As we draw closer to celebrating the birth of Christ this Christmas season, I am reminded of the angel’s promise to Mary that she would conceive the long-awaited Messiah. “Nothing is impossible for God.” Luke 1:37
This Biblical promise sustains the mission of the New Jersey Family Policy Center. I firmly believe God is working in unseen ways to give us victory in NJ – because nothing is impossible for Him!
By God’s unmerited grace, we have been blessed to not only have the faith to believe it, but to see it right before our eyes. Just in the past 30 days, we have experienced a number of significant victories that you had direct involvement in.
U. S. Congress
- Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) originally voted in July to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act by voting for the so-called Respect for Marriage Act that codifies into federal law a new definition of marriage. This bill not only contradicts the traditional, historical, and still the mainstream global view of marriage being between one man and one woman, but it strips away the explicit textual constitutional right of religious liberty. After the Senate amended the bill to include limited language for religious freedom, it headed back to the House of Representatives for another vote. I am thrilled to share with you that Congressman Van Drew changed his position and voted NO. Days before the vote, the NJFPC put out an Action Alert for people to contact his office to express their concern over the lack of religious freedom protections. Thankfully, because there are key Christian men and women who have a close relationship with Congressman Van Drew and his staff, they personally had the opportunity to speak with him before the vote and referenced the action alert we sent. He committed to voting against the bill after that conversation. What was his reasoning for changing his original vote from July.
“While changes in the Senate to add religious protections were well intentioned, it failed to ensure that all religious organizations would be protected from provisions in this bill. The bill creates a specific protected class that failed to include religious charities, foster agencies, and educational facilities, which puts them in danger of litigation. Therefore, I could not support this final version.”
Congressman Jeff Van Drew
State Board of Education
- Eleven members of the State Board of Education are in “hold-over” status, yet in September, Governor Murphy nominated three new board members for the State Board of Education to replace only the three members of the board that are in “hold-over” status that voted AGAINST the age-inappropriate learning standards in 2020. The eight other “hold over” board members that voted FOR these standards are allowed to stay. Therefore, the nomination process is nothing more than a retaliatory executive action to punish the only board members who insisted the concerns of parents be heard, respected, and addressed. This decision is unmistakably a targeted rejection of New Jersey parents by Governor Murphy. Such an outright censure of parental voices must not be rewarded. We immediately contacted specific state senators who must give their “senatorial courtesy” to allow these nominations to move forward. I am pleased to share with you that we have already been told that two of these nominations have been stopped!
- Our team put out another action alert two weeks ago to contact the State Board of Education regarding their proposal to amend a policy that would require schools to separate students by gender identity, not biological sex, for Sex Ed class – if the school has a separation policy. In less than 24 hours, hundreds of people used our advocacy system to express their disagreement. Because of you, our letter was publicly referenced and brought up for discussion by the State Board Members during their online public hearing! That’s right, in less than 24 hours, the State Board of Education was put on notice that they will be held accountable and cannot ignore your voice. We are now gearing up for the public comment portion in the months ahead.
Local Elections
- I am proud to share with you that our Statesman Academy alumni Robert Arace won his run-off election race for mayor for Manchester Township in Ocean County. We endorsed Robert during his campaign and because of your financial support, we were able to target thousands of socially conservative residents who live in that town with mailers highlighting Robert’s commitment to parental rights. The outcome was a victory of less than 400 votes!
- New school board members that we supported during their campaign are now enrolled in the national School Board Academy. This exclusive training is taught by experienced school board members, education attorneys, and policy experts through our national ally Family Policy Alliance.
I hope this message encourages you to remember why the New Jersey Family Policy Center exists, and why your partnership in this effort is essential. Together, we can make New Jersey a state where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and life is cherished – because nothing is impossible for God!
