Mark Your Calendars: September 25 is the Annual Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students

Prayer, Religious Freedom

The annual Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students is fast approaching.

Act 902 of 2021 directs the governor to annually proclaim the last Wednesday in September of each year as a Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students, and it calls upon the citizens of Arkansas to pray for students, teachers, administrators, and schools.

The Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is required to notify public school districts of the day of prayer as well.

Many communities are unaware of the annual day of prayer, and we want to make sure we spread the word to make this day a success.

We hope you will encourage churches and families in your community to set aside time to pray for Arkansas’ students and educators on Wednesday, September 25.

Visit DayOfPrayerAR.com to learn more!

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Calling All Ministers: Join Family Council’s Church Ambassador Network

Religious Freedom, ,

Last year Family Council cast a vision for networking with churches and helping them be salt and light in Arkansas’ political process.

Family Council hired Dr. Jim Lagrone to spearhead our Church Ambassador Network. Jim is the former president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, and he has been in ministry for over 40 years. Jim also worked for several years as an independent contractor with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

The Church Ambassador Network’s purpose is not to turn preachers into lobbyists. Church Ambassador is a process that is nonpartisan — not bipartisan, but nonpartisan.

Church Ambassador is not a conservative political organization. It is a nonpartisan ministry.

This is a network that builds relationships between church leaders and our elected leaders regardless of their political leanings, and helps those leaders see the church as a vital resource. 

Email Jim@FamilyCouncil.org to learn more about this vital ministry, or if you are a church leader who wants to get involved, fill out the form below to join today.

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Arkansas Ranked #4 in the Nation on Protections for Religious Liberty

Religious Freedom,

Arkansas is the fourth best state in the nation when it comes to protecting religious liberty, according to a new report.

First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy released its annual Religious Liberty in the States report earlier this month. The report ranks all 50 states based on 16 different religious liberty policies — such as policies protecting religious liberty in healthcare, at school, in religious ceremonies, and in other contexts.

Arkansas ranked fourth in the nation, behind Montana, Florida, and Illinois.

Arkansas has taken bold steps to protect the free exercise of religion. The state passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015 and the Conscience Protection Act in 2023.

Wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, and florist shops all have come under fire, because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions. People should not have to choose between their livelihood and their religious convictions. That is why it is so important for our laws to protect religious liberty as much as possible.

The Religious Liberty in the States report outlines areas of the law where Arkansas’ religious freedom laws could be better. Family Council plans to support better protections for religious liberty when the state legislature convenes in January.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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