PLEASE ADD YOUR "AMEN" TO THE PETITION BELOW!

Mayor Bill Freytag~ Shelby~ Ohio

SIGN PETITION BELOW~ TO ALL FIVE MEMBERS OF SHELBY CITY COUNCIL TO OVERRIDE MAYOR FREYTAG’S BAN ON PRAYER BEFORE COUNCIL MEETINGS Corroborating: Associated Press~ 15 Oct 09~ Dayton Daily News Ohio mayor vetoes city council prayers SHELBY~ Ohio — A mayor has vetoed a proposal that would have required [allowed] a city council in Ohio to start meetings with a prayer. Shelby Mayor Bill Freytag told the council in an e-mail that he took the action Wednesday on the advice of the city’s law director~ who felt the ordinance was unconstitutional. The measure was approved 3-2 earlier this month by council members in the city of 49~000 about 65 miles north of Columbus. Supporters pointed out that the Ohio Legislature and the U.S. Congress open sessions with a prayer. The mayor noted that the proposal had been the subject of much debate and had resulted in numerous phone calls and letters to his office~ some from outside the area. The city council may try to override the veto~ which would require a vote of 4-1. ——– TAKE ACTION FIVE WAYS:  1) Sign the petition below and write your comment which we’ll post now.  2) Please politely email AND telephone each of the five city council members below and politely ask them to override the Mayor’s Prayer Ban. 3) Phone and email the Mayor himself with your own polite opinion of his prayer ban. 4) Please prayerfully consider donating so we can purchase billboards announcing their vote if they don’t reverse this ban~ and 5) Pray God will bless the voters of Shelby Ohio with wisdom before the next election. Councilor 1 Patricia Carlisle (419) 342-2218 E-mail: ward1councilmember@shelbyohio.org Councilor 4 David Hoover 419-347-5460 E-mail: ward4councilmember@shelbyohio.org Councilor 2 Cohen Lewis (419) 347-2012 E-mail: ward2councilmember@shelbyohio.org Councilor 5 Steve Schag (419) 347-2134 E-mail: councilmemberatlarge@shelbyohio.org Councilor 3 John Gates (419) 347-3337 E-mail: ward3councilmember@shelbyohio.org Mayor Bill Freytag (419) 347-5131 E-mail: billfreytag@shelbyohio.org

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A PRAYER TO ALMIGHTY GOD~
and
A PETITION TO MAYOR OF SHELBY~ OHIO~ BILL FREYTAG~
and COUNCIL MEMBERS CARLISLE~ LEWIS~ GATES~ HOOVER~ SCHAG:

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers:

We the undersigned~ respectfully petition you to defend religious freedom by allowing visiting pastors 

of all diverse faiths and denominations~ to pray aloud publicly according to the dictates of their own conscience~

at or before city council meetings~ even if they dare to pray aloud publicly "in Jesus name" or invoke their own specific deity. 

Please do not cave-in to atheist intimidation by the enemies of religious liberty~ including your own ill-informed legal advisors.

Please conform your decision to First Amendment precedent which allows Jesus prayers among other rotating diverse prayers~

as already decided in the 7th Circuit (Hinrichs v. Bosma) and 11th Circuit (Pelphrey v. Cobb County)

and by the Supreme Court of the United States in two decisions: Marsh v. Chambers and especially Lee v. Weisman.

Jesus is not an illegal word~ the Bible is not a banned book~ and prayer speech is not a crime. 

Please simply adopt a policy similar to Tulsa City Council~ and declare the prayers are private speech~ not government speech~

or allow the prayers to be said aloud during optionally attended time~ just before the first government business is gaveled to order.

Please allow pro-bono Christian lawyers~ from the Alliance Defense Fund or others~ to defend your pro-Jesus prayer policy in court.

We pray to God you will stand with us by taking a courageous stand for liberty~ in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Add your "Amen" by signing below~ and WE WILL POST YOUR COMMENTS to the
Mayor and Councilmembers of Shelby~ Ohio immediately.