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Our annual meeting was held at the Center of Clayton on Thursday, April 26. Vice President Rudy Pulido presided as we accepted the Treasurer’s Report (we are in excellent shape financially), and re-elected three Board members whose terms expire this year – Treasurer Helene Sherman, Vice President Hal Harris, and Board member Ann Pollack.  Board member Chris Guinther introduced our keynote speaker, political activist and former Missouri legislator Jeanette Mott Oxford, who is now Executive Director of the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. She presented an inspiring talk that was both personal history and political insight.  About twenty members attended.

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Richard Haar and Carol Bartell on Sunday

AU St. Louis was represented at both weekend days of “Earth Day – 2018” in St. Louis, in Forest Park. We had a selection of pamphlets, decals, and

 

bumper stickers to give away.  As usual at these events, we had friendly conversations with people wanted to know more about church/state issues, and many came by to express their support for what we do.  We collected e-mails from those who would like to be informed about our activities and become more involved in AU.  Saturday had reasonably nice weather, but Sunday was pretty chilly.

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Journalist Katherine Stewart was AU’s “Person of the Year” in 2014.  She has written widely and deeply on issues of church and state, including her most recent book, “Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children“, that was reviewed here shortly after it came out.  On April 17, 2017, her op-ed entitled “When Is a Church Not a Church?” was published in the New York Times. Use the link to read her thoughtful comments.

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While the attempt to exclude repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which prevents churches and other 501(c)(3) charities from campaigning in elections, from the sweeping tax “reform” law was successful, there are numerous bills in the Senate that are attempting to do just that.  Please help us to prevent this from happening by calling your Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blount, or Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. (202-224-3121 is the Congressional switchboard -ask for the Senator by name).  You can also ask for a Representative’s office at the same number. See the AU blog on this issue!

 

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We viewed together the HBO video, “The Education of Mohammed Hussein” on March 8 at The Ethical Society. About 30 members and friends attended.  After the video, our Board member Bahar Bastani, described his experiences as a Muslim and parent in St. Louis.

 

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Publisher and Donnybrook founder Ray Hartman spoke at our annual picnic on October 15. This was the second time that Ray has joined us for our picnic.  We have also had Bill McClellan, from Donnybrook, as our speaker. The weather was cloudy and threatening in the morning, but the afternoon was bright and pleasant. We ended up with a good crowd, as you can see from the photos on our Facebook page.

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We hope you were with us to celebrate “Religious Freedom Fighter” Rev. Barry Lynn,  Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who spoke on
“The Trump Administration Really, Truly Hates the Separation of Church and State”

For 25 of its 70 year history, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, has served as executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the preservation of the Constitution’s religious liberty provisions.There will be a gala celebration for Barry in Washington on November 2, but our Chapter had its own dinner and lecture by Barry himself on October 1.

$50 pp, included buffet dinner, wine and beer.
This is the first time we collected money through our  MeetUp

This event was co-sponsored by Americans United for Separation of Church and State,
National Council for Jewish Women St. Louis, and the Anti-Defamation League of St. Louis and Southern Illinois.

 

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We had planned to have State Representative Stacey Newman, who represents the 87th district give us an update on happenings in the legislature, but her work in Jefferson City kept her there. However, we were very pleased and fortunate to have Anti-defamation League Regional Director Karen Aroesty provide a broader view of the law with respect to religious freedom. The meeting was at 7:00 pm on April 20 at The Center of Clayton, 50 Gay Avenue in Clayton.  Light refreshments were served, and over twenty members attended. This was also our official Annual Meeting, and four current board members were re-elected.