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New Religious Freedom Rules are a Godsend for Christian Organizations
Religious Freedom Day at the White House - January 16, 2020
Dear John,
I had a special call with the White House yesterday, National Religious Freedom Day, and I wanted to report back to you the news that I’ve been asked to share.
President Trump announced several new initiatives to preserve religious freedom in the United States, and they promise to boost our efforts to protect Christians, pastors, and churches throughout Minnesota.
- The Trump Administration is taking executive action to ensure that religious organizations are treated as equals, with the same respect granted secular organizations in the eyes of the government – this is a BIG DEAL!
- Trump is taking executive action to ensure that public schools respect students’ and teachers’ right to express their faith freely at school – all across America!
- Trump is ordering all federal grant programs to consider religious schools and organizations equally – opening the door for faith-based organizations and schools to receive the same opportunities to compete for federal funding that secular organizations and schools have!
Friends, I can’t begin to tell you how important these reforms are, or what they mean for Minnesota! As our legal allies at Alliance Defending Freedom reported, “the government can no longer treat people of faith like second-class citizens!”
Minnesota Family Council is here to ensure that the president’s directives are respected and enforced in our state. While I was grateful to be included on this call with the White House, it reminds me that we have much work still to done here in MN.
We know that those who oppose religious freedom will fight us from St. Paul all the way to D.C. Whenever we push for religious freedom protections for all Minnesotans, we face resistance from radical activists at the state house.
Still, we will protect religious freedom with everything we’ve got! We hope to prove ourselves worthy of the confidence you've placed in us - because of the confidence we have in Christ!
I’m asking you today – if you’re able – please consider making a secure, tax-deductible donation to help us advance religious freedom in 2020. Can we count on you to keep our team together and serve with us in the trenches?
Your support, prayer, and investment have helped us make huge strides in this state. But as you know, there is much more work to be done. Faithful stewardship in our nation and our state requires vigilance and preparation to meet each new threat to religious freedom with humility coupled with Gospel certainty and determination.
Thank you for being a force for good, and for fighting alongside us.
In His Service,
John Helmberger
CEO
Minnesota Family Council & Institute
States are Moving to Protect Women's Sports. Here's why Minnesota Should be Next
In the past few years, a growing number of male athletes have taken home awards in women’s sports. Rather than decry this trend as unfair or sexist, many media figures and politicians have celebrated it as a mark of inclusivity and progress because the men placing in these events identify as female. Reducing maleness and femaleness to one’s “gender identity” ignores the reality that men and women are different, and that the differences between the sexes are not based on how a person feels.
Responding to this trend, nine states are currently considering or planning to take up legislation that would protect women’s sports by preventing biological males from competing in young women’s sports teams. Additionally, Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) recently proposed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act which would prevent schools that allow biological males to compete in women’s sports from receiving Title IX funding.
These bills take seriously the fact that men and women are different and that there is good reason for having separate girls’ sports teams. The 2018-19 competition season in Connecticut saw two biological males dominate high school girls track in, beating the teenage girls in the event and costing them potential scholarship opportunities. This isn’t because female athletes do not work as hard or train as well as male athletes, but because of the physical differences between men and women.
Read the whole article by MFC's Patience Griswold at The Family Beacon.
Abby Johnson Defied Planned Parenthood. Are You Ready to Hear Her Story in Person at Our Annual Dinner?
Registration is now open for our biggest event of the year - our annual dinner with pro-life crusader Abby Johnson. Abby's work with And Then There Were None, a charity that helps abortion workers leave the industry, has been hugely successful. And her new initiative, Love Lines, gives financial support to women who choose LIFE.
But her story began in 2009, when she was a clinic director for Planned Parenthood and had to witness, for the first time, an ultrasound-guided abortion. With horror, she saw for the first time what abortion really is: the killing by dismemberment of a baby. She walked away and has been working to save lives ever since. Her book Unplanned was turned into one of last year's most surprising hit movies.
And she's coming to Minneapolis in May. Will you join us for our Annual Dinner with Abby Johnson? Click below to register now! We expect this event to fill up, so make sure to register as soon as you can.
Answering the Crisis of Abortion: A Seminar with John Ensor
Jan 25, 2020 • 9:30am - 12:30pm
Do you know how to make a persuasive and winsome case for life in a secular culture? If you wish to be better able to articulate your pro-life beliefs, Bethlehem Baptist Church together with Amnion Pregnancy Center invite you to join us at “Answering the Crisis of Abortion: A Seminar with John Ensor”.
John Ensor has taken his rich background, which includes establishing a network of pregnancy resource centers in the Boston and Miami areas as well as writing several pro-life books, and developed “the gospel of life” training designed to help you stand for life with courage, confidence and compassion right where you live.
This training has been shared with almost three million people on five continents over the past six years. Now you have the opportunity to receive this training locally. “Answering the Crisis of Abortion” will be held at Bethlehem Baptist Church South Campus, 20700 Kenrick Road, Lakeville, MN on Saturday, January 25, 9:30am – 12:30pm. There is no fee to attend and no reservations are required. Light refreshments will be served.
To find out more, go to bethlehem.church/CrisisOfAbortion.
Unplanned: How One Woman Defied Planned Parenthood (Free Film Showings at Bethlehem Baptist Church)
All Abby Johnson ever wanted to do was help women. As one of the youngest Planned Parenthood clinic directors in the nation, she was involved in upwards of 22,000 abortions and counseled countless women about their reproductive choices. Her passion surrounding a woman’s right to choose even led her to become a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, fighting to enact legislation for the cause she so deeply believed in.
Until the day she saw something that changed everything, leading Abby Johnson to become one of the most ardent pro-life speakers in America.
The Sanctity of Life Ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church invites you to a showing of Unplanned, being shown at each of their three campuses, on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, January 28, 7pm, Downtown Campus, 720 13th Ave S, Minneapolis
Friday, January 31, 7pm, North Campus, 5151 Program Ave, Mounds View
Sunday, February 9, 6pm, South Campus, 20700 Kenrick Ave, Lakeville
Learn more about these FREE showings at unplannedfilm.com and bethlehem.church/unplanned.
2020 Annual Dinner on May 11 with Abby Johnson - Registration is Now Open!
We're so excited for our Annual Dinner with Abby Johnson, one of our generation's strongest voices defending the unborn. Will you join us on May 11 for an evening of encouragement and transformation? Registration is now open! Click here to register!
Give your Teen the Gift of Leadership - Registration Now Open!
Register your teen early and SAVE $50!
LEAD is a project of Minnesota Family Council designed to equip the next generation. During this one-week program, teens are challenged with interactive Biblical worldview sessions, and real-world simulations to learn critical thinking, clear communication, and gain teamwork skills to lead with confidence.
July 26th–July 31st, 2020
University of Northwestern – St. Paul
Registration: $499
Financial Aid Available
Follow LEAD on Facebook and Instagram
Support MFC When You Shop Online!
Did you know that when you shop with Amazon Smile, Amazon makes a donation to Minnesota Family Institute at no cost to you?
Educating and Equipping Parents on the Transgender Trend
Get Your Copy of the Minnesota Parent Resource Guide!
The Parent Resource Guide sheds light on the consequences transgender ideas have on kids' lives, while equipping parents to play a positive role in creating a truly welcoming school community.
Responding to the transgender trend with truth and compassion starts with the Parent Resource Guide. Get your copy HERE today and invite a friend to do the same!
Click to order your copy today:
Thank you for sharing Minnesota Family Council's vision for
strong families and communities through Christ. We are grateful for your partnership with us in prayer, legislative involvement and generous donations.
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