An update from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, an independent research
project of the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The public policy research arm of the State
University of New York.

New! Court: Tax Dollars Can Fund Church Upgrades that Don't
Buttress Faith

City funds may be used to renovate churches as long as the improvements serve a civic
purpose, like downtown beautification, and do not promote religion. That was the ruling
handed down by a federal judge August 8 in a case challenging Detroit 's funding of
structural improvements at three churches, part of an overall plan to spruce up the city's
downtown. Deciding on a case brought against Detroit's Downtown Development Authority
by American Atheists Inc., Judge Avern Cohn of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District
of Michigan upheld the city's right to reimburse the churches for certain repairs and upgrades
to their buildings and parking lots, such as replacing bricks and painting doors, that lacked
content and “therefore convey no religious message.” He struck down, however, payments for
improvements to signs and stained-glass windows that included church names or religious icons,
saying such funding would violate constitutional protections intended to separate church and state.

The decision is likely to influence state and local government decisions on funding improvements
to religious structures throughout the country. It is the first time a court has ruled on government
funding for religious buildings since a landmark Supreme Court case changed the standard for
determining whether public money can constitutionally support faith-based organizations,
according to the Roundtable's legal experts.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes.

Click here for the Roundtable's Resource Page on Public Funding of Religious Buildings.

New! An Interview with Bob Jaeger of Partners for Sacred Places

A. Robert Jaeger is executive director of Partners for Sacred Places, which he co-founded in
1989. Partners for Sacred Places is a nonsectarian organization dedicated to the sound
stewardship and active community use of older religious properties. The nonprofit provides
assistance to the people who care for houses of worship while promoting an understanding of
how such places sustain communities. It advocates for investments of both public and private
dollars to maintain these sites.

Jaeger is the co-author of Sacred Places at Risk (1998) and Strategies for Stewardship and Active
Use of Older and Historic Religious Properties (1996), author of Sacred Places in Transition (1994),
and editor (from 1985 to 1989) of Inspired, a bi-monthly magazine with news and technical articles on
religious property preservation.

Click here to read the interview.

New! ACLU Challenges State Earmarks to Louisiana Churches

In another lawsuit involving government funding to churches - and highlighting the fact that religious
groups may only accept tax dollars under certain circumstances - the state of Louisiana is facing a
challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union. On Monday, Aug. 13, the ACLU asked a federal
judge to halt payments approved by the legislature as part of a general appropriations bill last month,
totaling $120,000 to two churches. The civil liberties group charges that the earmarks are unconstitutional,
claiming that they were not subject to oversight or competitive bidding, and that the appropriations bill
offers no justification for them. “The government cannot simply choose to subsidize its favorite houses of
worship with taxpayer dollars,” said ACLU attorney Daniel Mach.

Contacted Tuesday, the state Attorney General's office did not immediately return a call for comment.
Officials at the churches slated to receive the grants could not be reached.

Click here to read the legal complaint.

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 Agriculture, and Health and Human Services.

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

Click here for the grant digest, compiled by Roundtable Correspondent Allison Sarnoff with Lisa Montiel.

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

Royal Family Kids Camp helps to heal children's wounded souls
Fremont Tribune (Nebraska)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6907

Faith meets farming and fuels community supported agriculture movement
The Napa Valley Register (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6908

Church Group Complains of Civil Union Pressure
The New York Times (New York)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6909

Ignore the end-run
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6910

Benton County : Challenges raised over sentencings
Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Arkansas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6902

Separating church and state pre-k style
The Gainesville Times (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6891

Gov. plans summit on "faith initiatives"
The Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6889

Ex-Insider Shares Rest of Faith-Based Prison Story
The Ledger (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6892

Food donors in short supply; Donations nearly always plummet in the summer
at local food pantries, leaving the needy and working poor with even more problems.
The Miami Herald (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6893

Students dressed for success; Program provides
free school clothes for youngsters heading to classrooms
The Oklahoman (Oklahoma)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6894

Churches to the rescue; Groups actively support families that adopt
The Lexington Herald Leader (Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6895

UC studies HIV patients' religious support, alienation
The Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6896

Crop of Concerns: Farm bill draws out Christian reformers worried about subsidies.
Christianity Today

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6890

Trading skills got houses built in N.O.
Times-Picayune (Louisiana)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6897

Set Free: Help for Women with Eating Disorders
Christian Newswire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6898

Volunteers Spread 'Word of God'; Program Reaches Out to Inmates
Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6899

Seek and ye shall find: Church ministries help job searchers keep the faith
The Naperville Sun (Illinois)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6900

Capitol: Corrections law ; Can prisons keep the faith?
The Oklahoman (Oklahoma)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6903

Humanist Loses Case Over Voting in Churches
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6904

Report Says Pentagon Erred in Allowing Christian Video
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6905

Taxpayer's $1 million goes to politically linked nonprofit
The Associated Press

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6901

Weekly Opinion Roundup - 8/14/2007
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/news_opinion_8_14_07.cfm