The 3 - January 5, 2025

This edition of The 3, highlighting three stories impacting the Christian community, includes the response of Christian leaders to the devastating events in New Orleans the morning of January 1st.  Also there is a continued opportunity an Ohio church has to serve the homeless in its community, thanks to a state appeals court. And, a federal appeals court has rendered a positive ruling on behalf of Christian organizations challenging a New York law that threatens their ability to hire people with beliefs consistent with their Christian faith.

National, local Christian leaders respond to New Orleans tragedy

The day following the tragic events of the morning of New Year's Day in New Orleans, church leaders were on the streets of the city in prayer.  Baptist Press reported:

Southern Baptist pastors and chaplaincy leaders were among clergy who joined city elected officials in the 10-block procession at noon Jan. 2.

The article mentioned that "Vieux Carre’ Baptist Church Pastor Alex Brian, who participated in the prayerwalk, was awaiting the opportunity to check on his church’s meeting location" on Thursday - the church is located a block from a portion of Bourbon Street closed to pedestrians.

Baptist Press went on to say:

Brian is praying for and supporting chaplains in the locked-down area, including those under the command of Col. Page Brooks, state command chaplain for the Louisiana National Guard and pastor of Canal Street Mosaic Community Church, a Southern Baptist congregation that collaborates with Brian on various ministry outreaches.

The National Guard deployed 100 soldiers and two chaplains in response to the attack, said Brian, who was walking the streets of the French Quarter to provide counseling and check on soldiers and first responders when he spoke with Baptist Press.

Former Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter, Senior Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was also part of the prayerwalk, noted, "...our entire city has been impacted because of this terrorist attack." He added that, "...prayers for our city and the families who lost loved ones are truly needed."

On Saturday, Family Research Council announced that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who is a resident of Louisiana and former state representative, would be hosting a one-hour broadcast called, "Pray for the Nation"  

Christian leaders due to participate included: Pastor Carter Conlon, Pastor Jack Hibbs, Michele Bachmann, Dr. David Goza, Troy Miller, and Pastor Art Reyes. Mike Clark, who is a chaplain with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and has been doing ministry in New Orleans was also part of the lineup. That event was scheduled for Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Central Time. Perkins, Conlon, and Hibbs are Faith Radio programmers.  Goza is President of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, Miller is President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, and Reyes is Pastor of Calvary Chapel in Downey, California. 

OH church devoted to serving the homeless allowed to remain open

Dad's Place, a church in Bryan, Ohio pastored by Chris Avell, has been in and out of court as the result of its desire to serve the homeless of its area, remaining open so that people will have a warm, safe place to rest.  For this, Pastor Avell has been arrested and the church has run the risk of having to cease these services.

A key decision has been handed down by an Ohio appeals court, according to the website of First Liberty, which is representing the church in court action. 

The Court of Appeals of Ohio, Sixth Appellate District, stayed an injunction against the church "pending appeal." Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty, stated: “We are grateful to the court for recognizing the weighty issues of Constitutional law and temporarily pausing the city’s aggressive campaign against Dad’s Place. Without this decision by the Court of Appeals, as the judges explained, the city would ‘prohibit Dad’s Place from practicing what it maintains is an important part of its religious beliefs for several months.’ America is better with people like Pastor Chris Avell and Dad’s Place, who compassionately open their doors to people who have nowhere else to go, keeping them from freezing on the snowy sidewalks.”

The appeals court wrote, according to First Liberty, "[G]ranting a stay of the preliminary injunction would preserve the status quo and permit Dad’s Place to continue to exercise its professed religious beliefs during the pendency of its appeal..."

Federal appeals court uphold right of faith-based organizations to hire people who embrace their ideals

The state of New York has a law that, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom website, "...required employers—including churches, religious schools, faith-based pregnancy care centers, and religious nonprofits—to undermine their own beliefs about abortion, contraception, and sexual morality by forcing them to employ those who cannot effectively convey the groups’ message because they refuse to abide by the organizations’ statements of faith and core principles about such issues."

ADF challenged the law on behalf of three Christian ministries: " CompassCare, a faith-based pregnancy center in Rochester; First Bible Baptist Church; and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, an association of pro-life pregnancy centers."

In 2023, ADF reported: "ADF attorneys asked a federal district court to rule that New York’s SB 660 violates the groups’ freedom of speech, religion, and association. The court declined to do so in full, which led to the appeal, though the court did rule that a requirement that the law be communicated to employees in employee handbooks was unconstitutional."

Last week, according to the ADF website, the "U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled...to reinstate an expressive association claim seeking to affirm the freedom of faith-based pregnancy centers and churches to employ individuals who agree with their fundamental beliefs and missions."