COLUMBUS – As the Ohio General Assembly considers the Heartbeat Bill, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a sweeping ruling today protecting Ohio tax dollars from flowing to abortion providers.
In an 11-to-6 decision, today’s ruling overturned a lower court ruling that had declared a 2016 law unconstitutional because it barred organizations from receiving public funds to perform abortions.
According to the opinion written by Judge Jeffrey Sutton, “Two Planned Parenthood affiliates challenged the [2016] statute, claiming that it imposes an unconstitutional condition on public funding in violation of the Due Process Clause. The affiliates are correct that the Ohio law imposes a condition on the continued receipt of state funds. But that condition does not violate the Constitution because the affiliates do not have a due process right to perform abortions.”
In other words, the state has the right to decide the parameters for who gets public funding and there is no such thing as a right to perform abortions.
Trump appointees Amul Thapar, John K. Bush, Joan Larsen and John B. Nalbandian joined the majority. Judge Helene White, appointed by George W. Bush, wrote the dissent,
“Elections have consequences. Because Ohioans elected a president and Senate who appoints judges that uphold the law, instead of playing politics with the law, millions of Ohio tax dollars will not go to abortion providers.”
Aaron Baer, Citizens for Community Values
“Elections have consequences,” said Aaron Baer, President of Citizens for Community Values. “Because Ohioans elected a president and Senate who appoints judges that uphold the law, instead of playing politics with the law, millions of Ohio tax dollars will not go to abortion providers.”
Ohioans also elected Governor DeWine, who told The Dispatch, “We’ve always felt the state had the right to set policy on who is funded and who is not funded. I’m pleased with the decision.”
Ohio’s 2016 law, signed by then-Gov. John Kasich, was enacted in the wake of investigative videos showing Texas Planned Parenthood employees discussing the illegal sale of fetal tissue,
The ruling by the second highest court in the land will also impact Kentucky, Michigan,and Tennessee which are in the 6th Circuit’s jurisdiction.
Editor’s Note: Article was updated on March 18, 2019
COLUMBUS – The Ohio Senate just passed the Heartbeat Bill, SB 23, by a 19-13 vote. Sponsored by Senator Kristina Roegner, the Heartbeat Bill prohibits abortion once a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child.
“The Heartbeat Bill is what Ohio voters want,” said Aaron Baer, President of Citizens for Community Values. “This bill was front and center in the 2018 elections, and the voters once again overwhelmingly elected officials that value all life – born and unborn.”
Aaron Baer, Citizens for Community Values President
“Thanks to the courageous leadership of Senator Kristina Roegner, Senate Health Committee Chairman Dave Burke, and Senate President Larry Obhof, the Ohio Senate was able to pass this life-saving bill with a strong majority. Ohio is on the brink of making history, and sending a strong message that Ohioans care deeply for our most vulnerable.”
Senators voting against the Heartbeat Bill included: Nickie Antonio (D), Matt Dolan (R), John Eklund (R), Teresa Fedor (D), Stephanie Kunze (R), Hearcel Craig (D), Tina Maharath (D), , Nathan Manning (R), Sean O’Brien (D), Vernon Sykes (D), Cecil Thomas (D), Sandra Williams (D), sand Kenny Yuko (D).. Louis Terhar (R) did not vote.
According to Roegner’s office,, the Senate also unanimously passed Senate Resolution 41, co- sponsored by Roegner, which urges Congress to pass legislation to protect innocent babies who are inadvertently born alive during an abortion procedure, known as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
Since 2011, the Ohio Senate has passed more significant legislation to defend unborn children and protect their right to life than at any time since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark abortion ruling in 1973.
Senate Bill 23 will now be sent to the Ohio House for further consideration.
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO – Just three months in office, freshmen Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Min) is finding herself in hot water after suggesting that Israel’s supporters are pushing U.S. lawmakers to take a pledge of “allegiance to a foreign country.”
A petition is demanding Omar be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee after she tweeted that Israel’s allies in American politics were motivated by money rather than principle. This came off the heels of an interview defending her statement that “Israel has hypnotized the world, ” and a Yahoo! News interview where Omar said she “chuckles when people label Israel a democracy.”
Both congressional and faith leaders in North Central Ohio are not happy with the embattled Rep.’s anti-Semitic overtones. In a formal statement to Frontlines Ohio, Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH) of the 7th District stated “Israel is one of our most important allies and a beacon of freedom in a troubled part of the world. If these are the views she holds towards our ally and the Americans who support Israel, Rep. Omar has no business being on the Foreign Affairs Committee.”
Congressman Troy Balderson, (R-OH) of the 12th District echoed the same sentiments, “Bigotry of any kind has no place in our country. I condemn Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic remarks, just as I condemned Congressman Steve King’s white nationalist views.”
Local clergy did not hold back their criticism of Rep. Omar’s comments. “Rep. Omar’s rhetoric could incite violence against Jewish people in the United States,” says Reverend Jerry O’Brien of Faith Harvest Fellowship in Wayne County.
Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States
Source: Anti-Defamation League
An Anti-Defamation League report states that there was a dramatic increase of attacks on Jewish people in 2017 compared to 2016. Several months ago the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in recent U.S. history occurred at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue. O’Brien along with several other clergy support the removal of Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Either she apologizes for her inflammatory comments or resign,” says Reverend J.C. Church of Victory in Truth Ministries in Crawford County. Simply put, there is no room for hate, racism, and divisive remarks such as these; they certainly do not reflect the heart of this nation.”
Reverend El Akuchie of Godsfield House of Prayer in Richland County agrees and notes the profound difference between Ilhan Omar’s Minneapolis-St. Paul congressional district and the congressional districts of North Central Ohio. “Clergy throughout North Central Ohio have shown staunch support for the Nation of Israel, sending an apology letter to the Israeli Prime Minister, lobbying the County Treasurer towards the investment of Israeli bonds, publicly supporting the U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem, and by hosting the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset last fall.”
“When coming to America to seek asylum as a refugee from her native war-torn Somalia, one would think Ms. Omar would have a sense of gratitude,” says Akuchie.
“When coming to America to seek asylum as a refugee from her native war-torn Somalia, one would think Ms. Omar would have a sense of gratitude…”
Reverend El Akuchie, Godsfield House of Prayer
“Judeo-Christian values did not cause Rep. Omar to leave her country under duress, those values are what brought her here. I came from Nigeria to the United States and have seen firsthand the peace, prosperity, and stability that Jews and Christians living together in harmony has brought.”
National security analysts have expressed concern over Omar who in 2016 asked a judge for leniency for nine Minnesota men charged with planning to join ISIS. According to FBI statistics, Omar’s district is the “terrorist recruitment capital of the U.S.” The Twin-Cities have the largest Somali population in the nation.
Reverend John Bouquet of Bethel Baptist in Ashland County takes an unconventional approach on Rep. Omar. “I do not believe the main issue is Omar’s anti-Semitic remarks, I believe the bigger issue is bad immigration policy. A large influx of Somali refugees have moved into Omar”s congressional district, so naturally they voted for a an Arab candidate who matches their worldview. Truth be told, the case could be made that she is also anti-American and does not respect the U.S. Constitution.
“This is a perfect example of what happens if we do not change our immigration policies and teach the Constitution in our public school classrooms: there are going to be more cities like Minneapolis sprawling across this country if our elected leaders do not secure our sovereign borders.
We are living in some strange times. The wickedness of mankind is forever on display and is gaining ground in the culture war taking place in this country. The Bible tells us we are in a battle for righteousness, godliness and the souls of men. We are standing against the fiery darts of Satan, the snares hidden in our pathway and the wiles of the wicked one. It is likened to a battle, a wrestling match, to determine who will be victorious and who will be defeated.
Pastor Randy Raynes (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Ephesians 6:10-13 says: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
As Christians we are to put on the armor of God so as to be able to stand against the attacks of Satan. The Bible likens it to a time of wrestling, a time when one seeks to put his knee on the back of the neck of the other and be declared victorious. Our fight against Satan is to be a progressive battle and not a regressive surrender.
Jesus declared that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His church. It is not a matter of if we fight, but a matter of we will fight. It is not a matter of whether or not to stand and be counted for the war, but a matter of standing and fighting and enduring all the way to victory.
One of the difficulties facing those in the church is in determining just what part our world and its politics are to play in the lives of God’s people, the church of God and the message preached. Better, however, is to ask what part the church is to play in the world and its politics.
We have those who declare separation of church and state, and then those whose sole message seems to be political in nature on either end of the spectrum. We have those who believe that Christians have no business in politics and yet others who fight every political cause that comes along.
Pastor Raynes leading recent clergy press conference declaring 2019 as “Year of the Bible.” (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
In both cases, Bible truth is used and verses supporting those truths are utilized. So, it is my intent to present some basic principles I have used to determine my own level of involvement.
The first passage of Scripture is Ephesians 5:18-6:9. In this passage we are admonished to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Spirit is speaking about the Spirit of God filling all areas of our life: us surrendering all areas of our life to Him and allowing Him to have control of them. Being filled affects us inwardly, upwardly and outwardly.
Then we have presented three relationships which are affected by the Spirit of God: the husband/wife relationship, the parent/child relationship, and the employer/employee relationship. These are examples of how being filled affects our relationships. The truth is you cannot be right in your earthly relationships without being right with God. Nor can you be right with God without being right in these earthly relationships.
The premise is this: your walk with God, your relationship with God requires that you be the best husband/wife, the best parent/child, the best employer/employee you can be. It requires that you fulfill all the responsibilities associated with them. To be less or do less is to violate the commands and purposes of God.
We are to be Christian first, then whatever second. I am to be a Christian husband, Christian father and Christian employee. I am also a Christian American citizen. My Christianity demands that I fulfill my responsibilities and obligations in all areas of my life.
The second passage contains a command of Jesus. Matthew 22:16-21 says, “And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
When approached about the subject of tribute to Caesar, Jesus gave His classic instructions, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. What He instructed was for them to render to God His things. But the same command that instructs them to render to God also instructs them to render to Caesar.
As a Christian I am to be the best citizen I can possibly be. As a Christian it is my responsibility to render to our country what is owed it as a Christian citizen of this country. It is God’s will that I be a law-bidding, patriotic, citizen and to see to it that things are done in this country in honor of God. I owe it to both God and my country.
The third concept found in Scripture is Romans 13:1-6: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.”
“The political systems are ordained of God. They are to be treated as such by the Christians, as is expected of them by God. Why would we think it would be God’s will for God’s people to have nothing to do with God’s institution? If it is ordained of God, then God desires His people to be involved, for only then does it have any chance of doing right.”
Reverend Randy Raynes, Mansfield Fellowship Baptist
The political systems are ordained of God. They are to be treated as such by the Christians, as is expected of them by God. Why would we think it would be God’s will for God’s people to have nothing to do with God’s institution? If it is ordained of God, then God desires His people to be involved, for only then does it have any chance of doing right.
I go through these principles to come to this point. I owe it to God and to my country to be involved in this God ordained business. It is true that wicked people are in high places, but only because we have relinquished those places to the wicked. In order for me to be right with God, I must do my part as a patriotic American and stand and demand righteousness. I must vote it, promote it and encourage it. I must get involved in it as much as I can in relation to my walk with God. Therefore, I will vote, I will get involved in the culture war as a Christian in obedience to God. Politics must not be allowed to run the church neither the church remain silent, or uninvolved, in the government of our country. We are God’s witnesses and are commanded to do our part as Christian Americans.
Therefore, I come to this conclusion. As a Christian I will get involved in all I can, while remaining true to God and His Word. I will be involved so as to represent our Lord in whatever place God puts me. I will vote as a Christian, work as a Christian, get involved as a Christian, for I am a Christian, Patriotic American.
Dr. Randy Raynes is senior pastor at Mansfield Fellowship Baptist and has authored several books including: “Pastoring the Small Church,” and “The Man of God’s Choosing.”
MANSFIELD — Despite a challenging five-year tenure as Mansfield Police Chief involving several tragedies in the community, Ken Coontz is moving up the ladder once again. Coontz will be retiring as Police Chief to become the City’s Human Resource Director. As the old adage claims, “You can’t keep a good man down.”
After getting baptized at age eighteen, Coontz decided to serve as a police officer, quickly rising thru the ranks, and receiving valuable advice from seasoned veterans on the police force.
“I had the privilege to work beside some great mentors in the department that really groomed me as a professional. I always say that GOD puts you where He wants you. Everything I went thru from when I first started on the force, to when I was promoted thru the ranks, was all preparation for me when I would later become Police Chief.”
According to Coontz, you also can’t keep a good city down.
When asked if Mansfield is different from other communities, Coontz answered by saying that the City of Mansfield is unique: in adversity, it rose to the occasion, literally.
“Yeah, Mansfield is different from other communities. It seemed ten years ago during that entire anti-police movement that was going on through our country, as different places were having riots and civil unrest, our police department’s partnership and ties with the community did not become strained, they became stronger.”
Coontz says that the relationship between the police department and with citizen and churches the last five years was “extremely important.”
“I gave my cell phone number out to people to let them know that I was available and accessible and I think that really built a lot of trust and transparency.”
When asked if he recalled any seemingly-improbable moments during his tenure that in retrospect gave him goose bumps, Coontz did not hesitate: “the Randallwood Drive standoff– I will never forget that day.”
“We had a guy randomly shooting at people from his house. The plan was for the SWAT Team to go in to dislodge the air conditioning unit to throw a tear gas canister into the garage and diffuse the situation. Four officers approached the house behind a little 2 foot by 3 foot armor shield and with our tactical rescue vehicle approaching nearby. But the AC unit didn’t budge.
“For some reason I felt compelled to go to the other side of the house and take a photograph of the four officers and the team with the rescue vehicle.
Photo taken by Ken Coontz seconds before suspect fired his rifle from basement upwards at officers to far left.
“I took the photograph and several seconds later the suspect fired multiple rounds upwards thru the window well with .223 caliber rifle ammunition from the basement beneath the garage. Two bullets went thru the shield and came within inches of the four officers’ heads and torsos. Unbeknownst to the officers, the suspect was only a minuscule ten feet away from the officers when he began firing.”
When the smoke had cleared, eighty bullet shells were recovered inside the next door neighbor’s house. The turret protecting one of the officers in the tactical vehicle was hit three times.
“It was nothing short of a miracle that none of the officers were killed or maimed that day. This is why citizens should pray for the police department-they are on the front lines and in harm’s way each and every day.”
“It was nothing short of a miracle that none of the officers were killed or maimed that day. This is why citizens should pray for the police department-they are on the front lines and in harm’s way each and every day.”
Mansfield Police chief Ken Coontz
Coontz says faith plays a big role in the community. “A lot of it begins at home, how a family teaches children morality and ethics integrated in faith. We see drug addiction many times in broken families, and without a doubt drug addiction is at the center of violent crimes.”
During the period of national turmoil and the local opiate epidemic, Coontz agrees that he saw GOD work simultaneously in people’s hearts to be proactive in working with the police to safeguard the city.
Detective Rich Miller, the SWAT Commander in the Randallwood standoff shows the bullet holes that pierced the shield.
“We saw several community marches against drugs, the implementation of the Fugitive Task Force, and the Opiate Task Force with Mental Health and faith based groups partnering.
“The ‘We Act’ citizen group has been a phenomenal catalyst with the “Blue Light” and “National Police Week” campaigns, along with the community block parties.
“The churches contributed with their campaigns against marijuana and awareness on human trafficking. A group of clergy helped us shut down a human trafficking center which consequently uncovered a network. It is also helpful when the National Day of Prayer gets officials to come to the square to pray corporately.”
With an engaged community, crime in the city has dropped across the board each year consecutively over the last five years and violent crime has taken a nosedive and is at its lowest level in ten years.
Coontz adds, “It is always great when people that care for the community want to ride along with our officers to see the challenges our officers face. When people realize that the police department and citizens are on the same team, we really can achieve great things together and the city can be a safe place for our children.”
Late in 2018, the motion picture Gosnell stormed into movie theaters across the country. The movie had a limited run, at least in the local theater where I viewed it.
The film, which came out on DVD Feb. 5, ranked at the top in online pre-sales, taking the No. 1 spot for drama DVDs and the No. 3 spot for overall DVD sales on Amazon, according to the Daily Wire.
Greg Jevnikar
It is very unfortunate that the movie did not have a much wider audience. The message of the movie needs to be seen by all Americans. Interestingly, the movie offers an example of the unreliability of the main stream media in how it covered this important murder trial of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell.
Gosnell is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, including disturbing images and descriptions. (Check out Focus on the Family’s “Plugged In” for another Christian review.)
Gosnell centers around the 2011 investigation, trial, conviction and sentencing of the Philadelphia abortionist for the murder of newborns and one woman. While the movie is not produced in a documentary style, the film is based on a true story.
Kermit Gosnell apparently believed that he was doing a good work on behalf of mothers in killing their babies, relieving them of responsibility for caring and nurturing them.
It was not easy to get this film produced or distributed. Hollywood did not want to touch this movie because it went against their pro-abortion and radical liberal ideology. It was difficult in finding a distributor as well.
The makers of this movie used Internet-based funding sources to make the movie. They eventually were able to get the movie distributed.
Dean Cain, known for his role in Superman, was the lead character playing the detective involved in the case investigating Gosnell. Cain did a superb and very believable job of acting.
The movie tells the behind the scenes story of the investigation and the trial that was not brought out in our nation’s predominately fake news media. The main stream media left out major parts of the story in their “reporting.”
Greg Jevnikar
The movie tells the behind the scenes story of the investigation and the trial that was not brought out in our nation’s predominately fake news media. The main stream media left out major parts of the story in their “reporting.”
The movie also gives a glimpse of the negative results and impact on the public’s health, safety and welfare that occur when facilities that do abortion are given preferential treatment and not regularly inspected as compared to other out-patient medical facilities.
The film is worth seeing, either by rental, streaming or purchase. It is educational and gives the world a glimpse of the gruesome underbelly of the highly suspect abortion industry.
Overall Gosnell was well done and worth the time invested in watching.
The underlying message of the movie, to me, was that it dramatizes the need to totally abolish the heinous abortion procedure, because abortion encourages man’s inhumanity to man. Kermit Gosnell was not an anomaly or an outlier, I believe that he is the tip of the iceberg that marks much of the abortion industry today.
I would recommend the movie to anyone and give it 5 of 5 stars .
Greg Jevnikar is a healthcare professional and devoted Christ-follower. As a blogger and activist, he defends the sanctity of human life and traditional marriage .and participates in the Ohio Tea Party movement.
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO — A significant contingent of area clergy representing nine United Methodist Church (UMC) congregations across the Buckeye Bible Belt believe diversity had a contributing factor in the decision to affirm traditional Biblical values for the special meeting on church sexual ethics held by the UMC General Conference in St. Louis last week.
The UMC is the nation’s second-largest Protestant church and has a single global body of members as opposed to separate national church bodies. As a result, UMC members in Africa add a global identity by making up more than forty-percent of all United Methodists worldwide and impacting the denomination with a stronger conservative voice.
Church delegates approved the more conservative “Traditional Plan” by a vote of 438-384. The Plan maintains the denomination’s stance forbidding: homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals. The plan also promises to enforce existing rules of the Book of Discipline, and encourages those who will not obey church prohibitions to find another church home.
All six clergy contacted by Frontlines Ohio agreed that the Traditional Plan was the best course of action and that the practice of homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
“This is an issue the UMC has been dealing with since 1972 and just now our General Conference has taken decisive action,” says Reverend Layton Broome of Paradise Hill UMC. “The UMC believes that the Bible is GOD’s Word and is the primary authority for our faith and practice. The outcome of this Special Session should not surprise anyone, I am glad we finally addressed it.”
Of mainline denominations, the UMC differs from the more liberal Presbyterian USA, Episcopalian, and United Church of Christ denominations who are seeing their memberships decline.
“True love acts in accordance with objective standards. A subjective definition of “love” leads only to moral ambiguity, and can never provide a sound basis for ethical evaluation. Jesus himself affirms this interrelationship between love and law: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” It really is all about loving the LORD.”
Reverend Dewayne Smith
Reverend Thomas Gruver of Woodlawn UMC in Bucyrus, Ohio explains “I am conservative and my congregation is conservative. We believe that the Bible is infallible and that you cannot manipulate the truth. Fortunately the delegates chose not to rewrite the history of over two hundred years of Methodist teaching pioneered by John and Charles Wesley, and chose to remain consistent with a two-thousand-year-old understanding of Biblical morality.”
According to Reverend John Grimm who pastors two UMC congregations in Plymouth and Shiloh, Ohio, he is glad the vote turned out the way it did. “As Bible-believing Methodists, our Church is not against people-we welcome people and offer them hope. The requirements of the Bible forbid the practice of homosexuality, just like it forbids the practice of lying, stealing or murder. I am not clear why some sins get “a pass” in our culture and others do not. In John Chapter 8, we read that Jesus forgave the adulteress and then told her to “go and sin no more.”
Studies indicate if congregations have little requirements for its members and commitment levels are low, church attendance goes into decline. In other words, if something costs nothing, it really is worth nothing.
Reverend DeWayne Smith of Main Street Methodist in Mansfield, Ohio believes many people don’t want accountability. “It seems that those with political power are trying to change what the Bible says. True love acts in accordance with objective standards. A subjective definition of “love” leads only to moral ambiguity, and can never provide a sound basis for ethical evaluation. Jesus himself affirms this interrelationship between love and law: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” It really is all about loving the LORD.”
One Shelby, Ohio Baptist church marquee alongside the road speaks its approval of the UMC vote.
Reverend Joseph Beran pastors outside Fredericktown, Ohio at both Berlin UMC and Batemantown UMC and says the crux of the matter lies with one question “What is sin? With open arms our congregation has welcomed sex offenders and other persons who face struggles with temptations and addictions; everyone is welcome in our pews,” says Beran. “But I will never officiate a same-sex wedding at my church.”
Regarding the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals, Reverend Broome points out: “The Bible clearly states in James Chapter 3 that ‘not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.’ While as a Pastor I am just like anyone else, I am also under more scrutiny since I am leading a flock.”
According to Reverend Jeffrey Coggins of Adario UMC and Ashland Emanuel UMC, “We prayed and believed as a denomination on Sunday, February 24th that GOD would reveal to the delegates His desire for the future of the UMC, and He did. Sadly there are some at the General Conference Special Session that feel GOD did not answer our corporate prayer because they did not like the way He answered it (Traditional Plan).”
This past January, leading clergymen from 150 congregations throughout north central Ohio declared 2019 as “Year of the Bible;” reaffirming that the Old and New Testaments Scriptures pertain to today and that the Word of GOD will endure forever.” Ten of those local congregations endorsing the joint-statement were United Methodist.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Matthew Nineteen, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
I recently watched the motion picture ” Run the Race ” produced by college football phenom now turned baseball player Tim Tebow.
Greg Jevnikar
The Christian role model’s movie premiered last February 22nd with over $2 million in box office receipts after the first weekend. It is currently showing in theaters this week.
Run the Race is PG-rated, faith-based and a sports-themed movie. (Check out Focus on the Family’s “Plugged In” for another Christian review.)
The movie centers on two high school brothers, David and Zach, who are living on their own after their mother dies and their father abandons them.The story revolves around high school football (of course) and track.
The two brothers are both hard-working athletes who are intent on getting out their small poor rural Southern community. Both are football players. David had a serious head injury earlier and he is one of the team’s managers. Zach is the star quarterback of his high school football team.
The acting is very good and believable. It is a story of dealing with the ups and downs of life, with forgiveness, dedication, love and hope. It is a wholesome movie, in contrast to Hollywood’s decadence.
Run the Race is a fast-paced movie with interesting plot twists and turns. It entertains, uplifts and could be summarized with this verse:
“I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful.”
2 Timothy 4:7
I would recommend the movie to anyone and give it 5 of 5 stars .
Greg Jevnikar is a healthcare professional and devoted Christ-follower. As a blogger and activist, he defends the sanctity of human life and traditional marriage .and participates in the Ohio Tea Party movement.
MANSFIELD — Despite the wintry mix last week, twenty-three area pastors met with Mansfield Mayor Timothy Theaker to discuss corporate vision for the city. During the luncheon, the Mayor thanked the clergy for their efforts involving 150 congregations who recently declared the New Year as the “Year of the Bible.”
Mayor Timothy Theaker declares “Jerry Laudermilk Day” for the city of Mansfield. (Submitted photo)
Theaker was pleased to report that crime
in the City of Mansfield is at its lowest levels in twenty years.
“These statistics have a lot to do with
what you do in the faith community and with what all of our collective ongoing
efforts in the community have been able to accomplish,” said Theaker.
To illustrate the ongoing efforts, Theaker
discussed the Opiate Response Team which utilizes team players in the faith
community, in Mental Health and Recovery Services, and in law enforcement who reach
out to incarcerated drug offenders.
With
less crime, Theaker commented that several local investors have publicly stated
they feel comfortable developing in the downtown since they feel the area is
safe. Part of this can be attributed to
the city, in cooperation with the Land Bank, demolishing 700 of the 2,500
structures identified as urban blight.
Also discussed were the prospects of several
local employers who are announcing additional job creation in the near future
and several multi-million dollar investments is expansion plans.
“With an unemployment rate dropping to 4.5 % and a $4 million dollar rainy day fund that has accrued since the City was taken off fiscal emergency in 2014, tomorrow is sure to look brighter than yesterday,”
Mansfield Mayor Timothy Theaker
“With an unemployment rate dropping to
4.5 % and a $4 million dollar rainy day fund that has accrued since the City
was taken off fiscal emergency in 2014, tomorrow is sure to look brighter than
yesterday,” Theaker told the clergy.
Also during the luncheon, the Mayor
delivered a proclamation honoring Reverend Jerry Laudermilk who is moving to
Knoxville, Tennessee to be closer to family and to begin a new chapter in
ministry.
Theaker proclaimed “Jerry Laudermilk Day”
for January 24th “In recognition of the exemplary service Laudermilk has
provided to the citizens of this community and in recognition and appreciation
of his efforts to make this community a better place to live, work, worship,
and raise a family.”
Pastors give farewell hugs to Jerry Laudermilk (Submitted photo)
According to retired Pastor Kim Maurer, Communications
Facilitator of the informal Brown Bag Clergy Group, Laudermilk will be sorely
missed.
“Jerry had so many good relationships
with area pastors in his fifteen years here, he really had a heart for the
community.”
According to Reverend El Akuchie of the
Richland Community Prayer Network, Laudermilk was the chief catalyst behind the
“Light our City” outreach program in the Greater Mansfield area.
“The program was so successful locally;
there were communities in the nations of South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and
Zimbabwe who tried to replicate it.”
Between 2013-2016 the “Light our City” outreach
at its peak involved 300 volunteers and 45 local churches cooperating together
to assist schools, impoverished neighborhoods, city parks and service agencies.
“I will miss working with all of you and
will miss all of the faithful at Abundant Life Tabernacle. There were a lot of good memories here, you
guys (clergy) really have something special in this community.”
As a gesture of support, local
philanthropist Greg Boyd of Modern Woodmen of America provided lunch for the
attending clergy and lunches for the second-shift police department.
Today we are calling on the state of Ohio to revoke the medical license for a medical resident whose anti-Semitic rants and threats against Jews include her saying, “Allah will kill the Jews,” calling Jewish people dogs, and noting that she is “brutally unsympathetic” about the Holocaust. We are joined in this effort by The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA).
Islamist physician Lara Kollab, a first-year resident at the Cleveland Clinic, actually publicly stated that she wanted to “purposely give all the [Jews] the wrong meds.”
Jay Sekulow American Center for Liberty & Justice (Photo courtesy of Twitter)
This behavior is abhorrent and dangerous.
The issue is simple: should a doctor who makes threats about giving Jews the wrong medication with the intent to cause harm to be entitled to practice medicine? The answer is no. The medical license should be permanently revoked. Threats to cause harm must never be tolerated in any setting – including the medical field.
Dr. Kollab has de-activated or deleted all her social media accounts after her tweets went viral.
The Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit academic medical center, took immediate action by firing her and issued a statement that denounced Dr. Kollab’s hateful comments: “We fully embrace diversity, inclusion and a culture of safety and respect across our entire health system.”
In a formal complaint to the Ohio State Board of Medical Examiners filed today, the ACLJ notes that Dr. Kollab’s “statements and intentions go far beyond the realms of free speech. Allowing her near any patients could literally jeopardize lives. Dr. Kollab is obviously unfit to practice medicine.”
The ACLJ is urging Ohio officials to revoke her license:
“While it is true that Dr. Kollab’s temporary license limits her to practicing medicine at the Clinic and is therefore practically useless for the moment, the purpose of this letter is to officially ask the Board to revoke her medical license permanently, so that no other clinic or medical practice in Ohio might inadvertently hire her, and no other patients will be put at risk.”
Jay Sekulow American Center for Liberty & Justice
The ACLJ is filing the formal complaint in conjunction with the The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) – the oldest pro-Israel organization in the United States. The ACLJ is also launching a national petition to urge officials in Ohio to permanently revoke Dr. Kollab’s medical license.
The ACLJ contends that this case is indicative of the darker, sicker problem of rampant racism and anti-Jewish sentiment spreading across America and around the world, including at the United Nations.
The ACLJ argues it’s sadly not surprising that anti-Semites like Dr. Kollab think they can threaten Jewish people without reprisal, when the U.N. is funding an anti-Israel slush fund, and refused to condemn terrorist attacks on Israel. Further, Dr. Kollab is a proud supporter of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement, further exposing BDS for what it is – thinly veiled anti-Semitism.
We don’t need physicians with such a flippant attitude towards endangering lives – simply because of one’s faith or ethnicity – practicing medicine in the United States.
Jay Sekulow is chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which focuses on constitutional law. He also serves as a member of President Trump’s legal team. Follow him on Twitter @JaySekulow.
View the video below by the ACLJ regarding ethics violations of Dr. Lara Kollab.
CINCINNATI — In a press conference yesterday, the Ohio Christian Alliance (OCA), along with a coalition of religious, family and legal advocacy organizations, called for the FBI and Justice Department to investigate the dangerous threats that were made against the Covington Catholic Christian School students. This week the school was closed by officials and local law enforcement due to security concerns.
Chris Long is the president of Ohio Christian Alliance, a public policy grassroots educational organization.
“The statements and direct threats that were made against this Christian school and its students are alarming and extremely dangerous,” said Chris Long, President of OCA.
“The FBI in the recent past has brought charges and prosecuted individuals who have hurled similar threats against Congressional members.”
One such incident occurred in 2010 when a threat was reported to have been made against then Ohio Congressman John Boccieri. The case was brought to federal court and the individual in question was found guilty and sentenced to prison.
“The hysteria that followed the students from the encounter with protesters at the Lincoln Memorial at the conclusion of the March for Life put them at the center of a generated hate campaign fueled by false media reports and social media. ”
Chris Long, Ohio Christian Alliance
According to Long, “The hysteria that followed the students from the encounter with protesters at the Lincoln Memorial at the conclusion of the March for Life put them at the center of a generated hate campaign fueled by false media reports and social media. “
“Known individuals have called for violence against the students and their Christian school. This in our opinion, is simply an outrage and a watershed moment in which reason, sensibility, and the law must come into play.”
Official seal of the FBI
Long later began to compare the administration of justice that elected officials benefit from with the justice that is still pending.
“The Justice Department stands for justice for all, and everyone equal under the law. Does the well-being and safety of a Congressman outweigh the safety and security of school children? The individuals who made these vicious and dangerous threats against the Covington Catholic School children must be held accountable for their threats against these minors.
“We will make an official appeal to the DOJ and the FBI in writing in the coming days.”
The Ohio Christian Alliance (OCA) is a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting Judeo-Christian values in American government. OCA provides educational materials, including voter guides and scorecards but does not endorse any particular candidate or political party.
150 area clergymen declare 2019 as the "Year of the Bible" (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
MANSFIELD — In a region known for clergy collaborations, faith leaders across North Central Ohio held a press conference January 15th at BibleWalk Museum. Several clergy read a joint statement to area leaders and local media addressing the problem of Bible illiteracy and political correctness.
Pastor Randy Raynes of Mansfield Fellowship Baptist declared “as leading clergymen of one hundred and fifty congregations across North Central Ohio, we formally reaffirm the Bible as being living, active and GOD-breathed; and demonstrating thru history to be the anvil that has worn many hammers out.”
Pastors pictured: Jerry Laudermilk, Steve Brenneman, Mark Cobb & Randy Raynes. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
The statement pointed out “Bible illiteracy is plaguing our politically-correct society, the Bible is being censored by governments and cultural institutions, and that the authority of both the Old and New Testament Scriptures of the Bible are being subverted by some religious circles.”
Prior to the clergy declaration, Reverend Raynes described a study conducted by the Richland Community Prayer Network (RCPN) in 2018 of fifty-eight local Bible-based churches and their respective outreach ministries.
“RCPN found that not only did these churches provide valuable support ministries to their local community between the years of 2014-2017, these goodwill ambassadors (churches) also supported missions to an astounding ninety-three different nations around the globe. It is important to note this generosity occurred when the area was listed as the seventh most economically-challenged metropolitan region in the nation.”
The study discovered significant local volunteerism with church members visiting the elderly, the hospitalized and the incarcerated, and with litter pickups and maintenance of parks improving of quality of life. The labor of love by these Bible-based churches also included the donation of their facilities for neighborhood watches, election polls, community health screenings, and blood drives. Concerts, dramas and sports leagues also provided cultural enhancement.
“This RCPN outreach study really illustrates that good works is the byproduct of following the Bible. This is why we are encouraging Ohioans to study the Bible.”
Reverend Randy Raynes, Mansfield Fellowship Baptist
Other clergy spokesmen included Reverend Jerry Laudermilk of Ontario Abundant Life Tabernacle, Reverend Mark Cobb of Mansfield Providence Baptist, and Reverend Steve Brenneman of Mount Gilead Awakening Christian Center and former Morrow County Sheriff.
According to Reverend Brenneman, “the Bible has played an integral part in American history and that national leaders have historically promoted the study of the Bible.” The Sheriff turned Pastor cited a study by political scientists listing the Bible as the original source and primary influence of the ideas of the U.S. Constitution, accounting for 34 % of the direct quotations by the Founding Fathers.
Ontario Pastor Laudermilk described how the accuracy of the Bible has been verified by archaeological evidence and validated thru fulfilled prophecy. He mentioned the historical discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and related how eight fulfilled prophecies by Christ illustrate the supernatural qualities of the Bible.
North Central Ohio clergy attending the “2019 Year of the Bible” press conference. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Reverend Mark Cobb discussed how science is just now confirming truths in nature that the Bible has already disclosed thousands of years prior. “A recent 2018 study surveying the genetic ‘bar codes’ of five million animals confirms the Genesis account of Adam and Eve, of animals being created the same week as humans, and the existence of a world-wide flood,” Cobb asserted. “ It sounds a lot like the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis.”
Pastor Raynes believes the Bible provokes those people who study the Scriptures to “love their neighbor as themselves, to feed the poor, to protect the weak, and to clothe the naked. “This RCPN outreach study really illustrates that good works is the byproduct of following the Bible. This is why we are encouraging Ohioans to study the Bible.”
Mansfield Mayor Timothy Theaker, Shelby Mayor Steve Schag, and Mansfield Councilman Cliff Mears were in attendance along with members of the press corp.
The clergy proclamation concluded by saying, “We encourage all Ohioans to examine the Bible and to rediscover its priceless and timeless message. In conclusion, we maintain that the following words still resonate in our day: The grass may wither and the flowers may fall, but the Word of our GOD endures forever.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Isaiah Forty, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our GOD endures forever.”
View the clergy press conference in its entirety below. (Duration 30 min.)
SHELBY– Two ordinances prohibiting the cultivation, processing, and dispensing of marijuana for medical purposes inside city limits easily passed by a 4-1 margin at the January 7th Shelby City Council meeting.
The lone dissenter, Third Ward Councilman Garland Gates, was originally one of the five sponsors supporting the two measures. Gates voted in favor of the proposed ordinances the first two readings of the ordinances. Then after the third reading on January 7th, Gates opposed both bills.
In an interview with WMFD-TV, Gates stated that he had received an email from Law Director Gordon Eyster saying that doctors, nurses, the Ohio Health Shelby Hospital and pharmacists inside the city could be “criminally liable under this ordinance.”
“I objected vociferously and requested my name be stricken as a sponsor” Gates said. “My protestations fell on deaf ears. My colleagues for, quite honestly, unfounded reasons, went ahead and passed the ordinance. There was an outside group that came into Shelby last year and was pushing for this ordinance,” Gates recalled.
Benjamin Mutti, a local advocate for the prohibition of marijuana and Coordinator with the Richland Community Prayer Network, lobbied Shelby City Council at a June 18th 2018 meeting. He believes Councilman Gates’ concerns are unfounded.
In a prepared statement to Frontlines Ohio, Mutti wrote: “According to Chapter 4731.30 of the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio State Medical Board specially licenses physicians to prescribe marijuana. With that being said, doctors do not cultivate, process, or dispense cannabis-they can only prescribe. Furthermore, hospitals and nurses are not authorized entities that can prescribe marijuana, only specially licensed physicians.”
“If Mr. Gates read the clergy letter that was presented to him during my public comment on June 18th 2018, he would find that ten of those “outside” signatories have churches located inside the Shelby zip code area. Another pastor from Shiloh endorsed the letter, Reverend Kevin Evans; he happens to be the President of the Shelby Ministerial Association.”
Benjamin Mutti
In Gates’ opinion, several entities and individuals who did not represent the interests of the City of Shelby prompted the creation of the ordinances. In previous city council meetings, various presentations and public comments were heard from concerned citizens in nearby townships and cities who were unsure of the effects the medical marijuana industry would have on their own nearby communities.
Mutti commented, “I find it disheartening that Councilman Gates considers clergymen from seventy diverse Richland County congregations as ‘entities that do not represent the interest of the City of Shelby.'”
President of the Shelby Ministerial Association, Kevin Evans, addressing Council earlier on November 5, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
“If Mr. Gates read the clergy letter that was presented to him during my public comment on June 18th 2018, he would find that ten of those “outside” signatories have churches located inside the Shelby zip code area. Another pastor from Shiloh endorsed the letter, Reverend Kevin Evans; he happens to be the President of the Shelby Ministerial Association.
“With the municipalities of Mansfield, Lexington, another five townships, the Sheriff, METRICH Commander, County Prosecutor, Community Action for Capable Youth (CACY), and leading clergymen from seventy congregations, all from Richland County taking a unified public position opposing medical marijuana, maybe Councilman Gates is the real outsider. In fact, all of Shelby City Council disregarded his input and overwhelmingly sponsored and passed both prohibition bills.”
The local clergy opposed the prescribing of marijuana based on the addictive nature of marijuana, adverse health effects of marijuana, affiliation between crime and marijuana, and the inevitable illegal diversion of marijuana that will occur.
After just one month in operation, state regulators initiated their first suspension of a patient registration for marijuana. The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy, which operates the patient registry, found “clear and convincing evidence” the patient violated state regulations barring patients from sharing their medical marijuana products with others.
The patient bought medical marijuana twice at Ohio dispensaries since January 16th 2019. In an interview with authorities, the patient said they illegally diverted their marijuana by providing marijuana to their wife, seven-year-old son, the patient’s fifteen-year-old step-son, and a family pet.
The patient also admitted to smoking marijuana and buying marijuana products in Michigan to consume in Ohio. Ohio’s medical marijuana law prohibits smoking cannabis. Federal law also prohibits carrying marijuana across state lines.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in James One, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
Great is thy faithfulness! What an incredible year for the Christ-centered movement in Ohio! There is no doubt because of your support through action, prayer and donating that the Buckeye state has a BRIGHT future.
Aaron Baer, President Citizens for Community Values
Truly God has been faithful to those who have been called according to His name!Here are just a few of the victories of 2018… with some unfinished business to take on next year:
Stopping Issue 1
George Soros and Mark Zuckerburg poured millions into Ohio to push a devastating drug decriminalization Constitutional amendment – Issue 1.
Even though we were massively outspent, people like you partnered with CCV and church leaders rose up to speak out against this dangerous Constitutional amendment. This grassroots movement successfully defeated Issue 1 in a BIG way – 63-37!
CCV traveled the state in our VOTE No! on Issue 1 bus tour.
Stopping Discriminatory HB 160 In the first half of 2018, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce along with Equality Ohio announced a major push to enact HB 160. This bill would have mandated that biological men be allowed in women’s restrooms and private spaces. It also would have penalized Christian business owners who simply wish to run their business in line with their faith.
From Amazon to P&G, some of America’s most powerful corporations were pushing this terrible bill. Yet CCV rose up to oppose it, and we successfully blocked it from becoming law! Religious Freedom in Ohio is preserved another day because we won!
CCV led the campaign to stop HB 160
Proponents of the bill will be back next year, and we will be there make sure this unnecessary bill goes nowhere.
Heartbeat Bill Passes Out of the General Assembly Again For the second time, the Ohio General Assembly put the Heartbeat Bill on Governor Kasich’s desk. Unfortunately, for the second time, the governor vetoed the bill, and we came up one vote short of overriding his veto in the Senate.
Citizens for Community Values, Family Research Council, Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, and Rep. Christina Hagan host a press conference on the Heartbeat Bill
Yet incoming Governor Mike DeWine pledged to sign the bill next year, and his running mate Jon Husted has also been supportive of the bill. I feel confident that this time next year, Ohio will be a state that prohibits abortion once a heartbeat is detected.
These are just a few of 2018’s victories…but as you can see our work is far from done!
Aaron Baer is President of Citizens for Community Values, in Columbus, Ohio
Should
the government compel a pastor or a religious organization to act in a manner
that violates core tenets of their religious faith? Recent developments around
the nation have had a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of the
faith community.
Reverend El Akuchie (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
As the
Ohio Senate decides on House Bill 36 in the eleventh hour of the legislative
session, several local clergy have voiced their support of H.B. 36 to protect
clergy and to secure religious freedom.
With
40 co-sponsors, H.B. 36 easily won with bipartisan support 59-29 in June. But
with the legislative session coming to a conclusion at the end of the year, the
legislation still has not gotten out of committee and scheduled for floor vote.
Reverend
Brian Phillips of New Beginnings Freewill Baptist Church believes “most Ohioans
support this common sense measure (H.B. 36). We still live in a free country
and people want the government to stay out of people’s personal beliefs. The
First Amendment was designed to provide a wall of separation between church and
state.”
” Most Ohioans support this common sense measure (H.B. 36). We still live in a free country and people want the government to stay out of people’s personal beliefs. The First Amendment was designed to provide a wall of separation between church and state.”
Reverend Brian Phillips, New Beginnings Freewill Baptist
Nonetheless, an Idaho city in 2015 threatened to arrest and fine two ordained ministers for not performing same-sex marriages. The following year the State of Iowa claimed it had the power to regulate what churches can teach about human sexuality and how they operate their facilities.”
According
to H.B. 36 which is being considered, “No ordained or licensed minister or
religious society is required to solemnize a marriage that does not conform to
the ordained or licensed minister’s or religious society’s sincerely held
religious beliefs.”
It
also states that “No religious society is required to allow any building or
property of the religious society to be used to host a marriage ceremony for a
marriage that does not conform to the religious society’s sincerely held
religious beliefs.
It’s no small matter that the State of New Jersey in 2012 forced a privately-owned Methodist Association Boardwalk Pavilion to host wedding ceremonies that contradicted its religious doctrine. This was despite the fact that other facilities were available to host the disputed ceremonies. Prior to the mandate, the clergy pavilion had been dedicated for religious purposes: hosting religious services, revival gatherings, and gospel music programs.
Pastor DeWayne Smith (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Reverend
DeWayne Smith of the Main Street United Methodist Church says congregations
that provide valuable services to the public are being discriminated against
all the time for their religious beliefs.
“Tolerance is a two-way street. People do not forget when the Mayor of Houston in 2015 subpoenaed five pastors for communications between their congregations of religious speech she personally opposed. There is no doubt this was a form of bullying.
“The
First Amendment did not prevent Kim Davis from being thrown into jail by a
Kentucky judge for five days, or Aaron and Melissa Klein from being fined
$135,000 by the State of Oregon and issued a gag order on their religious
speech. Clearly the government has demonstrated a recent record of hostility
towards religion and H.B. 36 could enhance existing guaranteed rights of all
clergy religious views, not just a select few.”
With
the passage of H.B. 36, clergy would be immune from civil or criminal
liability. Neither the state nor a political subdivision of the state could
penalize or withhold any benefit or privilege from the ordained or licensed
minister or religious society, including any governmental contract, grant, or
license.
Both
pastors point out the recent assault of chaplains in the military that
underscores the need for H.B. 36 for Ohio clergy.
Pastor Brian Phillips (Photo courtesy of Mansfield Tea Party/Facebook)
Decorated Army Chaplain Scott Squires faced court martial in 2013 for not participating in a marriage retreat that violated the tenants of his Baptist faith. Similarly, Lieutenant Commander Chaplain Wesley Modder was threatened with removal from the Navy In 2015 because he expressed the beliefs of his endorsing church on faith, sexuality, and the nature of marriage during private spiritual counseling.
According
to Phillips, “Our government is not a theocracy; therefore it should stop
acting like one. Every freedom is on a slippery slope when the government acts
as a board of theology determining orthodoxy.”
“We
hope President Larry Obhof and the Ohio Senate understand the reinforcement
H.B. 36 could provide clergy. Churches initiate countless charitable causes
because of their fundamental faith in the Bible. The way society is trending,
we won’t even have sanctuary in our own churches.”
Reverend El Akuchie is Coordinator of the Richland Community Prayer Network, founded in 1998 and based in Mansfield, Ohio
The Bible is coming to life beyond belief in the heartland of the Buckeye State. Clergymen from Richland County, Ohio are reclaiming the nexus between church and state and proving they are the juggernaut that can bring social change to their region.
Reverend El Akuchie (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Like night and day, this
former “belt buckle of the Rust Belt” is now on the brink of becoming a new
loop of the Bible Belt.
This report supplies
ample evidence of pastors working in tandem, making an eternal difference in
culture. This account also documents tangible blessings that
followed hand in hand after Biblical obedience. One of the most profound
instances of this divine momentum includes a timely signature clergy collaboration
calling for resistance to a federal government which hit below the belt…
Local clergy “Johnny on the spot”….
Bountiful August rains in the midst of a five-month drought in 2016 came at just the right time. This rainfall had a ripple effect, bringing an unusual abundance of milk and honey, and propelling a robust harvest. Despite being the second hottest August on record, milk productivity countywide increased 43 percent from the previous August. Meanwhile, swarms abounded for a bee population still stinging from the colony collapse disorder, with one prominent beekeeper declaring the summer of 2016 as “the best bee season in a decade.”
“Showers of blessing” became new buzzwords to come out of a sticky situation. In spite of the drought, one farmer exclaimed “In seventy-four years of farming, I have never had eighty bushels of soybeans an acre like I did in 2016!” Another farmer proudly boasted of having five cuts of hay that year…. but that’s not all.
This extraordinary turn of events occurred one month after clergy drew national attention for challenging the Washington D.C. establishment. Leading clergymen from over one hundred congregations across Richland County sent a letter to local and state school officials calling for civil disobedience to the Obama restroom mandate.
Clergy at 2018 Religious Freedom Proclamation (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
Citing the mandate jeopardized privacy and safety of women and children, these ministers took a bold stand when many were afraid to challenge a hostile federal government. Interestingly, fifty years prior, the county seat Mansfield drew headlines addressing the same issue of public restroom safety when the city permanently closed down and buried underground public restrooms on the city square to stop lewd behavior.
This same month also saw a sudden exodus of witchcraft with two out of the three area psychic stores closing. Legislative efforts to attack religious freedoms were also averted. And despite an infant mortality rate nearly twice the national average, no cases of premature infant deaths were recorded. Last but not least, the clergy’s milestone moment saw no traffic mortalities during the same summer vacation month.
According to the ancient promises described in Deuteronomy 28, simple obedience by pastors became a pivot point to set these wheels of blessing in motion; one act of faith can change a nation.
Repealing the clergy gag order….
When addressing public issues of morality, clergy have the
right of way. 2 Chronicles 26 shows
Azariah the High Priest and eighty other courageous priests confronting the
prideful King Uzziah when he challenged Biblical authority. In this case, taking the moral high ground
did not involve neutrality, it involved championing truthby confronting authority.
Christ regularly confronted politicians. Lively debates are recorded between Christ
and the Sanhedrin over issues like
paying taxes, food requirements, health care on the Sabbath, and commerce
inside the temple. Consequently, when Moses
confronted Pharoh over slavery, their
confrontation impacted the agriculture, public health, transportation, and weather patterns of a
national superpower. These encounters became
defining moments.
Clergy hold press conference opposing casinos in 2007. (Photo by Ruthie Akuchie)
Walking in faith leads to charters of faith….
Throughout recent
times, Richland County clergy have taken well-timed Biblical stands that have
helped define the faith community while simultaneously providing a mechanism to
hold community leaders accountable.
That following year, eight of the nine mayors throughout the county gave pornography awareness proclamations. Also, police shut down a human trafficking brothel in response to a crime tip given by fourteen area pastors. Just one month after clergy sparked this investigation, another brothel by the same name was closed in Lancaster, Ohio.
After the U.S. Supreme Court redefined marriage in 2015, leading clergymen from 66 congregations publicly called Richland County to a day of prayer and fasting. The clergy statement defined immorality Scripturally, took ownership over the community’s sins, and also cited two redemptive case studies of community turnarounds that ensued after each society repented.
Alluding to this crime tip by the clergy, the Mansfield Police Chief in 2018 stated: “we have had unprecedented church involvement for several years. They have been very supportive and have helped uplift the community and helped get involved in solving crime…they have done great things.”
Ministers call for countywide day of prayer and repentance in 2015. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
This is a powerful statement reinforced by the fact that Mansfield has had three consecutive years of declining crime. Consequently, in 2017, several law enforcement agencies have placarded “In GOD We Trust” on all their squad vehicles, a stark contrast to one generation earlier when area law enforcement were enlisting the services of a California psychic to solve crime.
In response, local veteran realtors stated that the turnaround was “unheard of,” and that they had never seen a real estate market like it before. Suddenly, properties in Richland County became sought after and no longer forsaken; not bad for a county that led the state in foreclosures the previous two years! As a result of the upswing, the Clerk of Courts one year later commented that “foreclosures are down significantly. It’s a huge drop, and I’m not completely sure why.”
While New Age benefited from abandoned buildings as haunts, clergy are taking ownership of their community and the future is becoming more certain: no man’s land is becoming Promised Land.
“In retrospect, some say it (unexplained boom) was the voice of the LORD thundering His approval when the news first broke. I call it GOD restoring thunder back to the pulpit.”
Reverend El Akuchie
Speaking of sorcery, police found marijuana growing on a church roof thirty years ago; but in 2017, clergy led a grassroots effort against local legalization efforts, with 70 pastors sending a policy letter to local government calling for prohibition of medical marijuana. The City of Mansfield, and several villages and townships followed the clergy’s lead prohibiting the dispensing and cultivation of the drug, due to its adverse health effects, affiliation with crime, and inevitable illegal diversion. In fact, the Director of Economic Development pointed to the clergy letter as the “death note” which killed a nearby Ontario City marijuana facility proposal.
Pastors became the talk of the town in 2016 when policymakers were actively considering a local syringe exchange program. Subsequently, a letter written five years prior by 72 area clergy opposing donations to a syringe exchange injected fear and closed the matter from going any further.
This same year the clergy opposed needle exchanges, seven pastors armed with drug treatment ministries confronted the County Fair Board, calling for the cancellation of a fair beer garden. The clergy caused a stir in the community, demonstrating that the beer garden did not meet its revenue goals and brought a bottleneck to security. The very same night the pastors presented their concerns to the board, a mysterious fireball was spotted and made landfall inside county limits. Five government agencies responded to the explosive scene but the incident remains an enigma. For the pastors, these trailblazers that night became the stewards of the mysteries of GOD. No coincidence.
No such word as “coincidence” in Hebrew….
In January 2017, clergy from over one hundred congregations in North-Central Ohio sent an apology letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the position the Obama Administration took in not blocking United Nations Resolution 2334. This anti-Semitic resolution called Israel’s sovereignty of the Promised Land “an international crime.”
Ten days after the apology letter was sent by the Ohio clergymen, a massive natural gas pipeline was approved for construction thru north central Ohio after the project was held up by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Rover Pipeline Project is more than twice the size of the controversial Keystone Pipeline. With its approval, the 713 mile pipeline brought an economic rebound with hundreds of thousands of dollars to the stagnated local economy at a time when energy projects often go contested.
Participating clergy in the open letter to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu from 2017. (Photo courtesy of Frontlines Ohio)
According to Department of Agriculture numbers, the spring turkey harvest in Richland County saw a dramatic increase from the prior year, whitetail deer harvested was the best in four years, and the cow herd in Richland County, which is estimated in late winter, was measured at its largest size in over thirty years, which is utterly amazing!
The astounding blessings the area experienced from the apology letter aftermath provoked forty-two area clergymen to also request the County Treasurer to invest taxpayer dollars in Israeli bonds.
The day the County Treasurer announced the county government would invest nearly $200,000 in Israeli bonds, was the same meetingthat half a million dollars in unexpected revenue was announced to alleviate a budget shortfall! This clergy apology letter had a snowball effect and sends shivers down your spine to think that the Blessings of Abraham still can impact our generation today.
Almost half a year after these astounding blessings made international news, the Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Knesset visited North Central Ohio in the autumn of 2018 to thank the area for its support of the Zion State. The visit provoked one Israeli journalist to write an article entitled: “Does Rural Ohio Lead the World in Love of Israel?”
For what it’s worth, according to media reports, a loud unexplained boom was heard over Richland County the same day the local newspaper first published the story on the Israeli-clergy apology letter. Power Company officials and emergency responders were scratching their heads trying to determine the source of this strange phenomenon. In retrospect, some say it was the voice of the LORD thundering His approval when the news first broke. I call it GOD restoring thunder back to the pulpit.
To review the referenced footnotes from this article, please click here.
Reverend El Akuchie is Executive Director of the Richland Community Prayer Network, founded in 1998 and based in Mansfield, Ohio
ONTARIO — Lights shone brightly this week along the Lincoln Highway as the area’s second public menorah lighting occurred at Sar Shalom Center for the observance of the eight-day festival of Hanukah.
Rabbi William Hallbrook lighting the menorah. (Submitted photo)
The holiday is a celebration of an
improbable military victory by the Jewish people in 165 BC and a celebration of
the Jewish Temple’s miraculous rededication where a one day’s supply of sacred
oil supernaturally lasted eight days.
According to Rabbi William Hallbrook, “Hanukah
is about making a strong statement by standing for our community and being a
light for the world to see.”
To practice what was preached, the rabbi’s congregation donated one hundred-twenty framed posters to Ontario Schools depicting the national motto: “In GOD we trust” and the state motto: “With GOD all things are possible.”
The
posters were presented during the menorah lighting ceremony to Ontario School
Board Member Heidi Zimmerman who represented the school district.
Accompanying the posters, was a packet the
congregation provided including background information on a 2006 Ohio law
allowing school districts to display the donated posters in classrooms.
Also in the packet was an article discussing 2007 University of British Columbia research finding that “merely thinking about GOD can prompt positive and generous behaviors,” something the congregation hopes to bring to the school district.
” We know in the end, light will ultimately prevail over the darkness.”
Rabbi William Hallbrook Sar Shalom Center
Speaking of giving, the congregation also recognized local men and women in uniform who sacrificially protect the community daily. Pizzas were given on behalf of the congregation to the second-shift police officers and dispatchers in commemoration of Hanukah.
During the ceremony, Hallbrook went on
to say that the center candle in the menorah is called the “shamash” candle.
“The shamash candle is the servant candle and it is larger than the other candles. Scripture tells us that the greatest is the one who serves. If we really want to be called great in the Kingdom, we must be servant lights in a dark world.”
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says inJohn Twelve, “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light”
MANSFIELD — As families face challenges staying together, two clergy took the opportunity to make a difference during the Thanksgiving season. Each pastor gave out twenty-five free turkeys to the community, one pastor from the north side of town, the other from the south side.
(From L to R) Reverend Mark Cobb and Reverend Randy Raynes (Submitted photo)
“This is the first time we have partnered together in community outreach” said Reverend Randy Raynes of Mansfield Fellowship Baptist, located at 424 South Main Street.
“It is amazing how relational equity occurs
when you have a common mission.”
Reverend Mark Cobb is stepping into a new role as senior pastor of Providence Baptist, located at 112 West Sixth Street. Cobb will officially become the new pastor at a special commissioning service on December 1st at 3:30 PM.
Cobb is also owner of The Blessed and
Anointed Barbershop at 15 East Third Street.
“We have a giving community,” says
Cobb. “While society has a general
apathy for others, in Mansfield we give back to the community and help those in
need,”
“Our hope is that these turkeys we are giving will bring families together to the dinner table. There needs to be face to face family time, thanking GOD for the blessings He has given us. ”
Reverend Mark CObb, Providence Baptist
“Our hope is that these turkeys we are giving will bring families together to the dinner table. There needs to be face to face family time, thanking GOD for the blessings He has given us. Family time is vital and missing in our culture.”
According to Raynes, “One family in our neighborhood recently lost a mother to a tragic illness. They don’t go to church, but we wanted to give them a Thanksgiving turkey to bless them. We want to stand with them in this season of loss and let them know they are not alone.”
Both pastors believe that the GOD who
keeps families together is greater than the cultural forces trying to separate.
Raynes adds, “The Pilgrims came to
America to have religious freedom. This
is a great opportunity (giving free turkeys) to exercise our religious freedoms
during the Thanksgiving season.”
