E-Newsletter for April 8, 2008

In this issue:

• Kentucky Judge: Employee Has No Right to Sue over First Amendment Violation
• Low-Cost Food is Faith Group’s Mission
• An Interview with Joseph Wingo of Angel Food Ministries
• Florida Commission Rejects Education Ballot Measure
• House Approves Removal of Abstinence-Only Mandate from AIDS Bill
• Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community Organization Eligibility
• Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

The Supreme Court's decision in Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc. continues to
reverberate through the lower federal courts. On March 28, Judge Charles Simpson of the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of Kentucky dismissed a lawsuit brought by Alecia Pedreira
and other Kentucky taxpayers against Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children, Inc and several state
officials. The case arose out of Kentucky Baptist Homes' decision to fire Pedreira after learning she
was in an openly homosexual relationship. The basis for the judge's dismissal was the plaintiffs' lack
of standing (or right to bring a case) to pursue claims that Kentucky's financial support for the employer
violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. (That's the phrase that states: "Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion.")

The Roundtable's legal experts, Law Professors Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle of George Washington
University, write that the judge's interpretation of the Hein decision was an aggressive one, and that the
plaintiffs may have a sound basis for appeal.

Click here for the legal update.

A partnership between the federal government and a unique religious ministry is giving new shape to
the concept of a church-based food pantry. With support from the federal government, Angel Food
Ministries (AFM) distributes food to one million people a month through a creative market-driven
approach. Within the context of the Bush Administration's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, AFM
has earned a couple of distinctions: It is the first faith-based organization to be authorized as a retailer
to accept food stamps. And it is the recipient of the largest federal loan awarded as part of the initiative.

The sheer volume of AFM's food assistance - half a million boxes of beef, chicken, vegetables and staples
distributed each month at 4,400 churches in 35 states - makes the organization a valuable commodity in
the federal government's arsenal of programs to reduce hunger, according to a federal official. That is one
reason why USDA in 2006 approved a $6.97 million loan through its Rural Development Community
Facilities Direct Loan program to allow AFM to build a 160,000-square-foot warehouse in Monroe, Georgia
for its food distribution. Through a separate grant, AFM also helps USDA to encourage more eligible people
to receive food stamps and assists them with the application process.

AFM includes a religious magazine with its food and donates part of its profits from the sale of food boxes
back to the churches that distribute the food. Both those arrangements are legal, according to a Roundtable
expert, because the government-sponsored food stamps are used only for the actual purchase of food. But
Law Professor Ira C. Lupu also warned that USDA must monitor AFM to make sure it does not use the
money it receives to help people sign up for food stamps for any religious purpose.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Washington Correspondent Anne Farris.

New! An Interview with Joseph Wingo of Angel Food Ministries

Joseph Wingo is the CEO of Angel Food Ministries, which he co-founded with his wife, Linda, in 1994
in Good Hope, Ga. Today, AFM, a non-denominational Christian organization, has grown to operate a
nationwide discount food distribution program to reduce hunger. AFM also partners with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to assist with outreach and provide information about the federal food
stamps program.

Click here to read the interview.

New! Florida Commission Rejects Education Ballot Measure

A ballot measure that would have allowed Florida voters to consider whether to authorize public funding
for private service providers, including schools, was narrowly defeated last week by a commission charged
with reviewing the state's constitution. On April 4, the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission
came one vote short of sending the proposal that would pave the way for state funding of private schools
to citizens in November. The proposal would have invalidated the state Constitution's so-called "education
provision" that calls for a "uniform ... and high quality system of free public schools."

A separate measure to remove a Florida constitutional amendment that currently prohibits taxpayers'
money from going to religious groups remains slated for the ballot box this November. Voters' approval of
that proposal would safeguard some state-funded scholarship programs and also allow public funding of
the state's faith-based prison program. But it would not open the door for public funding of private
elementary or secondary schools.

Click here for a previous Roundtable article on this topic.

New! House Approves Removal of Abstinence-Only Mandate from AIDS Bill

Last week, the full House passed a bill that would reauthorize funding for the five-year-old President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The bill authorizes $50 billion over five years, and includes funding for
tuberculosis and malaria programs, in addition to those that address HIV/AIDS. In December, the
President had requested $30 billion for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, double the initial U.S.
commitment in 2003. The House compromise legislation eliminates a previous requirement that one-third
of all PEPFAR funds go to programs that promote abstinence-only, with no mention of condoms. It also
places some restrictions on family planning clinics, allowing them to use PEPFAR funds for HIV/AIDS
testing and education, but not for abortions. The Senate is considering its own version of the bill.

Click here for a previous Roundtable article on earlier consideration of this bill.

Weekly Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community
Organization Eligibility

The grant opportunities this week for community and faith-based organizations are through programs
administered by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Justice, Labor, and by the U.S.
Agency for International Development.

Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs require specific technical expertise, or
experience in particular foreign countries.

Click here for the grants digest.

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

U.S. Shifting Prison Focus to Re-entry Into Society
The New York Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8084

NCC Projects Big Costs Due to Global Warming
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8085

Army Chaplain Boot Camp
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8087

Making the world mobile, one wheelchair at a time:
Wheels for the World has provided aids to people in 86 countries
The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8088

Former addict recovers life at the end of the crack pipe
Herald & Review (Illinois)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8086

With an Ex-Inmate's Help, Returning to Life Outside
The New York Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8053

Charities press for electronic-bingo fund influx
SignonSanDiego.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8054

Low-income clinic opens today
Corpus Christi Caller-Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8057

Jewish Network To Help Fight Alcohol, Drug Abuse
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8058

No ethics in sight
FLORIDA TODAY (Brevard County, Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8068

Community can help avoid downward spiral
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8059

Forum urges HIV education among blacks;
Forum sponsored by faith-based group brings grim statistics on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the black community
The Miami Herald

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8060

Group's Meeting Will Discuss Crime, Housing Problems
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8061

Downtown project pulled: Faith-based group to sell historic houses it bought to remodel for nonprofit offices
The Fresno Bee (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8055

Faith-based group helps prisoners adjust after release
Lexington-Herald Ledger (Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8062

Steps to freedom
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8063

'Two become one' Faith-based counseling programs help couples understand God's plan for their relationship
The Wichita Eagle (Kansas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8064

Tax panel OKs two proposals for voters
The Bradenton Herald (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8065

School vouchers stopped by vote of tax reformers; Decision ended a push to revive 'Opportunity Scholarships'
Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8066

Court dismisses Baptist church-state case
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8067

White House Highlights Local Impact of President Bush's Health Initiatives in Africa
Christian Newswire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8069

Gov. Blunt Highlights Faith-Based Missouri Disaster Relief Initiative
States News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8070

New Initiative For Disaster
KOMU.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8056

Bush AIDS initiative gets bipartisan renewal;
Concessions are made as both sides authorize $50 billion through 2013 to greatly expand the President's project.
Los Angeles Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8079

House votes to increase global spending against AIDS
The Los Angeles Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8071

The hospital they just couldn't save
chicagotribune.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8072

State AG unveils anti-gang strategy
The Bradenton Herald (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8073

KISRA launches new Business Enterprise Center in Dunbar
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8074

Gang members invited to conference;
Ministers open doors for summit on 'Thug Life' during Mid-South conference on violence
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8075

Woman shows FaithWorks in inner city
Daily Oklahoman

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8076

Youth ministry works on upper King
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8077

Campaign Launched to Equip Churches for National Volunteer Month
Christian Newswire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8081

White House Highlights Local Impact of Social Entrepreneurship in Africa
Christian Newswire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8082

USAID Participates in White House Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives Conferences in Rwanda and Zambia
U.S. Newswire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8083

Baptist home funding suit tossed
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8080

Fractured Families: More Couples Resort To Faith-Based Divorce
Highlands Today (Sebring, Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8078