Florida

For many people today, July 4th is a holiday filled with picnics, friends, and fireworks. But it is also a commemoration of America’s Declaration of Independence. The freedom call was not only against a political and economic system, but it was also a cry for independence from the spiritual tyranny of the Anglican Church.

In 1775, there were 668 congregational churches in America.  Seventy-five percent of all Americans, at that time, belonged to churches of Puritan derivation. The religious makeup was 98.4 percent Protestant, 1.4 percent Roman Catholic, and three-twentieths of one percent Jewish. America was a nation deeply concerned with religious freedom.

Religious freedom today is far from what the original founders intended. What Americans wanted was a government that did not favor one Christian sect over another. The idea was never to erode Christianity through the separation of church and state. John Jay, after the war, described the homogeneity of America in Federalist 2 (*see below).

Competition between the various churches, early Americans thought, was healthy; it kept them from becoming complacent, comfortable and arrogant like the nationally endorsed Anglican Church. In 18th century America, men and women adhered to the Protestant conviction that all men and human institutions were fallible. Americans fought hard for seven years during the Revolutionary War to rid themselves of the shackles of imperial England and her state controlled church.

The men who called the people of America to independence were men committed to their country and the freedom of her people. They paid a great price for our independence and religious freedom: five signers were captured by the British army and tortured; 12 men’s homes were destroyed; two had sons who died during the Revolutionary War; one had two sons taken prisoner by the British; and nine signers of the Declaration died in the war.

This July 4th, let us remember those courageous men who helped to establish a free nation. Let us thank God for religious freedom won and exercise that freedom by reaching our generation with the Gospel. Liberty without religious freedom is bondage.

*Federalist 2

I have taken notice that Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people – a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs, and who … fighting side by side throughout a long and bloody war, have nobly established their general liberty and independence. This country and this people seem to have been made for each other … Similar sentiments have hitherto prevailed among all orders and denominations of men among us. To all general purposes we have uniformly been one people. — John Jay

Blessings to you on this Independence Day, 2018.

Terri Johannessen
State Director
CWA of Florida
[email protected]
fl.cwfa.org

On Wednesday, March 29, Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Florida was honored to join Faith and Freedom Coalition in their 2017 Legislative Prayer Breakfast. State Director Terri Johannessen was given a few minutes to introduce CWA of Florida to the attendees. CWA’s Tallahassee Prayer/Action Chapter Leader, Hae Min Yang, did a great job in getting volunteers from her Chapter to man the CWA table and Communications Coordinator Christi Griner had the honor of picking up the key note speaker, Gov. Mike Huckabee, and his beautiful wife, Janet.

Christi Griner, Gov. Huckabee, Terri johannessen,
Hae Min Yang and CWA member Sue Mossell

The breakfast provided an opportunity to spend time in prayer, and important public policy challenges facing Florida were addressed.

The 200 attendees included members of the Florida House and Senate, two Florida Supreme Court justices and pastors from the surrounding area. Many thanks to Florida Chairman Jim Kallinger of Faith and Freedom for allowing us to be a part of this blessed event.

Sen. Bill Nelson has now met with President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch.  It’s time for Nelson to reject the Democratic Party’s political manipulations and support Gorsuch’s confirmation.

Floridians are tired of the partisan bickering and gridlock in Washington.  And in the case of Gorsuch, it is readily apparent that those pushing for rejection are grasping at straws.

As longtime Progressive Democratic lawyer David Frederick wrote for the Washington Post, there is just “no principled reason” to vote against Gorsuch.  Frederick said he has no doubt that he will disagree with some decisions Gorsuch makes as a Supreme Court Justice, but that is not the basis upon which to oppose a nominee.  He concluded saying, “[M]y hope is to have justices on the bench such as Gorsuch and Garland who approach cases with fairness and intellectual rigor, and who care about precedent and the limits of their roles as judges.”

These are the words of someone who served in the Clinton Justice Department and who serves on the board of the ultra-liberal American Constitution Society.

After Nelson’s meeting with Gorsuch, his spokesman wrote in an email, “The two discussed several topics and Nelson expressed his concerns about the suppression of voting rights and the amount of undisclosed, unlimited money in campaigns.”  The statement is a bit ironic, since a considerable amount of money seems to be driving Gorsuch opposition.  The same coordinated anti-Trump efforts seem to have just shifted to a new target to oppose the president, no matter the nominee’s actual record.

As reported by several news outlets, as soon as Gorsuch’s nomination was made public, there were protesters at the Supreme Court.  Only these protesters were so driven by anti-Trump sentiment, they had signs printed with “Stop” on the top and a blank space where they could write the name of whomever the president nominated.

Those who oppose Gorsuch oppose him for reasons beyond his record.  Some are desperately trying to paint him as outside the mainstream, but they look foolish.  The left-leaning American Bar Association just recently gave Gorsuch its highest rating: unanimous well qualified.

In a recent letter, more than 50 law school classmates spanning the political spectrum expressed their support for Judge Gorsuch.  They wrote:

We are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and independents; progressives, conservatives and moderates; religious and non-observant; married, single and divorced; men and women; straight and gay. … What unites us is that we attended law school with Judge Neil Gorsuch … and we unanimously believe Neil possesses the exemplary character, outstanding intellect, steady temperament, humility and open-mindedness to be an excellent addition to the United States Supreme Court.

In a similar letter, more than 150 of his Columbia classmates expressed their support.  A diverse group ideologically, they stood “united in [their] belief that [Gorsuch] would serve our country with honor and distinction on the Supreme Court.”

All these bi-partisan efforts to support Judge Gorsuch square neatly with the overwhelming bi-partisan support he received when he was nominated for the 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals — the second highest court in the land.

He was unanimously confirmed by a voice vote in 2006, and Floridians would be surprised to see some of the Democrats who supported him. Among them, then-senators Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry, and current senators Chuck Schumer, Ron Wyden, Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy, Patty Murray, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Tom Carper, Debbie Stabenow, Maria Cantwell, Bob Menendez and, believe it or not, our very own Bill Nelson.

Given the overwhelming weight of the evidence, there is just no principled reason for Nelson to oppose Gorsuch.  Let us pray he does the right thing and does not fall prey to the radical special interest groups pressuring him to abandon reason (and his constituents) for the sake of party loyalty.

Dear CWA of Florida Friend,

I am writing to you with optimism as I think about all the possibilities that lie before our great nation and state. The attitudes of our current federal and state government leadership seem to be more favorable than ever to bringing changes in policies that are dear to the heart of Concerned Women for America (CWA), and for which we have prayed and labored for many years.

With respect to our core issues, on Support of Israel, President Trump has been vocal about his plans to strengthen relations with our ally, and his stance on securing our borders is indicative of his philosophy of National Sovereignty. By all accounts, the President’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, is a strict constitutionalist who is believed to be reliable on permitting the U.S. Constitution to answer questions regarding Sanctity of Life and Defense of Family. Plus he has consistently nominated pro-life cabinet members about which we are ecstatic. Closer to home, we have Florida’s Attorney General Pam Bondi to thank for her unwavering commitment to fighting Sexual Exploitation in our state.

Florida’s sixty day legislative session starts tomorrow, March 7. There are many bills that we plan to take a stand on but the one on the front burner right now is titled “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (SB 348, HB 203), this legislation would ban abortions in Florida past twenty weeks. This bill actually passed in the Florida House in 2015, but was defeated by pro-abortion Democrats in the Senate. This year, it is being sponsored by Sen. Greg Steube (R-District 3) and Rep. Joe Gruters (R-District 73). CWA of Florida will be working hard to follow this and other bills that address our areas of interest. Please watch for e-alerts on this specific bill, as well as others, in the days to come. Your prayers and action will be needed.

You may be wondering how you can be a part of this exciting and hopeful time. First, I urge you to stay informed of the progress of key legislation by reading, praying and acting on all our e-alerts. And, forward them on to others to do the same. Also, please consider becoming a Prayer/Action Chapter Leader in your area? I would love to enlarge our statewide network of women mobilized to pray and take action. I will gladly come to you and assist you in getting established. Contact me if you would like to know if there is already a chapter in your area. Whether you start one or attend one, know that it’s a wonderful time with like-minded women who are committed to meet regularly to be educated, pray and take action in their community, state and nation. If you are unable to give of your time just now, perhaps you would be willing to support CWA of Florida with a monetary gift. We are proud to tell you that we are run by all volunteers.  This enables all funds to go straight to the work at hand.

I am pleased to extend an invitation to the Faith and Freedom Coalition Legislative Prayer Breakfast, March 29, in Tallahassee and to announce that Gov. Mike Huckabee will be the keynote speaker. We will also hear from many of our state legislators about their work in the upcoming Session. I will have a few minutes on stage to introduce CWA of Florida and will be manning a CWA table. If you live near the Capital, or have the ability to travel to this wonderful event, please make plans now to attend. Be sure to come by our table. I would love to speak to you personally.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Terri Johannessen
State Director
CWA of Florida
[email protected]
407-697-5929
fl.cwfa.org

State Director’s Opinion piece published in the SunSentinel.

Dear Friend,

This is it. This is what we’ve been fighting for over the last year. We have a Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, who believes the Constitution should be interpreted as written. He is a constitutionalist who rejects the liberal proposition of a “living, breathing document” — this confirmation will help determine the future of our Supreme Court for many years to come.

Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) holds an important vote, and as his constituent, we need you to contact him today and tell him to confirm Judge Gorsuch.

In a recent meeting with President Donald Trump, I, Penny Nance, promised that CWA National and our members would “light up the Senate switchboard” and make certain that his nominee is confirmed.

Together, we fought to ensure the American people had their voice heard in the election to decide who would select the nominee to fill Justice Scalia’s seat. This is the moment we have waited for, and we need your help now more than ever in order to secure the future of the Supreme Court for the next 30 or more years.

Act:

• Call, visit and/or e mail Sen. Nelson today and urge her to confirm Judge Gorsuch. Make sure you tell him you are a member of Concerned Women for America of Florida.
• Check out our Legal Studies page for an overview of Judge Gorsuch’s qualifications and for daily updates. You can also sign our petition here.

Pray: For wisdom for Sen. Nelson and that Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation process will be smooth and swift.

I am grateful for all of your hard work. It has paid off, and now we get to finish what we started nearly a year ago.

Thank you for your prayer and action,

To Florida’s Concerned Women:

As 2016 draws to a close, it is encouraging to look back over what has been accomplished through the efforts of Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Florida. We look forward with expectation to what the Lord has for us in 2017.

The 2016 Florida Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott passed several bills that were victories for Christians and conservatives which included support for Israel, increased human trafficking penalties and the Pastors’ Protection Act. Working in conjunction with like-minded organizations, we were able to mobilize people to pray, call and e-mail their support to our lawmakers at critical junctures in the legislative process. Let us not underestimate the power of our prayers. We thank God for hearing us. Unfortunately, the Abortion Clinic Regulations/Public Funding Prohibition bill, which would have defunded Planned Parenthood, was met with a challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, but the status is uncertain.  Keep this item in your prayers.

In the meantime, The Obama Administration finalized a new pro-abortion rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that may prevent states from blocking Title X funding to abortion companies like Planned Parenthood. Click here to read more.

As you know, Florida was a hot state in the Presidential election. Our state Prayer/Action Chapters were heavily involved in canvassing households and distributing voter guides door-to-door.  With six teams working across the state, we were able to distribute 300,000 voter guides leading up to the November 8 Election. Highlighting issues that CWA has chosen to focus on, the guides compared the stances of the candidates so that voters could readily see which one aligned with their values.

For the first time in twelve years, Republicans will control the Federal executive and legislative branches. With the 2016 elections, there are 33 Republican governors, 37 Republican majority state senates and 31 Republican majority state houses. In Florida, Republicans now control the Governor’s Office, Senate and House. Because history has shown that more often these are the officials who’ve favored the positions of CWA, we are tremendously expectant as we go into 2017.

CWA of Florida Legislative Liaison Cathy Fruit will be monitoring bills of interest to us in Florida’s 2017 Legislative Session, set to begin March 7. We have a busy year ahead as we anticipate the changes President-elect Trump will make as well as our state governor and legislature.  This is no time to sit back. There is momentum building, and now more than ever we need your participation. We need strong Prayer/Action Chapter Leaders in every county. Please consider heading up a Chapter in your area. My Steering Committee and I will do everything we can to get your group started. In addition, please forward this letter to like-minded friends and family and ask them to consider signing up for both national and state e-alerts on our homepage.

We have much to be thankful for this Christmas season, especially for a Lord who cares for our every need. This may not be the time, but when you are able, consider giving to the work of CWA of Florida. Donate your tax-deductible gift online.  It is an organization that does respectable work and carefully stewards its resources.

Merry Christmas! I pray you are blessed in the year ahead and look forward to serving you.

Terri Johannessen
State Director
CWA of Florida
[email protected]
fl.cwfa.org

Dear friend,

As a Christian, voting is not just a right; it is a responsibility.  It is imperative that we engage evangelical Christian conservatives in Florida to get to the polls!

Early voting begins 10 days before the election and ends three days before Election Day (October 29 – November 5). For elections that include state and federal races, election supervisors may choose to offer early voting 15 days before an election. Certain elections can be held entirely by mail.

Act:

• VOTE!
• Forward this reminder on to friends and family and remind them of the importance and weight their vote carries.

Pray:

• Be in prayer for our nation — that Christians would get to the polls and that those whom we elect would honor God through their leadership.

What is on the line in this election? The Supreme Court vacancy, national security, national debt, taxpayer funding to the abortion giant, Planned Parenthood, the Hyde Amendment, religious liberty, and more. Getting registered is crucial to make sure your voice is heard on the issues that are important to you.

That said, let’s make sure we get to the polls and encourage our fellow believers to do the same!

Blessings,

Penny Nance
CEO and President
Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee