Dear Jack,

Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!

1. NC VALUES: We Wish You a Merry Christmas

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

We rejoice in the birth of Jesus Christ—the light of the world and the hope given to all. May His peace, joy, and truth fill your home this Christmas season.

2. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Election Field for 2026 is Set in North Carolina

"With candidate filing closed as of noon on [last] Friday, the field is officially set for the 2026 election cycle in North Carolina. On Friday, Dec. 19, the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) conducted its legally required random drawing and coin flip to determine the order in which candidates’ names will appear on ballots statewide for both the primary and general elections."

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/election-field-for-2026-is-set-in-north-carolina/

3. AP: Four-term North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt, a leader in education reform, dies at 88

"Four-term North Carolina Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt, a towering figure in North Carolina politics in the late 20th century who helped leaders from both major parties strive for public education reform, died Thursday at the age of 88, his daughter Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt announced.

Hunt, whose career provided a prototype for the modern ‘education governor,’ served an unprecedented 16 years as governor as the state received the rewards and stings of shifting from textiles and tobacco to a high-tech economy."

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-gov-jim-hunt-obit-0edf223c7e614acab5d3a76cb2d9c1f3

Also check out this assessment of his political legacy from Carolina Journal.

4. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Zenger Expects Social Media Bill to Move in New Year

“Rep. Jeff Zenger, R-Forsyth, one of the sponsors of HB 301, Social Media Protections for Minors Under 16, expects the bill to move forward in the Senate in the new year. The bill passed 106-6 in a bipartisan vote in the North Carolina House of Representatives earlier in the year.

'This is not a partisan issue,' Zenger told the Carolina Journal. 'I’ve had parents from every walk of life say thank you, people picking up the phone and calling me. I know some folks, quite frankly, that I’m never on the same side of an issue with saying thank you. It’s wildly popular across the political spectrum.'"

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/zenger-expects-social-media-bill-to-move-in-new-year

5. WORLD: Trump’s Nominee for Religious Freedom Ambassador Stalls

"Former North Carolina Rep. Mark Walker, the nominee for ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom, has been waiting more than eight months for a confirmation hearing in the Senate. His desk at the State Department remains empty, and he’s been traveling to Washington throughout the year to meet with the White House, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and senators.

But with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee dismissed for the year, President Donald Trump will have to renominate Walker in January or choose someone else to be his chief adviser on international religious freedom."

Read more: https://wng.org/roundups/trumps-nominee-for-religious-freedom-ambassador-stalls-1766100847

Weekly Prayer: Officials

LORD, you also have instructed us to pray for our governing officials, and we come to you in the spirit of this petition. We pray for our state government and its executive, legislative, and judicial servants. May they indeed be servants unto the people, and govern in a manner that protects liberty and virtue. In the same spirit, we pray for public servants across our local governments. May they all heed your mandate in Romans 13:4 to be in positions of authority as “God’s servant” and for the “good” of the public. They govern in what we confess are difficult times. May they plead with you to give them wisdom, and may your grace to govern wisely be poured out on them.

Protect us from the oppression and loss of freedoms that other countries have experienced, and help us to value and preserve freedom, which we know comes only from You.

“I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.  I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free.” Acts 7:34

Amen

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values