Church Challenges Community Council for Denying Equal Use of Public Message Board

When a Church was discriminated against and prevented from advertising a Vacation Bible School on a community messaging board – which was open to all – we took action, and today, we’re happy to report a major victory.

Earlier this month, a church in Bancroft, Michigan faced a religious liberty and freedom of speech conflict over a community message board. It began when a local church member posted a flyer advertising a Vacation Bible School event on the message board. The village president quickly removed the flyer, citing separation of church and state. The message board was open for community use, and no other group was barred from using it for advertisements. Recognizing that the church’s freedom of speech was being hindered, the church’s pastor contacted the ACLJ for assistance. We provided him with information regarding equal access to public facilities for religious use, to help facilitate an informed discussion on the matter between the pastor and the village officials.

We have heard back from the pastor with good news to share: the village council had voted to affirm the church’s right to post materials on the message board. Although the president who had initially taken the posting down refused to review the equal access information the ACLJ had sent, he complied with the will of the council and has allowed the church to post materials.

Victories such as this one are an encouragement and a blessing to hear. We thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to pursue our mission of protecting Constitutional freedoms and serving Christians nationwide.