California

It was a hot sunny day on June 12 in Sacramento as CWA leaders and members joined some 500 pastors, leaders and concerned citizens from across California at the State Capitol to voice their opposition to AB 2943.

The premise of AB 2943 is that anyone trying to change his or her sexual orientation or gender identity will not be successful and that even attempting to do so is harmful. The testimonies of many individuals at the pre-hearing rally contradict those assumptions. These “once gay” individuals found transformation possible and want others to continue to receive help. The bill will deny them that aid unless counselors offer their services for no fee or donation. This denies not only help to the hurting, but also livelihood to licensed therapists.

Thank you to all the CWA ladies who traveled far and wide to participate in the two rallies, pray, man the CWA table, hand out our CWA of California prayer card to almost all the attendees, testify at the committee hearing, etc. And thank you as well for all who were praying in proxy as well as took action by contacting the committee members.

At the hearing, committee members heard two witnesses from each side and then the floor was opened to individuals to state their name, affiliation (if any) and position. Ruth Smith, Southern Area Director, and Sheri Miller, Executive Advisor, represented CWA of California. They stood in line for almost three hours to be able to state our position. It took an hour for the over 350 in opposition to file up to the microphone. All were cordial, but firm in their resolve that “change is real” and their “faith is not fraud,” as many of their stickers stated.

It was an amazing day of testimonies acknowledging changed lives through the power of Jesus Christ. It was a day of standing for truth and His righteousness. It was a day that showed how believers from around our great state are waking up to the wrongs our government has been committing to the detriment of the people. It was day for many pastors to speak up who had never spoken up before outside their congregation. A line was drawn before God; we will not be silent.

Despite the tremendous opposition, AB 2943 passed by a vote of 54-2. It now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee for a vote on June 25.

Regardless of what our legislators did and will do, we as God’s people, are accountable to do and say the truth. Join with us. Do not be silent on this issue. Our liberties are at stake. If we don’t speak up, who will?

Take Action:

1. Contact the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and ask them to oppose AB 2943. Be sure to let them know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of California.
2. Contact your senator and ask him/her to oppose this dangerous bill, AB 2943. Click here to find out who your senator is and how to contact him/her.  Be sure to let your senator know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of California.

3. Educate your pastor and others on this issue and encourage them to speak out.

Please Pray: Please regularly pray and consider fasting about this issue.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

Marlo Tucker
State Director
CWA of California
[email protected]
ca.cwfa.org

Please join us in prayer in opposition to AB 2943.  Click here for the prayer points we will be praying in unity at the Day of Action on June 13 at the state capitol.

For Freedom – Join Us for a “Day of Action” at the State Capitol!

Concerned Women for America will be gathering with like-minded organizations at the State Capitol to pray and rally to oppose Assembly Bill 2943. Please join us on Tuesday, June 12!

AB 2943 is an infringement on religious freedom and freedom of speech. It makes sexual orientation change therapy illegal for adults seeking to resolve unwanted feelings of sexuality and gender. AB 2943 would ban counselors, experts, authors, and even religious leaders from trying to help. In addition the language is so vague that if passed, AB 2943 could arguably outlaw the Bible in California. The government has no right to impose on Californians’ basic constitutional rights.

Make plans now to join us in Sacramento next week on Tuesday, June 12!

Agenda:
• 9:00 a.m. – Rally – meet at the State Capitol in Sacramento on the West steps. We will hear from multiple individuals who once lived the homosexual lifestyle and were helped by sexual orientation change efforts.
• 11:00 a.m. – Lunch on your own in the Capitol cafeteria or surrounding restaurants.
• 12:00 noon – Rally – meet at the State Capitol in Sacramento on the West steps, stage left, under the large trees. Speakers will include Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, John Jackson, president of William Jessup University and others.
• 1:30 p.m. – Attend the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in room 112. CWA of California, as well as many other organizations and individuals, will publicly voice our opposition to this senseless bill, AB 2943, at the hearing

Please pray for peace and protection. Pray that the words CWA of California will speak at the hearing, as well as the words of others, will change the hearts that need to be changed.

Please take action:
1. Make plans now to attend the June 12 rally.
2. Encourage friends and family in and near Sacramento to pray about these issues and attend the rally.
3. If you haven’t had a change to respond to our last e-alert on this matter, please contact each member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to oppose AB 2943. Be sure to let them know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of California.
4. Let me know you’re coming; email me at [email protected]

“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold” (Psalm 46:7).

Marlo Tucker
State Director
CWA of CA
[email protected]

Please consider partnering with CWA of California. Donations will support our efforts as we represent your voice, your concerns, your views in Washington, D.C., in California, and even in your local government. You may donate online or please consider sending a check, making it payable to: “Concerned Women for America”. Write “CWA of CA” on the memo line and mail it to:

CWA of California
P.O. Box 1323
Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Last night I attended one of Franklin Graham’s Decision America Tour stops.  It was so amazing that I cannot help but to encourage you to attend a tour stop closest to you. Thousands of people came out to kick-off the tour in Escondido. The message was strong, calling us to pray for America and especially legislation in California.

“The most critical thing you can do is pray, pray, pray. The intercession of God’s people is crucial if we are to see a return to the Biblical faith of our fathers, the faith that has guided and sustained our country for so long.” – Franklin Graham

Do everything you can to attend the stop closest to you. All events begin a 7:30 p.m.

Pasadena
May 21
Rose Bowl Lawn

Oxnard
May 23
Beach Park

Bakersfield
May 25
Spectrum Amphitheatre

Fresno
May 28
Fresno Fairgrounds

Modesto
May 29
Stanislaus County Fairgrounds – Turlock

Santa Clara
May 31
California’s Great America Redwood Amphitheatre

Berkeley
June 1
Cesar Chavez Park

Chico
June 3
Silver Dollar Fairgrounds

Redding
June 5
Shasta District Fairgrounds – Anderson 

The Decision America Tour was born in 2016 when Franklin Graham visited all 50 states, challenging Christians to lead lives rooted in Biblical principles and to pray earnestly for America. More than 230,000 people joined him as he traveled across the country. Last year, he continued the tour by going back to Tennessee and Texas, drawing more than 70,000 people to outdoor venues in 11 cities. After this year’s stops in California, Washington, and Oregon, Franklin plans to keep the momentum going next year with tour stops in the northeastern U.S. Click here for more information. 

Our mission at Concerned Women for America of California is to educate, equip, and encourage all concerned citizens to be prayerfully and actively involved in protecting and promoting Biblical values in our nation, state, and communities.  Let us rise up and give God the glory.  Pray for our nation.  Pray for California.  Pray that hearts will turn to the Lord and bring Biblical principles back into the laws of our land. 

“With God, all things are possible” (Mark 10:27b). 

Marlo Tucker
State Director
CWA of California
[email protected]
ca.cwfa.org

June 5, 2018, is California’s primary election, when your voice is heard. Your vote will make a difference with who is elected to make, or interpret laws for our state. Your vote is your voice!

In 2014 4 million Californians voted for and elected Gov. Jerry Brown. There are 15.8 million proclaimed Christians in California. Imagine the resounding voice of millions making a difference in this year’s primary election.

Years ago, Mrs Beverly LaHaye, CWA Founder, authored a publication, What’s Your Vote Worth. Her words are true today: “We must have people in elected office who honor the proper role of government, respect sanctity of life and marriage, and have the character to do what is right”.

The judicial races are non-partisan, so we must pay attention to the judges we elect. A good judge will show restraint, letting the legislators write and pass the laws. We must elect judges who uphold the constitution, not see it as a “living breathing” document. A good judge will interpret the law, not make laws.

Your vote could be the one that makes a difference for future generations to be free to live out our faith and order our society according to the laws of Nature’s God (as stated in the Declaration of Independence).

Thank God we live in a country in which we choose our leaders.

PRAY: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

TAKE ACTION:

• Register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov
• Find your polling location or vote by mail at ca.gov/elections/where-and-how/
• Mark your calendar – VOTE on June 5!

“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2)

Marlo Tucker
State Director
CWA of California
[email protected]
ca.cwfa.org

Understandably, Concerned Women for America (CWA) of California is opposed to AB 2943, which prohibits free speech, a serious First Amendment infringement, on matters pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity.

AB 2943 also violates First Amendment religious freedoms by targeting traditional/conservative beliefs. Biblical principles would be considered fraudulent and illegal. The implications may extend beyond patient/therapist relationships and into pastoral counseling, book sales, events involving the topics of sexual orientation and gender identity and more. It could possibly force Christian counselors out of business and prevent individuals from seeking desired help.

All Californians must be free to live, to counsel and seek counsel, to write and to read books, according to their faith without fear of government intervention or penalty.

AB 2943 will make it illegal for professionals or anyone accepting funds (including church counselors) to offer insights to individuals seeking counsel for unwanted attractions. This bill is intended to stifle any speech, even when solicited, that may be perceived as influential with regard to sexual orientation change efforts.

In my official letter of opposition to the state legislators, as State Director, I stated, “The cornerstone of a patient/therapist relationship has always been that the patient sets the goals of the therapy. The patient approaches the relationship with a desire to change something they have selected.”

If AB 2943 passes, the patient will no longer be able to go to a therapist and work through reaching a goal of being heterosexual. The state government is on shaky ground when they tell individuals that “they cannot accomplish what they want to do.”

This piece of legislation goes far beyond the government’s role and completely outside the guarantees afforded our citizens by the Constitution.

Californians must be free to choose!  AB 2943 substitutes the government for the freedom of personal choice.

Status: AB 2943 was passed in the California State Assembly on April 19 and is now in the Senate.  It is in both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. A hearing date has not been set in either committee as of yet.

Take Action:

1. Contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to oppose AB 2943. Be sure to let them know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of California.
2. Contact the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and ask them to oppose AB 2943. Be sure to let them know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of California.
3. Contact your senator and ask him/her to oppose this dangerous bill, AB 2943. Click here to find out who your senator is and how to contact him/her.  Be sure to let your senator know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of California.

Please pray for California senators, that their eyes are open to the severity of this bill. May their hearts be changed to vote “NO” on AB 2439.

“The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
(Psalm 9:9)

Marlo Tucker
State Director
CWA of California
[email protected]
ca.cwfa.org

Calling all CWA of California members and friends, the parents of the Oceanside Unified District are asking for our help.  Let us not turn away in their time of need.

CWA of California is joining with Concerned Parents in Oceanside to tell the Oceanside Unified District School Board to repeal and replace the current harmful sex ed curriculum being taught and replace it with one that is age-appropriate, medically accurate, and reflects community values.

The current sex education curriculum:

• Encourages early sexual curiosity and sexual experimentation in children who are not developmentally ready. Beginning in Kindergarten, vivid scenarios, graphic vocabulary, and controversial concepts are introduced that otherwise would not have been discussed in most families at that age.
• Directs children to internet websites containing graphic sexual content and cartoon pornography accessed during school hours, on school computers, without parental supervision, that school safety filters would otherwise block, and encourages students to explore these websites at home.
• And more!

Click here for more information.

Please take action today or soon after! It has just come to our attention that the Oceanside Unified District School Board is meeting tonight, May 8.  It would be great if the Concerned Parents of Oceanside could tell the school board that they have now gone over 1,000 signatures on their petition.  As I write this the number just went over 850.  Now if you are unable to sign the petition until after tonight, that’s fine, they still need the signatures!

• Whether you are an Oceanside resident or not, please click here to sign the petition now. It will show that they are being watched by even those outside of Oceanside.

Let us pray for the Oceanside Unified District School Board.  May they hear the unified voice of parents, see the error of their ways, and have the courage to make the change needed.

For our kids!

Marlo Tucker
State Director
CWA of California
[email protected]
ca.cwfa.org

Dear Friend,

Understandably, CWA of California is opposed to AB 2943, which prohibits free speech, a serious First Amendment infringement, on matters pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Call your assembly member and ask him/her to oppose this dangerous bill. There is very little time. The floor vote could be as early as today! Click here to check its status.

AB 2943 will make it illegal for professionals or anyone accepting funds (including church counselors) to offer insights to individuals seeking counsel for unwanted attractions. This bill is intended to stifle any speech, even when solicited, that may be perceived as influential with regard to sexual orientation change efforts. In my official letter of opposition to the state legislators, as the State Director, I stated, “The cornerstone of a patient/therapist relationship has always been that the patient sets the goals of the therapy.  The patient approaches the relationship with a desire to change something they have selected.  If AB 2943 passes, the patient will no longer be able to go to a therapist and work through reaching a goal of being heterosexual. The state government is on shaky ground when they tell individuals that they cannot accomplish what they want to do.”

The bill’s language violates first amendment religious freedoms by targeting traditional/conservative ideologies. Fundamental Biblical principals would be considered fraudulent and illegal. The implications may extend beyond patient/therapist relationships and into pastoral counseling, book sales, events involving the topics of sexual orientation and gender identity and more. At the least, this will put Christian counselors out of business and block individuals from seeking desired help.

This piece of legislation goes far beyond the government’s role and completely outside the guarantees afforded our citizens by the Constitution.

Take Action: Please call today and urge your assembly member to oppose AB 2943. Be sure to let him/her know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of California. Click here to find out who your assembly member is and how to contact him/her.

Please pray for the assembly member’s eyes to be open to the severity of this bill.  May their hearts be changed to vote “NO” on AB 2439.

“The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” – Psalm 9:9

Marlo Tucker
State Director
CWA of California
[email protected]
ca.cwfa.org