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300 Ohio Faith Leaders Sign Petition Demanding Ohio Lawmakers Protect Democracy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2021

​MEDIA CONTACT

Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393

300 Ohio Faith Leaders Sign Petition Demanding Ohio Lawmakers Protect Democracy

Thursday, Sept 2, faith leaders will hold press conference at Grace Church Worldwide Ministries and deliver letter to Lima News

Lima, OH – On Thursday, September 2nd at 11:00 a.m. ET, Ohio faith leaders will deliver a petition addressed to Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman and Speaker of the House Bob Cupp and signed by nearly 300 Ohio faith leaders and over a dozen faith organizations, in an effort to protect democracy from GOP-sponsored bills HB294, HB22, SB16, and others. Since Sen. Huffman and Rep. Cupp do not have in-district offices, Ohio pastors will deliver the petition to their hometown newspaper, the Lima News

The petition reads, “Religious and civil liberties are in grave danger in the state of Ohio. As people of conscience and people of faith, we cannot stay silent in the face of the worst existential threat to First Amendment freedoms in our state’s history. Our legislature has introduced bills designed to discourage public witness, protest, and dissent. Laws that would criminalize churches and nonprofits that engage in public witness have been proposed alongside restrictions that will make it harder to vote.”

For the full petition, click here.

For media registration, click here.

WHAT:
Petition Delivery and Press Conference by Ohio Faith Leaders to Ohio Lawmakers

WHO:

Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., Ohio Council of Churches (Columbus)

Pastor Brandi Slaughter, Ohio Council of Churches (Columbus)

Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio (Worthington)

Rev. Dr. Susan Smith, Crazy Faith Ministries (Columbus)

Rev. Dan Clark, Faith in Public Life (Columbus)

Pastor Ronald Fails, Grace Church Worldwide Ministries (Lima)

WHERE:

Grace Church Worldwide Ministries, 2945 Wells Dr., Lima, Ohio 45804

Lima News, 3515 Elida Rd., Lima, Ohio 45807

WHEN: 11:00 a.m. ET Thursday September 2, 2021

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Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, with a network of over 50,000 leaders, they are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level that affirm our values and the human dignity of all.

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