July 13, 2004 - 21,000 E-mails Sent Nationwide in Support of Workplace Religious Freedom

By Alan J. Reinach

Two New Senate Co-Sponsors — Elizabeth Dole and Zell Miller — Bring Total to 24

Your e-mails are building momentum in support of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, S-893. More than 21,000 e-mails have been sent through our website, www.religiousliberty.info, and in the past few weeks, two new Senators have signed on as sponsors of the bill, Georgia's Zell Miller, a Democrat, and North Carolina's Elizabeth Dole, a Republican. At the end of this e.lert you will find a state-by-state table listing how many e-mails have been sent.

This morning, I received a call from Julio Gomez, a member of a small Spanish church outside of Bakersfield, California. Last Sabbath, with support from his pastor, he delivered a ten minute appeal to his church, and asked for permission to send e-mails on their behalf from his home, in support of the bill. Julio told the story of how Moses went to Pharaoh and requested permission to worship God in the desert, and how the Jews were accused of being lazy, wanting to avoid work. Julio said he has also been accused of being lazy for insisting on attending church on Sabbath instead of working. Fifty-four people agreed, and gave their names and addresses. This week, Julio will visit another Spanish church in Bakersfield, and collect more names.

What have you done to obtain e-mails in support of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act? What will you do this Sabbath?

21,000 e-mails is an excellent start! Yet, with Adventist Church membership in California approaching 200,000, we can generate 20,000 e-mails from California alone. In order to pass this bill, everyone reading this e.lert needs to do all in their power to generate mail in support of "WRFA". For ideas on what you can do, visit our excellent resources at www.churchstate.org.

We have established the following goals for the five states of the Pacific Union Conference:

Arizona 1,000
California 20,000
Hawaii 500
Nevada 250
Utah 250

There is no time limit for this campaign. Because the political climate is ripe, the Adventist Church across North America, together with our coalition of dozens of other religious groups, is pushing hard to get this bill passed this year. Now is the best chance we may ever have to protect religious freedom in the workplace.

Many of you have already sent your own e-mails, but our list indicates that there are other family members who have not yet sent theirs. Remind your immediate family and circle of friends to send their e-mails. Help them. If everyone receiving this e.lert will commit to obtaining 20 e-mails, we would make our goal. Some of you can obtain 50, like Julio did, others 100. Many of you could obtain more e-mails, by forwarding this message, and encouraging others to forward it. It takes only 60 seconds to write your U.S. Senators, at www.churchstate.org. Thank you for your continued support. In addition, we have many resources about the bill, and good suggestions for what you can do, at www.churchstate.org, and at www.religiousliberty.info.

These religious liberty newsflashes and legislative e.lerts are published by the Pacific Union Conference Department of Public Affairs & Religious Liberty.