RFC CHAIRMAN

As I write this update, William J. Murray is undergoing surgery. Please pray for him and for a speedy recovery. Mr. Murray returned this past week from an exhausting, but successful mission trip to Kosovo. The cost of "great pain" during the trip was worth the suffering due to importance of this mission to Mr. Murray, the ministries, and the Religious Freedom Coalition. We wish him well from the staff at RFC.

The Religious Freedom Action Coalition’s Big Brother Church Watch hits front page news of the Free Lance-Star and national news with CNS News along with other media coverage after forming a new social conservative group- RatOutAChurch.org. The purpose is to monitor traditionally liberal churches for political activity in order to level the playing field.

A front page article by the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Virginia quotes Peggy Birchfield, executive director of RFAC: "You tend to hear more about the conservatives, but no one is checking the liberal churches." Our immediate goal is to ensure that the liberal pastors who endorse candidates from their pulpits without reservation, experience the same heat that conservative Bible-believing pastors do. Liberal churches that continue to endorse candidates will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a "violator." CNS News quotes Mr. Murray, "When Big Brother turns a church in to the IRS, we will have documented proof that it has assisted a political candidate or a political party."

Our long-term goal is to create support for the passage of the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (HR 235) as authored by Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC). This bill would return total freedom of speech to America’s pastors. The passage of the HR-235 would make "spies" a thing of the past by restoring the freedom of speech that was stripped from our churches.

For more information on Big Brother Church Watch  click here.

"I have just returned to the United States from one of the most physically and emotionally draining missions I have ever been on in my life," stated William Murray upon returning to the United States.

After attending the 2nd annual Interparliamentary Conference in Belgium, Brussels, Mr. Murray took a journey to the territories of Kosovo and Metohija. Mr. Murray shares the details of his findings and highlights the overwhelming response upon delivering the much needed medical supplies to the Serbian doctor. "....A gift from God," the grateful doctor replied as Mr. Murray handed him the expensive antibotics and medical supply kits. Despite being in a great deal of pain, Mr. Murray felt the need to travel to the destitute areas that were attacked by the Kosovo Albanian mobs in March 2004. This mass rampage left more thn 150 churches in utter ruins. Unfortunately we did not raise enough funds for our mission to match all the cost associated with the trip. Your donation can help us finacially meet budget for this trip. Click here to donate. To view Mr. Murray's inital report of his mission trip to Kosovo, click here.

INCLUSIVENESS

In November of 1998 the Boy Scouts of Canada Board of Governors elected to authorize females, atheists, agnostics, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals to participate in the Scouts. By 1999 they had the distinction of boasting the world’s first all-homosexual troop, much to the dismay of many former scouts. This exemplified the Scouts Canada commitment to diversity, sensitivity and tolerance. Now six years later the BSC are in the process of reducing their budgets by selling numerous abandoned camps. Overall troop participation is on a downfall to an anemic 130,000 (past membership exceeded 300,000) with continual projected drops. Much of this can be attributed to the principle of "inclusiveness" that has been embraced by the governing board of the remaining BSC. This inclusiveness demonstrates the bankruptcy of moral relativism that espouses diversity, sensitivity, and tolerance at the exclusion of absolute truth. May I ask you what will happen if we embrace the same philosophy of the Boy Scouts of Canada in our churches, youth groups, or other traditionally conservative groups and ministries?

 During the 1980's, Mr. Murray organized evangelistic tours to the former Soviet Union and in the 1990's he escorted thousands of pilgrims to the Holy Land. That was successful, but it was also a lot of work. Now Mr. Murray has a better idea .. a cruise in the Caribbean where we don't have to escort tours or take care of security in a dangerous nation for hundreds of people. We have reserved space on one of the ten best cruise ships in the world for a seven day cruise beginning February 20, 2005. We am inviting conservative Christians to enjoy the Caribbean with Mr. Murray and his wife along with other staff members of the Religious Freedom Coalition. There will be virtually no organized activities for the group other than meeting each other and having dinner at the same tables ... If we do it, the cruise will basically be a vacation for Christians who share common beliefs and goals. Nothing is set in concrete and we are only trying to cage interest. If you are interested in more information please contact us at events@rfcnet.org or call our office at (800) 650-7664 and talk to Mr. Murray or myself for more information. Hope to see you on board!

Peggy S. Birchfield, Executive Director