill, deceptively titled the Equal Rights Amendment [ERA]. Despite the overwhelming support of the media and other cultural pressures, I am excited to announce the ERA has failed in the House and the Senate! Congratulations to our policy team, Mike and Thomas, for equipping and encouraging our allies in both chambers toward this positive outcome.
The Christian Civic League is neither Republican nor Democrat—we are pro-life; however, we would be remiss not to point out the clear disparity in this vote. Not one Democrat broke ranks and voted for life, and only one Republican supported this pro-abortion bill. Thanks to our Republican leaders who stood with us on this bill.
Last month, we mentioned the formation of our Rapid Responders. These are citizens who sign up for Mike McClellan’s weekly, in-depth email, who are committed to action when called upon. Mike put out the call on the day of the House vote for the ERA bill, and the Rapid Responders showed up to be advocates for life in the halls of our capitol. If you are interested in being a Rapid Responder, click here to sign up. You can also reach Mike McClellan at 329–6148.
We still have a lot of work before us in this legislative session. Please pray that we can be effective advocates for the following:
- LD1550 addresses the tobacco industry marketing to minors
- LD811 & LD1529 deal with abortion rights and the creation of a right to privacy
- LD 585 & LD 1626 attempt to expand casinos under the guise of justice for Native Americans
- several bills related to the proliferation of recreational and medicinal marijuana
We are at the beginning of our Beacon Campaign, which raises the funds necessary for our legislative activities. Humanly speaking, because Beacon Campaign donations are not tax-deductible, this is the most difficult money to raise. Thus far, we have raised $5,000 of the $40,000 needed to cover our direct and grassroots lobbying expenses. Please consider a gift to the Beacon Campaign, assuring us the resources necessary to be effective advocates for the remainder of the session.
In addition to our lobbying efforts, I am happy to report that we have experienced several very positive meetings with legislators through our Church Ambassador Network. What a blessing to see pastors in our capitol praying with our state leaders! Let your pastor know about this wonderful opportunity to be a positive spiritual influence in Augusta.
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