3:00 – 5:00 p.m., Friday, May 20, at JMU
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The Roundtable Invitation
As in past years, we are again pleased to host an extraordinary three-part program especially for Pastors, Ministry Leaders, and their Spouses from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20, just before our “Salute to the Family” dinner which begins at 6:30.
It will be held in the Allegheny Room of JMU’s Festival Conference and Student Center where we met with Rafael Cruz last year. There will be time for questions and answers after each presentation listed below.
For Everyone: Please Bring Your Pastor!
While the Roundtable is especially for church leaders, it is open to anyone who is concerned about the direction of our country and ready, like Nehemiah, to help rebuild the broken-down walls of our own Jerusalems.
Therefore, please pass this on to your pastors and lay leaders, encourage them to attend, and come along. In addition, if they haven’t already confirmed, invite them to join you for the dinner that follows. (See note at bottom.)
1. Horatio Mihet: The State of the Nation – on Liberty
We will begin the Roundtable at the national level with Horatio Mihet, Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Litigation Counsel for Liberty Counsel — one of America’s premier defenders of religious freedom.
He will give us an update on the growing threats to our religious freedoms across the country. These include attacks on both public and private organizations, businesses, and individuals – especially when their actions are prompted by their Christian beliefs.
Mr. Mihet grew up in communist Romania where his father pastored 17 churches, most of them underground, and suffered persecution as a result. At the age of 12, he participated in the Revolution of 1989 that brought down the brutal regime. He knows the cost of freedom.
With Liberty Counsel since 2008, he has defended freedom in many critical court cases, including for pro-life activists, school administrators charged with the “crime” of praying; and others like Kentucky Clerk of the Court Kim Davis who was put in prison for exercising her religious beliefs.
2. Chris Freund: The State of Virginia – on Liberty
Part 2 will feature Chris Freund, Vice President of The Family Foundation in Richmond, who plays a leading role at the state level in defending and advancing issues of Life, Faith, Family, and Freedom in the culture and in the Virginia public square.
He will review the battle to defend our Judeo-Christian values and beliefs that played out in the VA General Assembly earlier this year – and the critical role that churches have in that battle.
3. Scott Spages: The State of the Church – for Liberty
The third and final part of the program will feature Scott Spages, area representative of the Salt and Light Council, which is a national, cross-denominational organization dedicated to helping churches apply Biblical teaching in the public square.
He will offer specific suggestions for how to develop “Biblical Citizen Ministries” aimed at rebuilding our Christian heritage and equipping our churches to advance a Biblical worldview regarding core issues such as life, marriage, and religious liberties in our culture.
For Reservations
For Roundtable … There is no charge for the Roundtable, and everyone is welcome. However, seating is limited, and reservations are requested with priority seating for Pastors, Lay Leaders, and their Spouses. Please confirm by return e-mail to family@valleyfamilyforum.org or call (540) 438-8966.
… and for the Dinner Celebration! In addition, please join us for our annual “God and Country” dinner that begins at 6:30 in the same building with Mr. Mihet as our keynote speaker, and bring your family and friends with you. A few tables of eight and individual seats are still available at $25/person by contacting the Forum as noted above.
For God and Country,
Dean