8:00 A.M.

"Although our opponents will attempt to manipulate and misrepresent this issue as one of 'discrimination', Florida voters are smarter than that and will see the issue for what it really is, an opportunity for the people to properly define marriage as the union of one man and one woman in their state constitution" , stated Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition.

The Christian Family Coalition announced that it has filed the remaining 3,300 petition signatures necessary to place the Florida Marriage Amendment on the November 2008 U.S. Presidential ballot. Christian Family Coalition filed approximately 50,000 petition signatures throughout the campaign.

The Christian Family Coalition defended Florida Governor Charlie Crist from attacks by the "American Civil Liberties Union" ("ACLU") for properly displaying a mezuzah. The mezuzah was a gift from state Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, during a trade mission to Israel earlier this year.

The Christian Family Coalition announced that its supporters filed a lawsuit in STATE CIRCUIT COURT in order to stop the unwarranted sale of radio station WMCU / WKCP. (This case is still on-going)

Mr. George LeMieux, Chief of Staff for Florida Governor Charlie Crist renounced unfounded claims alleged by "Equality Florida" (homosexual extremist group). "Equality Florida" an extremist group sent out an email alert which claimed that they had met with the governor's office on September 11, 2007.

The email alleged that Governor Crist supported their version of a so-called "anti-bullying" bill that would give special rights to "gender identity" in government schools. The "gender identity" category includes transvestism. That means male students would have the full protection of Florida Statutes to cross dress while attending public schools. Their email also alleged that "Governor Crist pumped his fist in the air enthusiastically as he told them 'I'm with you! I'm with you!'"

For the last four (4) years, Christian Family Coalition has made it a priority to stop this so-called "anti-bullying" bill, thus far, all of our efforts have been successful.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist Vetoes SB 900 -Anti-Citizens Petition Bill!

On June 27th, Florida Governor Charlie Crist VETOED Senate Bill 900 which would have jeopardized the success of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.

Christian Family Coalition sent out an e-mail on June 19th, reporting that Florida Governor Charlie Crist was considering a bill (SB 900) that would severely restrict petition rights of Florida citizens and create an all out war by petition opponents.

Our Action Email Alert encouraged supporters to send emails urging Florida governor Charlie Crist to veto SB 900.

On June 27th, the Christian Family Coalition held its largest ever Statewide Legislative Victory Breakfast, with over three-hundred (300) attendees!

This year, the Christian Family Coalition (CFC) leaders were personally invited to make a special presentation on Florida's constitutionally upheld law protecting abandoned/orphaned children from adoption by homosexuals at the annual board meeting of the American College of Pediatricians (ACP).

On April 28th, 2007, senior members of the CFC met with the board of the American College of Pediatricians and presented them with a report on the sinister efforts in Florida to abolish the legal protection of children from adoption by homosexuals.

At the meeting, CFC leaders shared the particular importance this issue holds for CFC's thousands of supporters as well as for Florida's abandoned/orphaned children who should not be handed over to individuals who are incapable of providing them with a healthy example of gender expression and identity. CFC also invited the ACP to officially join our campaign to protect abandoned/orphaned children in Florida from homosexual adoption.

Immediately after CFC's presentation, the board of the American College of Pediatricians unanimously accepted the invitation to join the Christian Family Coalition’s life saving campaign.

This is the second year that the Planned Parenthood Act was introduced in the Florida legislature. It called on the Department of Health to make information on so-called "family planning services" more accessible, required that emergency contraception be made available to all rape and incest survivors in emergency rooms, and required Florida schools to teach so-called "comprehensive" sex education curriculum WITHOUT parental consent. The bill passed out of only one Senate committee and was on the fast track but was stopped as soon the Christian Family Coalition became involved. Thanks to your phone calls and e-mails, the bill was stopped dead in its tracks!

This legislation would have required schools that teach abstinence-only education or receive abstinence-only funding to inform parents what information their children are not receiving in the classroom, such as propaganda from Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women (NOW) on contraception and sexually transmitted infections. This bill was referred to several committees in the House and was passed by only one committee in the Senate. The bill never came up for a full House or Senate vote.

A bill was introduced by Senator Fasano and Representative Homan that would severely undermined parental rights, by requiring the state to recommend, vaccinating middle school girls against the human papilloma virus (HPV), as well as distribute information about HPV to parents or guardians. This bill was successfully opposed by all pro-life, pro-family groups, including Christian Family coalition and as a result, passed one committee in the Senate and House, but then died in committee.

On Friday, February 19th, the Christian Family Coalition, one of Florida's largest and most effective non-denominational Pro-Family, Pro-Life, Human Rights organizations, joined attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund in a federal anti-discrimination lawsuit against Miami-Dade County on behalf of two Christian groups.

The County demanded the groups purchase 2.5 acres of land just so they could meet for prayer and Bible study! Miami-Dade County officials slapped International Outreach Center (IOC) and Worldwide Agape Ministries with orders to cease and desist meeting unless they acquired the demanded acreage, even if only two or three people were in attendance.

According to the Latin American Missions, there are approximately 1,200 churches in Miami-Dade County. If each church has at least one home bible study a week, then there are literally thousands of hard-working, taxpaying citizens being discriminated against simply for practicing their faith in their own homes!," stated Christian Family Coalition Founder and Executive Director, Anthony Verdugo.

People can gather each week at someone's home to watch football, but they can't gather to read the Bible and pray without being forced to buy 2.5 acres of land. That strikes most people as ridiculous said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. It is unconstitutional for the county to bully these ministries when there is no minimum acreage requirement for other assembly-use businesses, such as pool halls, theaters, convention centers, and private clubs."

According to the Mayor's office, since this story was reported, in only ten days, nearly one thousand pro-family citizens called or e-mailed the Mayor expressing their discontent and asking him to honor his pledge. As a result, Alvarez has now requested a meeting with the leading pastors in Miami-Dade County and backed down from his efforts to promote “domestic partner benefits” in our community.

After several weeks of behind-the-scenes lobbying by the Christian Family Coalition and the Florida Family Association, Florida State Senate President Ken Pruitt has rejected a proposed change to the "Gubernatorial Appointment Biographical Questionnaire" which contained the following NEW question:

14. Have you ever been the subject of a complaint or investigation that included allegations that you discriminated against or harassed someone in the workplace, including but not limited to: sexual harassment, or discrimination based on color, race, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, familial status, marital status, or sexual orientation ? If "Yes," explain:

The inclusion of the "sexual orientation" category meant that if homosexual extremists had ever filed a complaint or lawsuit against a person who opposed the radical homosexual agenda that person could be disqualified from consideration for a job in the new governor's administration.

In other words, if you are a devout Christian who had ever opposed the radical homosexual agenda, you would not need to apply for a job with the administration of the new Governor.

If this rule of questioning had been approved for the Florida Governor's administration by a Republican controlled Florida Senate, what could have been next, adding "sexual orientation" to the Florida Civil Rights Act thereby creating a gay rights law?

December 7, 1941. The Christian Family Coalition recognizes the "Greatest Generation" all of the the brave men and women who simultaneously fought a dual war against Fascism and Nazism. Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, issued the following statement:

"On a quiet Sunday morning, thousands of men died in a surprise attack by the Japanese in a place called Pearl Harbor.  Sixty-six (66) years later, we commend the courage of all the American men and women who risked, and many gave up, their very lives in the great service of our country.  Those veterans, both living and dead, deserve our eternal gratitude for all that they did.  May God Bless them and My God continue to Bless the United States of America"

The Christian Family Coalition announced that it has filed the remaining 3,300 petition signatures necessary to place the Florida Marriage Amendment on the November 2008 U.S. Presidential ballot. The petitions were filed with Florida4Marriage, the sponsoring political committee, per rule 1SER07-1 (1S-2.0091).

Once approved by voters, the amendment will define marriage as the union of only one man and one woman in the state constitution.

In 1997, the Florida State Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Defense of Marriage Act (D.O.M.A.) defining marriage in our state as the union of one man, one woman. However, since that time homosexual extremists from Key West to Orlando, have filed numerous lawsuits attempting to have the law ruled unconstitutional.

"In our system of government, the people of Florida, not unaccountable judges, should define marriage in our state", stated Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Chairman of the Christian Family Coalition.
 

Christian Family Coalition filed approximately 50,000 petition signatures throughout the campaign.

Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director of Christian Family Coalition, made the following comments following Senate confirmation of Judge Leslie Southwick to the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:

"We are pleased that Judge Leslie Southwick, a veteran of the Iraq war with 11 years of judicial experience, has been confirmed by the United States Senate.  We would also like to publicly recognize the support of U.S. Senator from Florida Mel Martinez for his courageous vote on this nominee.  Slowly, but surely, we are beginning to reclaim the courts for highly qualified judges, rather than judicial activists"

The Christian Family Coalition defended Florida Governor Charlie Crist from attacks by the "American Civil Liberties Union" ("ACLU") for properly displaying a mezuzah. The mezuzah was a gift from state Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, during a trade mission to Israel earlier this year.

According to Jewish custom, it is believed every mezuzah that is displayed adds to the divine protection of the people of the house and contains the text of two prayers the Shema and Veahavta written on a parchment scroll and attached to the threshold of a room, building or home as a blessing. The word is Hebrew for "doorpost."
 
"The hate and hypocrisy of the ACLU knows no end, it is amazing how in the 21st century extremist groups such as this one, still have any support.  The constitution is clear, our country was founded on freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.  Furthermore, it is ironic how these extremists claim to support tolerance and diversity, however, their bigotry is on full display when it comes to any form of religious speech", stated Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive director, Christian Family Coalition.

"We commend these individuals for standing in the gap for our community in filing this lawsuit, we believe numerous violations have been committed in the transaction of this sale and we intend to prove it both in a court of law and in the court of public opinion" stated Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition.

"Finally, our deepest gratitude to John Svadbik, who assisted in preparing the paperwork for the lawsuit and Alexander Alfano, our attorney on this case", concluded Verdugo.

TAKE ACTION LINK

For over thirty-five (35) years, Christians throughout Florida and the nation, young and old alike have freely and sacrificially donated their hard-earned money to the on-going mission of WMCU Christian radio to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world!

However, recently the Board of Regents of Trinity International University, whom we entrusted with WMCU, have reported that in 2006, they secretly contracted a broker to look for buyers for our beloved station! 

Then, on September 25, 2007, to everyone's shock and dismay, American Public Media Group (APMG), the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), announced the purchase of WMCU 89.7 FM, a 24 hour, 100K watt listener-supported Christian radio station that broadcasts to the Miami-Dade and Broward county areas in Florida with a translator station in downtown West Palm Beach at 101.9 FM.

The reported purchase price is $20 million!

CFC Applauds Governor Crist's office for renouncing meeting with extremist group!

Mr. George LeMieux, Chief of Staff for Florida Governor Charlie Crist renounced unfounded claims alleged by "Equality Florida" (homosexual extremist group).  "Equality Florida" an extremist group sent out an email alert which claimed that they had met with the governor's office on September 11, 2007. 
 
The email alleged that Governor Crist supported their version of a so-called "anti-bullying" bill that would give special rights to "gender identity" in government schools.  The "gender identity" category includes transvestism.   That means male students would have the full protection of Florida Statutes to cross dress while attending public schools.  Their email also alleged that "Governor Crist pumped his fist in the air enthusiastically as he told them 'I'm with you! I'm with you!'"
 
For the last four (4) years, Christian Family Coalition has made it a priority to stop this so-called "anti-bullying" bill, thus far, all of our efforts have been successful. 
 
George LeMieux, Chief of Staff for Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently sent emails which stated: "Neither the Governor nor I met with this group, and no such statement was made."
 
We are extremely pleased that the governor's office issued this renouncement.  Thanks to your continued support, the governor's office publicly renounced Equality Florida's allegations.

Christian Family Coalition Mourns the Passing of Dr. D. James Kennedy

Anthony Verdugo, Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition, released the following statement today regarding the death of Dr. D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries and founding pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida:

Today, all of us at the Christian Family Coalition mourn the loss of  Dr. D. James Kennedy. Dr. Kennedy founded the powerful Center for Reclaiming America in the late 1990's in order to reverse the tide of cultural decay in Washington and our society in general.   He was a founding board member of the Alliance Defense Fund, founded to protect religious liberty, life, and the traditional family.   Dr. Kennedy's advocacy for family, faith and freedom will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Kennedy's family and his church members.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist Vetoes SB 900 -Anti-Citizens Petition Bill!

On June 27th, Florida Governor Charlie Crist VETOED Senate Bill 900 which would have jeopardized the success of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.

Christian Family Coalition sent out an e-mail on June 19th, reporting that Florida Governor Charlie Crist was considering a bill (SB 900) that would severely restrict petition rights of Florida citizens and create an all out war by petition opponents.

For example, the bill would have prohibited supervisors of elections from verifying a petition signature if the petition was received more than thirty (30) days after the date the citizen signed the petition.

Secondly,  SB 900 would have required supervisors of elections to provide forms to voters to revoke and remove their names as a petition signer for one hundred twenty (120) days after the date their petition was verified.

Thirdly, the Florida legislature wants to reduce the life of a petition by NINETY EIGHT percent (98%) from 1,460 days to 30 days.

Finally, the bill would have grossly broadened the powers of the Florida legislature that would have had no limit on how long they would have taken to approve an amendment resolution.

Our Action Email Alert encouraged supporters to send emails urging Florida governor Charlie Crist to veto SB 900.  Thanks in part to the strong response to this Action Email Alert and the efforts of other pro-family organizations, Governor Crist vetoed SB 900.

2007 Statewide Legislative Victory Breakfast Largest Ever!

On June 27th, the Christian Family Coalition held its largest ever Statewide Legislative Victory Breakfast, with over three-hundred (300) attendees!

This year's keynote speaker was Janet Folger, Founder and President of Faith to Action, a leading national pro-family organization.  Janet discussed our efforts in Washington to stop the Federal "Hate Crimes" bill, currently before the U.S. Senate.  This bill, in essence, would stop the preaching of the Gospel to homosexuals and forbid speech critical of homosexuality in any way, shape or form from being expressed.

While this bill is ostensibly aimed at stopping violent crimes  against  homosexuals at the federal level, this is NOT THE CASE AT ALL!

In Canada, pastor Stephen Boissoin wrote an article stating that individuals need to take "whatever steps are necessary to reverse the wickedness" of the "homosexual machine".  Two weeks later, a homosexual was beaten up and Rev. Boissoin has been hauled before the so-called "Human Rights Commission" on charges that his letter "exposed people to hatred" and should not be protected speech.

Thankfully, we were able to stop the bill from being brought up for a vote in the U.S. Senate for now.

FLORIDA VICTORIES: During our historic breakfast this year, Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition shared the many victories we had this year at the State Capitol, such as stopping the Homosexual Indoctrination Bill which would have required Florida schools to teach "homosexual sensitivity training".  At the same time, we also discussed the successful passage of pro-life legislation!

   Click here to view video segments of the Statewide Legislative Victory Breakfast.

CFC hails Florida State Senate for passage of property tax cut

Families are suffering under the weight of a crushing property tax burden on their primary homes and that is just not right. If it means local governments have to make certain cuts to balance their budget just like Florida's families have to balance their budgets every month, then so be it.

CLICK HERE FOR Common property-tax cut questions

CFC Extends it Condolences to the Graham Family

  Ruth Graham was an extraordinarily selfless woman who put her faith and her family ahead of any personal ambitions she may have had; we would all do well to follow her example. She will be sorely missed not only by her immediate family, but also by the millions of people who came to a saving knowledge of Christ as a result of her sharing her husband with the world.

American College of Pediatricians Joins CFC  Campaign to Protect Abandoned/Orphaned Children!

A Labor of Love on Behalf of Florida's Abandoned / Orphaned Children

Recently, Christian Family Coalition (CFC) leaders were personally invited to make a special presentation on Florida's constitutionally upheld law protecting abandoned/orphaned children from adoption by homosexuals at the annual board meeting of the American College of Pediatricians (ACP).

On April 28th, 2007, senior members of the CFC met with the board of the American College of Pediatricians and presented them with a report on the sinister efforts in Florida to abolish the legal protection of children from adoption by homosexuals.

At the meeting, CFC leaders shared the particular importance this issue holds for CFC's thousands of supporters as well as for Florida's abandoned/orphaned children who should not be handed over to individuals who are incapable of providing them with a healthy example of gender expression and identity. CFC also invited the ACP to officially join our campaign to protect abandoned/orphaned children in Florida from homosexual adoption.

Immediately after CFC's presentation, the board of the American College of Pediatricians unanimously accepted the invitation to join the Christian Family Coalition’s life saving campaign.

Thus, over the next year, CFC and ACP, will work hand in hand in developing a series of effective strategies to educate legislators and the public, and counter the destructive efforts of homosexual groups attempting to impose homosexual adoption on Florida's abandoned/orphaned children!

A very special thanks goes to distinguished ACP member Dr. Felipe Vizcarrondo who helped arrange this unprecedented collaborative venture!

2007 Florida Legislative Update

On Friday May 4th, the Florida Legislature ended its 60 day session. It was a very successful session for the pro-family community. We kept at bay bills that would have been extremely damaging to Florida's families, and also moved forward our own pro-family agenda. Below is a recap of the bills that would have affected Florida's families.

Our success was due, in large part, to the constant vigilance by pro-family lobbyists in Tallahassee and also to all of our activists who took the time to call and e-mail their legislator on these critical issues! Thank you!  We couldn't have done it without you!

The Anti-Family Bills.....

SB 1156 by Rich /HB 1191 by Roberson - The Planned Parenthood Act

This is the second year that the Planned Parenthood Act was introduced in the Florida legislature.  It called on the Department of Health to make information on so-called "family planning services" more accessible, required that emergency contraception be made available to all rape and incest survivors in emergency rooms, and required Florida schools to teach so-called "comprehensive" sex education curriculum WITHOUT parental consent. The bill passed out of only one Senate committee and was on the fast track but was stopped as soon the Christian Family Coalition became involved.  Thanks to your phone calls and e-mails, the bill was stopped dead in its tracks!  We will continue to keep a watchful eye as this bill WILL be introduced again next year!

SB 162 by Geller / HB 663 by Randolph - The "Safe Sex Indoctrination" Act

This legislation would have required schools that teach abstinence-only education or receive abstinence-only funding to inform parents what information their children are not receiving in the classroom, such as propaganda from Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women (NOW) on contraception and sexually transmitted infections. This bill was referred to several committees in the House and was passed by only one committee in the Senate. The bill never came up for a full House or Senate vote. The Christian Family Coalition promises to keep a careful eye on this bill as it will be presented again next year!

SB 86 by Fasano /HB  561 by Homan - HPV Vaccine Bill

A bill was introduced by Senator Fasano and Representative Homan that would severely undermined parental rights, by requiring the state to recommend, vaccinating middle school girls against the human papilloma virus (HPV), as well as distribute information about HPV to parents or guardians.  This bill was successfully opposed by all pro-life, pro-family groups and as a result, passed only one committee in both the Senate and House, but then died in committee.

The Pro-Family Bills....

SB 1602 by Storms /HB 1497 by Traviesa- Parental Notification

This bill would have made it enhanced parental rights to be notified if their minor daughter was seeking an abortion. The original bill tried to strengthen current law by requiring additional documentation for women seeking a judicial bypass of the parental notification law. The Florida House of Representatives added several positive amendments to the bill that would also have required all women (including adults) to wait 24 hours before receiving an abortion as well as receive and be offered to view an ultrasound so that they could consider the full effects of their decision.  Unfortunately, the bill died on the last day of session but was overwhelmingly approved by both the State House and State Senate. Christian Family Coalition has NOT give up!  This bill will be re-introduced next year!

SB 2546 by Storms/HB 1425 by Baxley- Child Abuse Reporting

It would have required health care practitioners who provide abortions, personnel of abortion clinics and others to report pregnancies of girls under 16 years of age to law enforcement agencies. It also would have also required health care practitioners who perform abortions on girls under 16 years of age to collect and preserve specified DNA samples from the teen and fetus, as well as forward them to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Unfortunately, this bill was defeated in committee in the Senate.

SB 234 by Posey/ HB 71 by Poppell-Unborn Victims of Violence Act

Under this proposal, if a woman is injured or killed by another and the resulting act leads to the death of her fetus, then the perpetrator of the crime could be charged with homicide. This would have also changed the words "viable fetus" to "unborn child" in an attempt to establish fetal person hood.  Unfortunately, this bill died on the last day of session.

The Untimely Passing of Reverend Jerry Falwell

CFC joins millions of Americans on the passing of the Reverend Jerry Falwell:

"Today, as we mourn the passing of Dr. Jerry Falwell, we remember him as the father of the pro-family movement in America.  Dr. Falwell came on to the American political scene in the late 1970's at a time when most Americans felt they were losing their country to the far-left anti-family agenda. "

"As a result of his leadership, millions of pro-life and pro-family Americans became involved in politics for the very first time in their lives by registering to vote, casting a ballot in federal, state and local elections, (many for the first time ever), volunteering in political campaigns, working their precincts, and many others even successfully running for public office."

Dr. Falwell's leadership will be sorely missed, however, his mission and vision will never be forgotten.

Meet At City Hall on National Day of Prayer 2007

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..." Psalms 33:12

On Thursday May 3 you are invited to participate in Meet At City Hall from 12:20 pm to 12:40 pm during the National Day Of Prayer.  At thousands of city halls across the country, individuals will gather to pray for a moral rebirth in our country.  The National Day of Prayer is an annual event established by an act of Congress which encourages Americans to pray for our nation, its
people and its leaders.

Your participation in Meet At City Hall is very simple.  Simply show up at your local city hall at 12:20 pm on May 3.   There will be others present.  Spend the 20 minutes in prayer.

If you want to help promote Meet At City Hall, we suggest you invite members of your Sunday School class or church to join together and organize, as you desire.  You can invite some public officials, local pastors, church choirs, etc. to participate.  The amount of organization and promotion is entirely up to you.  Let us unashamedly take our Light from underneath the basket and set it on a table.

FL State Senate Committee Approves CFC Pro-Life Bill!

Your telephone calls and e-mails worked again!

The Senate Judiciary Committee in Tallahassee passed Senate Bill 1602, the Abortion Parental Notice Bill by a margin of 7-4. Additionally, both Senators Villalobos and Saunders who were targeted with your phone calls and e-mails both voted "YES" on the bill.

"We applaud the members of the Judiciary Committee who voted "YES" on SB-1602 when it comes to the health of our daughters, it is only sensible, that we make certain that they are not terminating their pregnancy due to intimidation or undue influence", stated Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition.

U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Partial Birth Abortion

In a historic victory for the pro-Life values of the vast  majority of Americans, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that the law Congress passed in 2003 protecting America's unborn children from the heinous crime of partial birth abortion, IS CONSTITUTIONAL!

 "After more than ten years of passionate debate and numerous attempts by the American people through their Congressional representatives, the court finally got it right, and upheld the right of the people to protect our most vulnerable citizens from what essentially amounts to infanticide," stated Christian Family Coalition (CFC) Executive Director Anthony Verdugo.

 Upon learning of the Court's decision, Dr. Eladio Jose Armesto, publisher of El Nuevo Patria, the oldest and largest Hispanic weekly in South Florida commended the CFC for its courageous, pioneering efforts to bring partial birth abortion to the attention of all Americans, most especially our elected  officials.

 Finally, as many of you know, the CFC played a critical role in recent Supreme Court battles as a pivotal part of the prestigious Judicial Confirmation Network, founded by Jay Sekulow and former U.S. Attorney General Edwin  Meese, which paved the way for the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Chief Justice  Roberts and Justice Alito.

Church events a growing boon to local economies, study finds

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Communities that host church retreats and conventions can count their blessings and the dollars the faithful pump into local economies, a new University of Florida study finds.

Pilgrimages, retreats and conventions are fast becoming one of the most reliable and desirable forms of income for the travel industry, said Harrison Pinckney IV. He did the study for his master's thesis in UF's department of tourism, recreation and sports management. Participants usually bring along their families and stretch their visits over three to four days, making a mini-vacation out of the affair by shopping, visiting museums and eating out, Pinckney said. He is now working on a doctoral degree in recreation, parks and tourism at Texas A&M University.

"There may be 80,000 people in town, but they're not the kind to show up at bars and drive home drunk," he said. "Because they have their kids with them they might go to a family restaurant or catch a movie afterwards."

Another advantage of these religious gatherings is they are less likely to be canceled because many churches' bylaws require congregations to hold annual conventions, Pinckney said. "After 9-11 there was a decline in attendance at professional conferences, but the numbers stayed steady for church conferences and in some cases even increased," he said.

Although greater attendance at large church-oriented events is part of a broad social trend, Pinckney focused on black churches in his study. Historically, the church has assumed great importance to blacks because it was one of the few places in society that welcomed them, particularly before desegregation, when black-owned businesses were rare, he said.

"More than just a church, it became whatever the African-American community wanted it to be -- a civic center, an after-school program and then a summer camp, even a homeless shelter," he said.

Pinckney distributed questionnaires at seven Church of God by Faith congregations in
Florida and Georgia during 2004.  A total of 102 participants returned the surveys at the end of the church service or gave them to their pastors the following week.

Eighty-two percent reported having traveled to at least one Church of God by Faith national event. Sixty-one percent said they attended the four-day national convention for its entire length, while 26 percent said they were there for three days. The remaining 13 percent of
churchgoers reported going for two days, with no one reporting a shorter visit.

While at the conventions, churchgoers reported sampling a variety of outside events such as sightseeing, shopping, visiting family or friends, and attending local performances or sporting events. The most popular activity was shopping- 30 percent reported heading for retail outlets -followed by visiting family and friends, 21 percent. Attending sports events was least popular, attracting only 5 percent.

Like major sporting events, church-oriented special events have been a financial boon to cities, with some attracting more than 80,000 visitors at a time and generating as much as $18 million for the local economy, Pinckney said. MegaFest, a religious event in Atlanta, draws about 150,000 a year, he said.

Lori Pennington-Gray, director for UF's Center for Tourism Research and Development and a professor in UF's tourism, recreation and sports management department who supervised Pinckney's research, said the travel industry is recognizing the importance of such events by
assembling more meeting planners specializing in this type of market, she said.

Because church-oriented special events operate on such a grand scale, they must usually be planned at least a couple of years in advance, Pennington-Gray said. "That makes them less vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy than segments of the leisure market where people's
discretionary income is affected if the economy takes a downturn," she said.

DeWayne Woodring, executive director of the Religious Conference Management Association headquartered in Indianapolis, said a survey conducted by his organization shows that the number of religious meetings grew 195 percent in the past 10 years.

"Meetings are becoming more and more important because within this increasingly complex and global society, people feel a need to meet with others with whom they share a common faith, bond or purpose," he said.

April 12, 2007, Writer: Cathy Keen, 352-392-0186, ckeen@ufl.edu
Source: Harrison Pinckney IV, 979-530-0253, hpinckney@neo.tamu.edu

CFC Executive Director Quoted by Influential Organization

 The Christian Family Coalition's Executive Director, Anthony Verdugo, was  recently quoted by the Family Research Council, one of the most influential  pro-family organizations in Washington.
 
 The article, on the Family Research Council's website, reported on the  ongoing battle to protect orphaned children from homosexual adoption.  This  is yet another example of the increasing political clout that the Christian  Family Coalition has demonstrated.
 
 These victories are the result of years of hard work and grassroots  organizing on the part of Christian Family Coalition volunteers and the  generosity of its donors.
 
 It is critical to the pro-family movement in Florida that we maintain this  momentum and continue to build on these widely-recognized achievements as  reported by the Family Research Council.

On Friday, February 19th, the Christian Family Coalition, one of Florida's largest and most effective non-denominational Pro-Family, Pro-Life, Human