The Summer Family Bible Conference, a Bible-teaching and worship conference, was completed at noon on Friday. We had approximately 1000 attendees, well below the seating occupancy of the building, which is over 5000. The ministry implemented every Teller County Health suggestion, except for the arbitrary attendance cap of 175. Below is a list of major steps we took to ensure the safety of our staff and guests:
• SUBMITTED AND THEN REVISED SOCIAL DISTANCING PLAN FOR TELLER COUNTY
• REQUIRED ALL STAFF AND GUESTS TO ANSWER HEALTH SCREENING QUESTIONS
• CONDUCTED TEMPERATURE CHECKS OF ALL STAFF AND GUESTS AT MOTOR VEHICLE SCREENING CHECK POINT UPON ENTERING PROPERTY BEFORE PARKING
• IMPLEMENTED SOCIAL DISTANCING FOR STAFF AND GUESTS
• ALL STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WERE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS
• PRAYER MINISTERS AND FOOD SERVICE WORKERS WORE GLOVES
• POSTED AMPLE SIGNAGE RELATED TO COVID-19 AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS
• IMPLEMENTED ONE-WAY TRAFFIC FLOW PATTERNS FOR CARS AND FOOT TRAFFIC
• PROVIDED SANTITATION STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING
• EMPLOYED MEDICALLY-APPROVED SANITATION PROTOCOLS
The Colorado State Attorney General’s office contacted Andrew Wommack Ministries on July 2, 2020, directing organizers to cease and desist all activities that did not comply with Executive Order D 2020 091 and the Eighth Updated Public Health Order 20-208 Safer at Home and In the Vast, Great Outdoors Requirements and the Teller County variance, issued May 23.The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Liberty Counsel as advocating against LGBTQ rights, abortion rights and other constitutionally upheld rights. It's founder is a former dean of Liberty University, which brought students back to campus in March and saw an outbreak of COVID-19.
On June 26, 2020, Andrew Wommack and his executive team met with Teller County and Woodland Park public health and law enforcement officials to review and discuss the hosting of a safe and large faith-based gathering. As a result, the ministry submitted an updated plan, to which the county offered further recommendations that was acceptable to the ministry.
Ministry officials were surprised when they received a cease and desist order from the state while in the midst of working closely with Teller County Public Health on revising the event proposal.
Ministry founder Andrew Wommack stated, “We want to protect everyone from getting sick, but this is a violation of our constitutional right to peaceably assemble. We feel like we have already gone to great lengths to do what we can do to comply, short of telling people they can’t attend.”
The ministry has retained Liberty Counsel, a national non-profit litigation, education, and public policy organization with an emphasis on First Amendment and other Constitutional rights, to represent us in this matter.
Liberty Counsel sent a letter to the Colorado Attorney General overviewing the exemplary efforts undertaken by Andrew Wommack Ministries to protect the health and safety of attendees and also pointed out the fact that Gov. Polis permitted thousands of people to gather in mass protests to exercise their First Amendment rights. The letter also raised the First Amendment right to assemble and worship, and described a recent federal court ruling that struck down the executive orders in New York that limited houses of worship attendance. Like in Colorado, the Governor of New York and the Mayor of New York City permitted thousands of people to gather in mass protests. The court found this discriminatory treatment unconstitutional.
No fewer than twenty Members of Congress have just totally shamed themselves, proving why the U.S. Congress' rating in poll after poll is now so consistently low it can be declared single-digit.
Doug Collins, W. Gregory Steube, Doug Lamborn, Jim Banks, Ralph Norman, Mike Johnson, Louie Gohmert, Debbie Lesko, Steve King, Andy Harris, Kevin Brady, Brian Babin, Rick Allen, Tim Walberg, Glenn Grothman, Bill Flores, Andy Biggs, Austin Scott, Vicky Hartzler, and that gas-mask-wearing, certified lemon from the Sunshine State of Florida, Matt Gaetz, have penned a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper worthy of being filed with the worst to ever pass from Congress to the Department of Defense.
The letter illustrates each Member's rank ignorance of the U.S. Constitution, of the responsibilities of U.S. military chaplains, of the criticality of good order and discipline in the ranks of the military, and of their own responsibility to the secular law before whatever allegiance they might feel to fundamentalist Christian or other biblical, religious, or spiritual law.
If they believe the reverse — which clearly they must — they should resign immediately from Congress and join the ranks of those American taliban whom they obviously represent. In our country, that's their right. There are probably civilian pulpits aplenty from which they can spew their invectives. But not while in the government and not while using their influence to compel others in that government to "defy the Constitution for Jesus or whatever other diety". Next, these men will be demanding trials for the witches and devils that torment them.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) condemns, in as full-throated a manner as is humanly possible, the shocking and repulsive display of only the most vile, exclusivist, fundamentalist Christian supremacy, dominance, triumphalism and exceptionalism which occurred at yesterday’s ‘blessing’, at the Washington National Cathedral, of a sectarian Christian bible which will apparently 'be used to swear in all commanders of America’s newest military branch (ie. The United States Space Force)." MRFF noted with additional disgust and disdain the willing and all-too visible participation of a senior USAF officer, in formal uniform, during the travesty of this sectarian ceremony which tragically validates the villainy of unadulterated Christian privilege at DoD and its subordinate military branches. For the record, military commanders are NOT ever “sworn in” to their positions let alone with the usage of a Christian bible or other book of faith. And especially not in 2020!!We asked Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, who's been an ardent supporter of the Space Force concept, stood up recently by President Trump, for a comment on the controversy emerging from using the Bible in military swearing ceremonies.
MRFF is currently receiving a multitude of new complaints from outraged DoD military and even civilian DoD personnel, as well as veterans, regarding this unmitigated, unconstitutional horror. MRFF will be lodging a formal complaint to Mark Esper, the Secretary of Defense. Further, MRFF will be assiduously assisting its clients to also expeditiously make formal Inspector General (IG) and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints to the DoD chain of command hierarchy to stop this train-wreck disaster in its stinking tracks from ever even leaving the station.
If MRFF’s fervent attempts to exhaust all DoD administrative remedies to eliminate this fundamentalist Christian tyranny and oppression fail, MRFF will plan to stop this matter in Federal court in Northern Virginia. The utilization of a Christian bible to ’swear in’ commanders of the new Space Force or any other DoD branch at ANY level is completely violative of the bedrock Separation of Church and State mandate of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and also violates Clause 3, Article 6’s total prohibition of No Religious Test for any Federal Gov’t position. Additionally such blatantly scurrilous activity violates a slew of critical DoD directives, instructions and regulations.
Notably, the data from our review also indicates that historically on average it took 19.5 years before a Colorado Diocese concretely restricted an abusive priest’s authority after receiving an allegation that he was sexually abusing children. (This figure does not even includeNo cases have been referred to prosecutors, however, because investigators found only one allegation that could be viable for prosecution within the statute of limitations, and that allegation already has been reported to the authorities.
the 7 alleged abusers for whom the Colorado Dioceses never put any restriction in place during their lifetimes.) Nearly a hundred children were sexually abused in the interim. However, from the data available to us, it appears in the last 10 years the Colorado Dioceses have immediately suspended the powers of any accused priest pending further investigation.
White was the most prolific known clergy child sex abuser in Colorado history. His sexual abuse of children began before he was ordained in 1960, and it continued for at least 21 years in at least 6 parishes from Denver to Colorado Springs to Sterling to Loveland to Minturn to Aspen. During that time, it is more likely than not he sexually abused at least 63 children. This one priest’s career and the Denver Archdiocese’s management of it present a microcosm of virtually all the failures we found elsewhere in our review of the Colorado Dioceses’ child sex abuse history. The Denver Archdiocese knew from the outset of White’sWhite was removed from the ministry in 1993 and died in 2006. Abercrombie died in 1994.
career that he was a child sex abuser. When he had sexually abused enough children at a parish that scandal threatened to erupt, the Denver Archdiocese moved him to a new one geographically distant enough that White was not known there. The Denver Archdiocese
repeated this cycle at least 6 times and never once restricted his ministry, or removed him from ministry, or sent him off for genuine psychiatric evaluation and care.
Specifically, investigative team members have intimidated victims during interviews by questioning theirfaith, asked them nothing but leading questions designed to confirm a predetermined conclusion rather than find facts, expressed bias in favor of the diocese, expressed that their goal is to defend the priest and protect the diocese rather than find facts or care for the victim, and threatened victims with dire consequences if they falsely accuse a priest of child sex abuse. This approach to sexual assault victim interviews is extremely ineffective at determining whether the diocese has an abusive priest from whom its children need to be protected.The local diocese's investigative board also lacked understanding of law enforcement and wasn't sufficiently independent to assure impartial and objective conclusions would be reached.
As an institution of higher learning, the United States Air Force Academy engages with a diverse set of topics and viewpoints. This talk was advertised and held under the same conditions as all other talks — without any endorsement or requirement of attendance. We are always vigilant of religious respect and freedom, and will continue to review our processes to ensure that all talks and events comply with these tenets.
Our leaders are committed to supporting Soldiers' freedom of religious expression. I have, and will continue to, take all reports of Soldiers disrespecting religious beliefs, observances, or traditions very seriously. I will ensure our unit continues to place a high value on the rights of our Soldiers to observe the tenets of their respective religions or to observe no religion at all.Sgt. Cesilia Valdovinos said in a statement that Zinn told her on March 21 that Montoya was within regulations and that she felt the back of the chapel, where she ordered Valdovinos to remove the hijab, was a private setting. Zinn also told her he would take future matters seriously and has ordered a chaplain conduct training with the command teams on various religions. He also told her, she says, that the dining staff had tried to accommodate her desire not to come into contact with pork as prescribed by her religion, but that she wouldn't cooperate.
We value diversity within our ranks and will continue to embrace our differences, which make us a stronger more well-rounded team of cohesive, highly-trained Soldiers prepared to answer our Nation's call anytime, anywhere.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has found that the Army’s conduct in this EO investigation along with the conduct of its senior leaders constitute only the worst type of a pervasive and pernicious pattern and practice of anti-Muslim bigotry prejudice and harassment. As our client has now exhausted her administrate remedies, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is hard at work determining whether or not we can file a federal lawsuit in either Denver or Washington against the Army based upon this shameful scandalous outrage of anti-Muslim hostility.
We selected speakers whose stories will highlight this year's theme of
Leadership, Teamwork, and Organizational Management. Each speaker will focus on the value, successes, and challenges at the personal,
interpersonal, team, and/or organizational levels. Their wide-ranging
backgrounds, diversity of thought, and comprehensive leadership experiences will enable their listeners to appreciate the many opportunities life offers in fashioning pathways to success. That each speaker has an individual viewpoint on different aspects of our culture enhances the NCLS mission to present a rich variety of outlooks and perspectives to our audiences, which we feel is in keeping with the tenets of a liberal education.
NCLS participants are free to choose which presentations they attend, and we're confident that each speaker's presentation will prove invaluable to our cadets to aid in their character development and in honing their leadership skills in their pursuit as Air Force officers.
All members of the community are welcome to attend. The vigil will begin at 5:30 p.m., and will feature prayers, music and speakers. Participants will include local clergy, elected officials, and other civic leaders. The vigil will take place at Temple Shalom, 1523 E Monument St., Colorado Springs, CO.Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers issued this statement:
In a time of such tragedy, we hope that this gathering will provide a venue for the beginning of healing, the beginning of comfort, and the beginning of a pathway forward.
In addressing his congregation, Rabbi Jay Sherwood of Temple Shalom wrote, "We must never let hate and fear impede our march toward peace and righteousness. We will walk out of the darkness and continue to be a light unto the nations."
May the memories of those murdered in this horrific attack be a blessing.
Temple Shalom was founded in 1971 in Colorado Springs, Colorado and today is a vibrant congregation of more than 250 families which conducts itself according to the principles of both the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements. Its mission is to promote a spiritually centered community that inspires Jewish values, life and learning.
Temple Beit Torah is a Reform Jewish Synagogue founded in 1992 and located in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado. Temple Beit Torah strives to provide a warm and truly all-inclusive Reform Jewish community. We are committed to strengthening all of our members in their Jewish identity and knowledge.
This was a tragic weekend in our nation where we saw reprehensible hate crimes against the black and Jewish communities including an attack and an attempted attack on two places of worship. Such crimes are disgusting acts of cowardice and I want to personally express my deepest condolences to all who grieve; both here in Colorado Springs and across the nation. The Constitution of the United States expressly protects our right to religious freedom and the City of Colorado Springs is committed to upholding that precious right. Let it be known that this city will not tolerate acts of racial, religious or ethnic prejudice and those who would commit such acts will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.