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covid-19 Archives – Concerned Women for America

Apr 25 2023
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Another Reason for the COVID-19 Closure Craze

By | LBB, News and Events | No Comments

Sadly, the COVID-19 period of American history will be studied for generations. Significant politicization of the issue and how it was used to advance personal ambitions in egregious ways is a much-discussed topic, especially on Capitol Hill. A recent exchange between Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and former Director of National Intelligence of the United States John Ratcliffe is jarring.

 

At the beginning of the pandemic, all the experts knew the virus was born in a lab. Ratcliffe, as the Director of National Intelligence, knew that. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo knew it came from a lab. The top public health official, Dr. Robert R. Redfield, a virologist, testified he thought it came from a lab. Yet, somehow, Dr. Anthony Fauci and others were allowed to paint that as a “conspiracy theory,” arguing instead that it was clearly of “natural origins.”

 

Former DNI Ratcliffe: “The best evidence of that is their conversations, which say that they didn’t want unwanted attention to the relationships that were taking place between Western virologists and those working within the Wuhan Institute of Virology and funding sources for some of that research.”

 

Rep. Jordan: “Yeah, our money to a lab in China that wasn’t up to code that was doing gain-of-function research, and that’s where this thing came from.”

 

The whole thing is maddening. There was the social distancing, the wiping off groceries when you got home from the store. There was the use of masks and the tightening of hospital and even funeral visits. There was, of course, the COVID shot and all the controversies surrounding that. Also, the massive lockdowns that were so harmful, especially to our children, in terms of unnecessary school closures that have dramatically impacted their lives and learning skills.

 

The question is not, why did the government push all this — others are focusing on that. Instead, why did we allow it? Why would Americans go along with the farce and the drastic upending of our lives in the face of evidence strongly suggesting it was unnecessary?

 

Fear is a significant contributor — fear and manipulation. We didn’t know how harmful this virus was. They told us we would all die, so the majority, understandably, believed “the experts.” The media also despicably manipulated us with our loved ones. You get the shot “for your loved ones, to protect them,” they told us. That message was powerful for millions with elderly parents and other family members.

 

But there is another aspect – the “pause,” the break from commerce and work. We wanted it. In many ways, we desperately needed it. America has made an idol of business. The pressure of working to get ahead and not let others pass you by is immense, and millions are tired. This, too, made us susceptible to allowing others to “force” us into it…

 

Click here to read the rest of this op-ed as featured in American Thinker.

Jan 13 2022
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Sensible Supreme Court Opinion Halts Vaccine Mandate

By | Briefs, Case Vault, Gorsuch, LBB, Legal, News and Events | No Comments

In a “per curiam” opinion, meaning a decision authored by the entire Court, instead of a single justice, the United States Supreme Court granted a stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine mandate for employers with 100 or more workers. The rule, therefore, will not go into effect until the case goes through the entire appellate process.

But the Court’s division can be further assessed by the fact that the three more liberal justices—Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan— dissented from the opinion, and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito joined a very strong concurring opinion by Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The Court’s sensible approach to the issue simply noted that OSHA’s “emergency standard,” which it used here and which circumvents the usual public notice and comment accountability processes, should be used with precision and caution. Instead, the Court notes that the OSHA rule which applies to 84 million workers “requires workers receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and it pre-empts contrary state laws,” works as “a blunt instrument.” It found the exemptions presented (for employees who work outside 100 percent of the time or who work exclusively outdoors, for example) were “largely illusory.” The rule “draws no distinctions based on industry or risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

The Court found those objecting to the rule were “likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that [OSHA] lack[s] authority to impose the mandate.”

In doing so, the Supreme Court returns power to the states and the people, where it belongs, because the vaccine mandate goes way beyond establishing a simple workplace standard, as the agency is charged to enact, and into establishing nationwide public health policy. Remember, OSHA has never in its history done anything like this.

And here is where Justice Gorsuch’s concurrence is extremely helpful because it acknowledges what most Americans understand. This administrative mandate is trying to accomplish what President Joe Biden could not get done through the people’s representatives. He is trying to enact something Congress up until now has rejected.

If the people want a vaccine mandate, they could easily demand it from Congress. The reality is most people do not. In fact, the President’s approval numbers have been steadily declining. The latest numbers show him at an all-time low of 33 percent.  Fifty-five percent disapprove of his handling of the pandemic.

That is why President Biden had to work through OSHA to establish this national vaccine mandate. He lacks the necessary support to do it otherwise.

Justice Gorsuch wrote:

The central question we face today is: Who decides? No one doubts that the COVID–19 pandemic has posed challenges for every American. Or that our state, local, and national governments all have roles to play in combating the disease. The only question is whether an administrative agency in Washington, one charged with overseeing workplace safety, may mandate the vaccination or regular testing of 84 million people. Or whether, as 27 States before us submit, that work belongs to state and local governments across the country and the people’s elected representatives in Congress.

That power belongs to the people, said the Supreme Court today—to those most immediately accountable to them. The concurrence noticed that “a majority of the Senate even voted to disapprove OSHA’s regulation.” Therefore, it seemed reasonable to conclude “the agency pursued its regulatory initiative only as a legislative ‘work-around.’”

With this decision, the Court re-affirms what it has said in the past, that major questions of doctrine with broad effects on the public are left to the people’s elected representatives, and that they must make it very clear when they are giving such broad power to an agency. The concurrence said this rule, known as the “major questions doctrine”:

[E]nsures that the national government’s power to make the laws that govern us remains where Article I of the Constitution says it belongs—with the people’s elected representatives. If administrative agencies seek to regulate the daily lives and liberties of millions of Americans, the doctrine says, they must at least be able to trace that power to a clear grant of authority from Congress.

And even then, the concurrence suspects that such an intrusive mandate brought through the backdoor of an administrative agency might run afoul of the “nondelegation doctrine,” which “ensures democratic accountability by preventing Congress from intentionally delegating its legislative powers to unelected officials.”

Justice Gorsuch concludes:

On the one hand, OSHA claims the power to issue a nationwide mandate on a major question but cannot trace its authority to do so to any clear congressional mandate. On the other hand, if the statutory subsection the agency cites really did endow OSHA with the power it asserts, that law would likely constitute an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority.

Whatever your view of the COVID vaccine in general, it should be encouraging to all to see the Court protecting the Constitutional structures that guard our liberties in this way. As Justice Gorsuch put it, “The question before us is not how to respond to the pandemic, but who holds the power to do so.”

The rule will be halted for now, but the case will continue. As we await further proceedings let us pray for a wiser, more honest, and unifying approach to fighting the pandemic going forward.

Jun 04 2021
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#FireFauci

By | CEO, News and Events | No Comments

CEO and President Penny Nance responds to the Fauci email scandal, calling out Big Tech for their role in shutting down the First Amendment in America amid a national crisis.  Penny also discusses the Biden Administration’s response, or lack thereof, to the growing spike in cyberattacks and the effects they may have on American families. You can watch her full interview here (Penny begins at 7:14).

Mar 08 2021
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Baby in womb

Action Needed! Hyde Amendment at Stake

By | Hyde Amendment, Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

If you oppose the federal government using taxes from workers’ paychecks to fund the destruction of babies in the womb through abortion, call your member of Congress at 202-225-3121 and urge them to vote NO. Read why below.

Senate Democrats Repeal Hyde Amendment in Massive New Spending Cloaked as “COVID Relief”  

As part of the massive, partisan $1.9 trillion coronavirus spending bill passed on Saturday, every Senate Democrat voted to scrap over 40 years of bipartisan consensus to prevent the federal government from using your tax dollars from paying for the brutal destruction of babies through abortion. This is unconscionable. Any American who knows babies in the womb deserves the chance to live needs to stand against this atrocity.

A strong majority of Americans, including many who identify as “pro-choice,” support the Hyde Amendment (for domestic programs) and the Helms Amendment (for international programs), which prohibit federal tax dollars from American workers’ paychecks being used to kill innocent pre-born children at home and abroad.

President Joe Biden and his radical Democrat party are promoting a culture of death in this reckless, excessive federal bail-out bill. Under the guise of an “American Rescue Plan,” they are abandoning protection for the most vulnerable and voiceless lives in America:  babies in the womb.

Democrat Senators Joe Manchin (West Virginia), Bob Casey (Pennsylvania), and Tim Kaine (Virginia) voted for an amendment to restore the Hyde Amendment protections to prevent any of the $1.9 trillion from paying for abortion on demand. The amendment failed to reach the sixty votes needed for passage. These same members then voted for passage of the final bill, willing to allow billions of dollars in new Obamacare funding to pay for an abortion for any reason. Sens. Manchin, Casey, and Kaine care more about $1,400 checks in the mail than the billions of dollars that can now be spent to destroy innocent pre-born babies. Shame on them and the entire Democrat party.

The so-called “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” now goes back to the House for a vote. If you oppose the federal government using taxes from workers’ paychecks to fund the destruction of babies in the womb through abortion, call your member of Congress at 202-225-3121 and urge them to vote NO.

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Mar 03 2021
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State Director Testifies on Two Education Bills

By | Maine | No Comments

COVID-19 restrictions are wreaking havoc on our students’ education opportunities. Concerned Women for America of Maine State Director Penny Morrell testified in support of two important education bills pertaining to the coronavirus.

L.D. 70:  a bill that would allow a parent or guardian of a student who has been affected by COVID-19 to keep their student in the student’s current grade level.  Read Penny’s testimony.

LD 430: a bill to provide for school choice and online learning opportunities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read Penny’s testimony.

 

Feb 05 2021
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All Night Vote-A-Rama to Push Massive New COVID Spending

By | Defense of Family, Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

This week, President Joe Biden shirked off a request from several moderate Republican Senators to work on a bipartisan coronavirus relief bill. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats led by Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders laid the path for a budget resolution establishing a framework for massive new federal taxpayer spending for coronavirus relief that subverts the 60-vote requirement of the legislative filibuster. Their tactic guaranteed passage on a party-line vote after an all-night amendment marathon and Vice President Harris showing up to break the 50-50 tie.

This first partisan showdown by President Biden and his new Senate majority was proof enough that any talk of unifying Washington D.C. policymakers is nothing more than lip service. It previewed the coming battle over whether the filibuster will stand and the issues that will define the differences between the two parties and their priorities.

The process was not without a tactical opportunity for Republicans to file hundreds of amendments for floor consideration (over 800 in all were filed) and secure several votes on key issues during the 50 hours of debate. In a letter to Senators, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) signaled our intent to score relevant amendments related to our seven core issues. Of the forty-five amendments that received votes, CWALAC identified six votes that will be included on our scorecard, which have put Senators on record for the next election on some key issues.

Two of the six amendments passed to become part of the budget resolution.  The others failed:

Protecting Life:  Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) offered a Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act amendment to create criminal and civil penalties for medical providers who fail to exercise the same degree of care for babies who survive an abortion or attempted abortion as would be provided to another child born at the same gestational age. The vote failed 52-48 (all Republicans plus Democrat Sens. Joe Manchin [West Virginia] and Bob Casey [Pennsylvania] voted yes). Sixty votes were required under the Budget Act due to a lack of germaneness as a non-budget measure.

Supreme Court Packing:  Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) offered an amendment to prevent attempts to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices beyond nine. The amendment put Senators on record on the issue of court-packing. On a failed 50-50 vote, every Senate Democrat opposed the amendment indicating that every one of them would support adding justices to the Supreme Court in an attempt to overrule the current 6-3 conservative majority.

Religious Freedom:  Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) offered an amendment to prohibit infringing the free exercise of religion in employment, commerce, social services, faith and community partnerships, or access to housing, healthcare, or education. With 60-votes needed, the amendment failed 50-50 with Sen. Manchin voting yes and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voting no across party lines.  In his remarks, Sen. Lee cited the targeting of Little Sisters of Poor because of their religious beliefs as a reason why this protection is needed.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) offered an amendment to limit COVID-19 relief payments to states or localities that impose greater limits on the content of speech or restrictions on religious exercise, houses of worship, and faith-based organizations under the pandemic. This measure passed 51-49 with Sen. Manchin crossing the aisle.

Reopening schools: Senators Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) offered an amendment that would withhold additional coronavirus funds to schools that do not reopen for in-person learning after teachers have received a COVID-19 vaccine. The amendment failed on a party-line vote.

U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem: Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) offered an amendment which shows the Biden Administration that any attempt to undo President Trump’s historic move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 would not have Senate support. Their amendment requires the United States to maintain its Israel embassy in Jerusalem and passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 97-3.

With final passage of the budget measure after an all-night vote-a-rama, Democrats will now be able to write a partisan reconciliation bill that can bypass the filibuster in the Senate. Eleven Senate committees are now instructed to report legislation for the $1.9 trillion coronavirus spending package demanded by President Biden by February 16. One month after losing two seats in the Georgia runoff election,  Senate Republicans must exercise every muscle as the minority party to hold the line against the radical political priorities of the left.

By: Doreen Denny, Vice President of Government Relations

Dec 31 2020
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education students

Trump Orders Emergency Learning Scholarships

By | Education, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

As 2020 Ends and Schools Stay Closed, President Trump Orders Emergency Learning Scholarships to Offer Hope in the New Year  

COVID-19 caused many public schools to stay closed for most of 2020, creating mounting hardships for American students and their ability to continue learning effectively, especially those in difficult circumstances. Building on his past actions to help support students, President Trump closed out the year by signing an Executive Order “to ensure the education, health, safety, and well-being of America’s children, our most essential resource upon which the future of our great Nation depends.”

Under the Executive Order on Expanding Educational Opportunity Through School Choice, President Trump is seeking to protect American students who need in-person learning options from prolonged school closures. Despite providing $13 billion in federal support for K-12 schools to safely resume in-person learning earlier this year, more than half of all public-school students began school remotely this fall. The lack of in-person learning is showing the greatest harm among low-income students and students with disabilities.

As noted in the President’s order, research and surveys conducted through the pandemic have revealed many sobering results:

  • Students’ math progress in low-income neighborhoods decreased by nearly 50 percent, and those from middle-income neighborhoods fell by almost a third.
  • Eighty percent of children with special needs are not receiving the services and supports to which they are entitled, and approximately 40 percent of children with special needs are receiving no services or supports.
  • Educators found student absences, including from virtual learning, have nearly doubled during the pandemic.

Analysts are projecting now that if in-person learning does not resume fully in the new year, low-income students will lose over a year of learning.

To help mitigate this harm, President Trump wants to provide “emergency learning scholarships,” offering direct support to disadvantaged families with K-12 students. Under the order, the President instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to act consistently with law to allow funds available through the Community Services Block Grant program to be used for emergency learning scholarships for any eligible child lacking access to in-person schooling. As outlined, these scholarships may be used for: tuition and fees for a private or parochial school; homeschool, micro-school, or learning-pod costs; special education and related services, including therapies; or tutoring or remedial education.

The President declares, “I am committed to ensuring that all children of our great Nation have access to the educational resources they need to obtain a high-quality education and to improving students’ safety and well-being, including by empowering families with emergency learning scholarships.”

With teachers’ unions standing in the way of expanding parental choice and educational options for students, we hope the President’s closing act of 2020 will be the ticket to freedom many families have been hoping for in the new year.

Sep 02 2020
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Letters to the Church – Number Two

By | LBB, Legal, News and Events, Religious Liberty | No Comments

Dear Church,

As you well know, humanity has a sin problem. We all do. This is the nature and essence of all the issues we face as a Church and as a country. Anyone talking about racism and justice must begin there. Be wary of those, whether inside or outside the Church, purporting to be fighting for “justice” while disregarding and even advocating sin.

It is impossible to address these problems efficiently while brushing aside the eternal principles of nature, as given to us by the Creator. We would be missing the problem entirely, and in fact, aggravating it further.

This is not just within the confines of the Church. We are talking about reality here. Social change must be sought in this manner. It is the way Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished so much in such a short life. Remember his Letter from a Birmingham Jail? In it, Rev. King explained how we could determine whether a law is just or unjust. He wrote:

“A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.”

Justice demands a standard. And aside from God’s standard, there are only personal preferences— human preferences, to be precise. The same humanity plagued with the sin problem.

That is why so many today are committing such heinous, unjust acts of racial violence against their neighbors. They are committing such actions because they believe similar acts were committed against them or their communities. They are acting according to their evil nature and imposing their sinful preferences over another’s. Sin for sin – an atrocious exchange.

Warning: Graphic Content

Unjust, racist violence is wrong no matter who the victims and the perpetrators are; you can swap them around, and the same crime would persist. As Christians, we must fight against it in all cases.

We, as the Church of Jesus Christ, simply cannot support those whose whole strategy is to commit sinful acts against another in the name of “justice.” We do not repay evil with evil (1 Peter 3:9). We are not frustrated when some are “getting away” with this or that. This is not what we believe.

No one gets away with anything. We trust in the Lord Almighty (Romans 12:19), so we do not lose hope and fall into despair as the unbeliever does. And we reject the worldly, devilish dichotomy by the scornful telling us that not to join them in their wicked ways is to allow injustice to flourish.

No. There is a better way.  The way. It was the way of Dr. King and most abolitionists throughout history. They fought injustice, even as they remember the admonitions of Proverbs 3:29, “Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.” There were plenty of instigators among their ranks, too, with promises of quicker resolutions. Evildoers claim victory at every chance they get.

Do not fall for their lies. Continue to heed the Proverbs (3:31, 32), “Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.”

Standing in the confidence of God, we can speak truth that is more powerful than an entire army. We extend the hands of grace and help, empathy, and longsuffering that bring healing and reconciliation. We stand up to tyrants and, yes, perhaps even give our lives for freedom.

It is “[f]or freedom Christ has set us free,” and we, therefore, “stand firm … and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” That was our previous life. We were slaves to sin. But now, we do not walk in our former ways. We do not join the sinful mob for whatever reason. We walk in the light.

We will fight injustice. You can rest assured of that. We will just not fight it the world’s way (Romans 12:21).

May the God of all hope and peace fill you with the courage and love you need for this moment, that the power of the Holy Spirit may shine in your community now as never before.

In Christ,
M

—
Letter: one, two.


Aug 17 2020
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Private Enterprise Can Get Us Through the Pandemic

By | CEO, National Sovereignty, News and Events | No Comments

Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, Penny Nance wrote a recent op-ed for CNSNews on private enterprise and the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a quote from the article: “Conservatives know that socialist policies never make sense and are the last thing we need in our health care and pharmaceutical industries in these difficult times. Their free-market instinct has been proven right. The lesson of the last four months is clearly that the private sector is the solution. Let’s not forget it.”

Read the entire op-ed.

May 20 2020
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Speak Out Concerning Gov. Pritzker’s Unconstitutional Overreach

By | Illinois | No Comments

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency rule extends Illinois’ shutdown
150 days and criminalizes non-compliant Illinois citizens.

Gov.  J.B. Pritzker filed an emergency rule late Friday, May 15, that if approved will punish businesses that open to customers despite Illinois’ illegal lock-down orders. Presently under the Illinois Constitution, the governor only has the authority to lock down the state for thirty days. The state has been under lockdown for more than two months.

The proposed amendment to the emergency rule will:

  • Extend the governor’s authority from 30 to 150 days.
  • Fine designated nonessential businesses that open for business with a Class A misdemeanor (fine between $75 – $2,500).
  • Force local boards and authorities to enforce the rules and regulations. “All local boards of health, health authorities and officers, police officers, sheriffs and all other officers and employees of the state or any locality shall enforce the rules and regulations so adopted and orders issued by the Department pursuant to this Section.”

Media Coverage

  • According to WTTW reporter Amanda Vinich’s online report, “Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said in a statement Sunday: ‘These rules are a legal overreach and beyond the scope of the Governor’s authority. It will be a dark day in Illinois when we charge small businesses with a jailable crime for salvaging their livelihoods.’”
  • Read the Edgar County Illinois Leaks coverage of Gov. Pritzker’s emergency rule here.

CWA of Illinois is calling on the state lawmakers sitting on the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) to vote to reject the governor’s unilateral power grab. Without public outcry, this order could be rubber-stamped any day.

Take Action

Call the members of the JCAR today. Ask them to oppose this overreach by Gov. Pritzker by voting no on the emergency rules.

  • Co-Chairman Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-District18): (217) 782-5145
  • Co-Chairman Keith Wheeler (R-District 50): (217) 782-1486
  • Sen. John Curran (R-District 41): (217) 782-9407
  • Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-District 4): (217) 782-8505
  • Sen. Tony Munoz (D-District 1): (217) 782-9415
  • Sen. Sue Rezin (R-District 38): (217) 782-3840
  • Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-District58): (217) 782-8137
  • Rep. Tom Demmer (R-District 90): (217) 782-0535
  • Rep. Mike Halpin (D-District 72): (217) 782-5970
  • Rep. Frances Ann Hurley (D-District 35)
  • Rep. Steven Reick (R-District 63): (217) 782-1717
  • Rep. Andre Thapedi (D-District 32): (217) 782-1702

Prayer Points

  • Financial restoration for non-essential businesses, churches, organizations, etc. lost from the COVID-19 shutdown.
  • An abrupt halt of COVID-19 in our nation.
  • Comfort for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 and protection for those fighting against this invisible enemy.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” Psalm 91:1-2.

Debbie Leininger
State Director

May 12 2020
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Prayer

A Few Simple Things You Can Do

By | Maine | No Comments

So much is happening around us that can cause people to wonder “what in the world is going on?” We are watching friends and fellow Mainers lose their livelihoods out of no fault of their own; we know people who have contracted the coronavirus, and there appears to be an all-out assault on our civil liberties, especially our religious liberties.

 

Few can argue the fact that leading up to COVID-19, there was an increasing apathy toward the things that matter to God. Our state and nation have traded the goodness of God for what the world has to offer. And we have become less concerned about telling others about Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but recent events have stirred in me an even deeper commitment to want to make a difference in my country. And more importantly, I want others to experience the peace that only Jesus Christ can offer. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is not willing that any should perish.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) is rooted in prayer. We believe the Bible is our standard for living and that a country and its people will only thrive when the foundation is built on His truths. So even in these uncertain times there are ways to engage, and I wanted to offer several ways you can take action and pray.

Take Action:

  • Ask the Lord to show you a person(s) who needs prayer and then be sure to pray for them.
  • Ask the Lord to guide you to a person with whom you can share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The simplest way to do it is just to share what Jesus means to you and what He has done in your life. Use these verses to guide your conversation: John 3:16 and Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9-10, and 10:13.
  • Send this message to family and friends.

Please Pray: Dear Father, we are struggling worldwide because of this pandemic.  It is a perfect opportunity to share the Gospel as people share their own personal struggles.  Please show each reader of this message at least one person with whom to share Your truth.  As You do this, it will be confirmation that You want it done.  May You have the glory.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen

“This world is not our home; we are just a passing through.”  Everything we do for God will last for eternity.  May you be blessed by knowing God used You to enlarge His Kingdom.

 

Maranatha! 

Penny Morrell
State Director

May 05 2020
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From Penny Nance on #GivingTuesdayNow!

By | Blog, CEO, News and Events | No Comments

Would any of us back in February have believed how our world would change? There is hardly anyone who has not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  I know that we here at CWA have certainly felt the pressure. 

Today is #GivingTuesdayNow. CWA asks for your help to continue standing for Biblical values and constitutional principles through this time of uncertainty in our country. 

Would you please consider using this opportunity to join in the fight to stand for the sanctity of life, defense of family, religious freedom, education, support for Israel, national sovereignty, and against sexual exploitation?

Send your #GivingTuesdayNow donation to Concerned Women for America now.

What we will do with your gift:

Help support our Prayer/Action Chapters in almost every state, where our members pray, educate themselves and others, and act to protect those Biblical principles we believe are the foundation of freedom.

Help us create a conservative movement by growing our Young Women for America chapters on college campuses around the country. Concerned Women for America’s Young Women for America initiative focuses on prayer, education, and action through the leadership of our Campus Chapter Leaders and Campus Representatives.

Help us provide CWA and YWA volunteers with all the training and educational tools they need to make your voice heard in every state and at the federal level.

Thank you so much for participating with us in #GivingTuesdayNow.


Penny Young Nance
CEO and President
Concerned Women for America

Apr 30 2020
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Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ Call for a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting & Prayer

By | Blog, Covid-19, News and Events | No Comments

[Editor’s note: on April 30, 2020, as we finished our 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting in the Midst of Covid-19, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington) sent out this inspiring prayer call that we knew you must see. It is a powerful reminder of who we are as Americans. Enjoy!]

(Just this week, I came across two prayers from April 30, 1863 and April 30, 1974 – see below. These prayers are as powerful and relevant to our current situation as they were many years ago.)

On April 30, 1863, during the very depths of the Civil War, three months after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and three months before the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln proclaimed a Proclamation for Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer:

“Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord . . .

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. Amen.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Senate Joint Resolution 183, proclaimed April 30, 1974 as a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer.

“Whereas, we have made such an idol out of our pursuit of ‘national security’ that we have forgotten that only God can by the ultimate guardian of our true livelihood and safety; and

Whereas, we have failed to respond, personally and collectively, with sacrifice and uncompromised commitment to the unmet needs of our fellow man, both at home and abroad; as a people, we have become so absorbed with the selfish pursuits of pleasure and profit that we have blinded ourselves to God’s standard of justice and righteousness for this society; and

Whereas, it therefore behooves us to humble ourselves before Almighty God, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness: Now, therefore be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, that the Congress hereby proclaims that April 30, 1974, be a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer; and calls upon the people of our nation to humble ourselves as we see fit, before our Creator to acknowledge our final dependence upon Him and to repent of our national sins.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

On March 23, 2020 Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau called on the public to fast. In his letter, he wrote that difficult days are affecting all of Israel and the entire world . . . it is on us to do some soul-searching. He called for everyone to better their ways concerning commandments which determine behavior between each person and their fellow and concerning commandments between man and God. He encouraged prayers for FORGIVENESS.

Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu posted: “In our days, man thinks he is God, that he is the master and can decide what is good and bad, something which is called moral relativism or postmodernism. If this is the case, that mankind is proud, mankind knows everything, understands everything, let him fight the smallest of God’s creations. This creation is called corona, a crown,” he continued.

Coronavirus is so named because of the crown-like arrangement of proteins on the virus when viewed under a microscope. “In man’s heart he must restore the crown to God.” he concluded.

“If my people who are called by my name
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
I, the Lord God, will hear from heaven and will
forgive their sins and heal their land.”
II Chronicles 7:14

If my people who are called by my name — if we as Christians humble ourselves and pray and seek forgiveness from a living, loving God then God will heal our land – may it begin with me. Don’t harden our hearts – may we in humility confess our sins. We live in a time filled with moral confusion, spiritual chaos, and political divisions — Lord God, heal our bodies, our minds, and our souls. May God reveal His ways in this new day and may we embrace God’s wisdom and move with Him in obedience to His Word.

On May 24, 2017, Becky Tirabassi as guest chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives prayed:

“Father, I pray for the immediate outpouring of Your Holy Spirit on our Nation and leaders.
I pray that not one of us will miss hearing Your voice today.
I pray that we would not neglect to ask for Your wisdom.
I pray that we would not make decisions without asking Your guidance.
Will You go before and behind us?
Will You give us our marching orders?
In this hour of our great need, begin again to help us, as You have in years gone by.
Father, You are the God who does immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.
Today, give us the humility to ask for Your help, and the grand moral courage to be agents of change for the good of others and the honor of Your name.
In Your powerful name we ask these things. Amen.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Father, FORGIVE us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us!
We pray for FORGIVENESS.
We ask for God’s FORGIVENESS and confess our national sins so our country can regain its national purpose and unity.
We pray to FORGIVE each other, stop tearing each other down, stop the finger pointing and blame game.
We pray to FORGIVE ourselves and embrace our uniqueness and potential.
We pray for Godly strategies to bring FORGIVENESS and healing in our land.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Many have quoted Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention when they had come to the end of themselves and couldn’t reach an agreement on the wording of our Constitution. The outcome of the convention looked grim, and that’s when Benjamin Franklin called on the delegates to pray. After weeks of negotiation at the 1787 Constitutional Convention delegates began returning home. Here’s what Benjamin Franklin said:

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”

“We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel . . . I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business.”
Benjamin Franklin July 28, 1787 When they returned, America was birthed — out of fervent prayer.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

President John Adams said:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Pray for the humiliation to restore the crown in our lives to God. Join me for a day of fasting and prayer and humiliation. Ask God to speak to you. I’d love to hear from you after April 30. May God be as original with us as He has been with others!

“Your road led through the sea,
Your pathway through the mighty waters —
a pathway no one knew was there.” Psalm 77:19

Warmly,

Cathy

Apr 29 2020
0

Day 30 – A Prayer of Worship and Thanksgiving

By | Blog, CEO, Covid-19 | No Comments

Well friends, our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” comes to an end, and I am rejoicing in the hope that’s to come. You give me hope! You point me to our Almighty God. And He is our hope. Your faith, sticking with us throughout these last thirty days, has been inspiring.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) leaders from around the country were excited to join this effort, and we experienced a spiritual unity that is truly miraculous. It was a gift of God to my life. I hope you had the experience so many on our staff here in Washington, D.C., had. When a day in social isolation was particularly difficult, we would get that notice of that daily prayer, and the words of the page were a balm to our soul. It gave us words to say and helped us take the right posture in the presence of the Creator of the Universe.

I believe this effort will bear much fruit for us in the days ahead as we continue to face the challenges that still await us. This is a time for us to celebrate and gather much fruit in the spirit. Remember the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23? “Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” this is what we will reap. Let us extend our hands and hearts then in worship and thanksgiving, and pray together once again as we close this effort:

Thank you, Lord!
Thank you, Abba Father.
You are faithful, and
You are good.

You have helped us endure during
This COVID-19 crisis, and more than that
You are continually revealing Yourself to us;
Even in the hardest days of this trial.

You are always near, even when we fail
To see or feel in our humanity. Thank you,
For being our loving Father and patiently awaiting
Our return, as the prodigal son.

Wonderful Counselor, we implore You to remain
With us as we continue to tackle the challenges
Of this coronavirus and what is to come as we open
Our country back in every facet of life.

Give us strength and conviction to make the hard decisions
That must be made and help us to be compassionate at all times.
Give us patience and discernment, help us sort out
Those who would take advantage of our fragile state.

Help our President and all our leaders to have vision
To act in the best interest of our country, even when much uncertainty remains.
Help them to trust You, for nothing is impossible for You.
May we look back in retrospect and praise You for Your wondrous works through COVID-19.

In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

That’s it! You made it: 30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of COVID-19, done. You should be proud. I am so thankful for your support. May God continue to bless you beyond measure.

This, of course, is not the end of CWA’s prayer efforts, click here if you would like to check out more prayers from our ongoing general prayer journal, “For America.” And you can click here if you would like to learn more about our local prayers.

Continue to pray for CWA as we turn to planning the return of our national staff to our headquarters and as we work with activists around the nation who are deeply involved in supporting state authorities to reopen America.

In Christ,

 

 

 

—
Our final prayer and message were submitted by CWA CEO and President Penny Nance. Click here for more prayers from our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” effort. Here for more coronavirus-related resources.

Apr 28 2020
0

Day 29 – A Prayer for Deliverance

By | Blog, Covid-19 | No Comments

God of our salvation, Holy Father,
We praise You in spirit and truth.
May Your kingdom be established in our hearts,
Let Your will be done on earth as in heaven.

Preserve our lives, Lord!
Gladden our soul with peace and joy
In the middle of this pandemic;
Help us see beyond the immediate.

We are thankful for Your constant provision,
Where would we be without Your grace.
There is none like You, a God who cares—
Who loves His people. Thank you!

Forgive us for being anxious while
Claiming to trust You.
Forgive us our trespasses and help us
To be quick to forgive those who hurt us.

Grant us courage to stand when
The enemy attacks, for we stand in You.
We want to be brave and bold in Your Word,
And remain meek and lowly in our state.

Deliver us from this COVID-19 time,
Grant us a miraculous exodus, as You’ve done in the past.
You are a God of wonders and miracles,
Let all who see bow down in worship!

All the nations shall one day glorify Your name,
For Your great works. You alone are God!
Great is Your steadfast love for us,
You alone can deliver our souls from darkness.

Yours is the power,
Yours is the glory and all honor,
Yours is the kingdom and majesty,
Now and forevermore.

Amen.

 

—
This prayer was written by CWA General Counsel Mario Diaz. Click here for more prayers from our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” effort. Here for more coronavirus-related resources.

Apr 28 2020
0

Together We Stand for Pro-Life and Pro-Family Issues – Save The Date!

By | Blog, News and Events, Social / Cultural Issues | No Comments

In this time of uncertainty, there’s a fundamental truth that gives us hope – that together we can do extraordinary things. Over the past few weeks and months, the entire world has been coming together to stand up, help out, give back, and heal. Whether that’s through donations to community organizations, celebrating doctors and nurses at shift changes, or reaching out to a neighbor to help with groceries, generosity has been helping the entire world get through this global pandemic.

On May 5, 2020, Concerned Women for America is participating in #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of unity and giving. As you know, CWA has been vigilantly fighting the liberal left’s anti-family and pro-abortion plans to exploit the coronavirus pandemic through relief legislation.

#GivingTuesdayNow will ask for support, and for everyone for help spreading the word. Tell your friends and family why you believe in our work and encourage them to support us, too!

Join the movement on May 5, 2020! Click Here to Donate to CWA.

Apr 27 2020
0
Bible and flag

Updated Guidelines for Texas Church Services During COVID-19

By | Texas | No Comments

Dear Friend,

Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Texas is so grateful for Gov. Greg  Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton’s solid understanding of religious liberty according to our state and national constitutions and the law.  Their reasonable approach and guidance is appreciated.  As we see mini-tyrants rear their despotic heads all over the country, it’s a relief to know that Texas is, so far, in rational, capable, wise, and temperate hands.

As always, it is important to get the story straight from the horse’s mouth and so here is Attorney General Paxton’s Guidance for Houses of Worship During the COVID-19 Crisis.

Please note these items in regard to the current church service guidance recommendations for Texas churches:

  • The First Amendment, Texas Constitution, Art. 1, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act protect Americans’ free exercise of religion and must not be violated by state or local governments.
  • Church is an “essential service.”
  • If possible, churches should conduct services through audio and video services that can be accessed remotely from members’ homes.
  • If churches do not have the capability to provide remote services, then these guidelines should be practiced per the White House and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines:

*Anyone sick should stay home.
*Social distancing should be exercised.
*Good hygiene (handwashing, not touching your face, covering coughs)  should be personally implemented.
*Common areas and surfaces should be cleaned and sanitized frequently.

  • Be mindful of your community and county status of COVID-19 infection and spread rates, and honor local governance in regard to specific local recommendations.

Again, for more details on these guidelines, please peruse the original document which can be accessed here.

Take Action:
#1. Contact Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.  Thank them for their commonsense leadership during this time.  And make sure to let them know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of Texas and that you are praying for them.
Gov. Abbott — Phone: 512-463-2000 |Online form
Attorney General Paxton — 512-463-2100 |Online form

#2. Be sure your pastor is aware of the latest guidance for churches and be an encouragement to him.

#3. Forward this information to friends and family.

Please Pray
#1. Pray that the church will continue to put on its creative hat as we seek to find ways to not “forsake the assembling of ourselves together” during this unique and historic time.

  • Try Drive-In church services if your church size, parking lot, and technological capacity can accommodate such a function.
  • Host church fellowship time on Zoom (make sure you enable a password for security purposes).

#2. Pray that remote online services will continue to reach around the globe and draw many to the saving, redemptive work of Christ and an eternal residence in Heaven with God.

#3. Please continue to pray for our elected and appointed officials who are making very challenging decisions during this pandemic.

With you all, we look forward soon to …
“Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house,
… taking [our] meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
praising God and having favor with all the people.”
Acts 2:46-47, NASB

For now, we pray this last sentence of the above passage:
“And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Ann Hettinger
State Director

Apr 27 2020
0

Day 28 – A Prayer for Blessing

By | Blog, Covid-19 | No Comments

Dear Heavenly Father.

We come asking for Your blessing like Jacob
Who wrestled all night and refused to let go
Until he received Your promise of a blessing.

Today, I plead for Your blessing for CWA and
Determine to persevere in asking, not letting go
Of the desire for Your goodness and mercy and honor
And glory and strength and riches and blessing!

For “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12)

“The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who follows righteousness.” (Proverbs 15:9)
“He who follows righteousness and mercy
Finds life, righteousness and honor.” (Proverbs 21:21)

Your promises, oh Lord, are beautiful,
And even more soothing today in this time of a pandemic
Because our hearts are softened. I am so grateful
To see more clearly the need for all of You.

Thank you for the promise of protection from our enemy.
For You have said, “He will cover you with His feathers
And under His wings you will find refuge.” (Psalms 91:4)

Oh, how we need your protection and your covering.
We seek that for all at CWA – may wisdom and understanding
Be the mark of their work across our land, for “Wisdom
Calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.
She cries out in the chief concourses. At the openings of the gates
In the city She speaks her words.” (Proverbs 1:20-21)

Bring Your blessing and protection to all in the national office
To Penny, Kenda, Mario, Toni, Tanya, Michelle, Julia, Denise, Sara, Keri Ann,
Shea, Doreen, Annabelle, Christina, Danielle, Ashley, Melodie, Celso, and Brittany.
We pray for Mrs. LaHaye, for Linda, and for all on the board
As well as every leader in our state chapters.

May we all seek to follow Your precepts,
To “not be wise in our own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil”.
For we are promised, “It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:7,8)

All for Jesus
And in His victorious resurrection, I pray,
Amen.

 

—
This prayer was submitted by CWA of North Dakota State Director Linda Thorson. Click here for more prayers from our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” effort. Here for more coronavirus-related resources.

Apr 27 2020
0
Prayer

Day 27 – A Call for Help

By | Blog, Covid-19 | No Comments

With one voice we cry out for our country Lord.
To You who created the world and everything in it,
Who sustains it by Your very Word,
Who sent Your only begotten Son to die for our sins.

We need Your wisdom, Father.
We need discernment, through Your Holy Spirit.
Help us find the cure for Covid-19
And help us to rebuild our lives and the economy.

So many have lost their lives’ savings,
Their jobs, their schooling, their plans.
We stand in solidarity with them,
Asking for a special blessing over their lives.

Help us to be better people.
Help us to learn from this experience and
Turn to You with renewed fervor.
In You there is hope for the hopeless.

We continue to pray for our leaders,
Our public servants, working daily to lead
Our towns, cities, states and country,
Out of the stagnation, into productiveness.

Help us move with compassion and understanding,
But help us to move. Help us!
We pray for energy and restoration.
We pray for new discoveries and inspiration.

May our prayers be a delight to Your ears—may they never cease.
Set a guard over our mouths, help us control our tongue.
Do not let our hearts incline to idleness and evil desires.
Help us embrace Your rebuke.

Our eyes turn towards the heavens, from
Where were our help comes from.
In You we seek refuge, do not leave us defenseless.
Let the wicked fall in their own traps.

Give us new revelation,
Show Yourself with power.
We thirst for revival;
We thirst for You.

 

—
This prayer was written by CWA General Counsel Mario Diaz. Click here for more prayers from our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” effort. Here for more coronavirus-related resources.

Apr 27 2020
0

Day 26 – A Prayer of Trust

By | Blog, Covid-19 | No Comments

Father God, we praise You!
We trust You; we want to obey Your statutes.
In our darkest nights we look to You—
In whom there is no darkness.

Forgive our ungratefulness and
Put in us hearts that recognize
And appreciate Your grace and mercy
Towards us, poor sinners, weak and needy.

We glory in our weakness
Because we know that in our weakness
Your power is shown to all peoples (2 Cor. 12:10),
And this is the desire of our hearts: Your glory!

Bring forth Your glory through this
Covid-19 crisis. We are struggling to
Even comprehend what the crisis is about.
Help us, Gracious Comforter.

Cover us under the shadow of Your wings,
That we may be secure—keep our families safe, Lord.
And help us be brave. Help us to fight.
Help us to stand. We do not want to be complacent.

We do take this opportunity to be still,
To know that You are God. But when You want us to move,
We want to be ready and not bend with fear
Under the threat of a terrifying enemy.

They might come with meticulously devised schemes,
With lies, disruption and even biological weapons,
But they will not succeed, we come in the name of the Lord;
Through Him, our victory is secure.

What comfort to rest in His presence!
What joy to sing the songs of deliverance!
What assurance in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Our Hope and our God.

 

—
This prayer was written by CWA General Counsel Mario Diaz. Click here for more prayers from our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” effort. Here for more coronavirus-related resources.

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