GOD IS MOVING

Advocates Team: Soren Nielsen, Shea Hasenauer, Nicole Velasco, Maureen Crandall, Erin Mersino, Rachel Homolak, Robert Tyler

Dear Friends,

Some months remind us with unusual clarity why we do this work. This has been one of them.

Over the past several weeks, we have gathered with brothers and sisters in Christ in Michigan, stood beside a public-school teacher whose religious convictions were being pushed aside, and secured an important ruling in our ongoing fight for parental rights in California.

These victories look very different from one another. One happened in a beautiful room filled with friends and supporters. Another began quietly, with one teacher asking whether she could remain faithful to her sincerely held religious beliefs and still do the job she loves. Another unfolded in a courtroom after years of litigation.

But they have something important in common. None of this happens alone.

It happens because faithful people pray. It happens because courageous clients are willing to take a stand. It happens because attorneys are willing to fight. And it happens because people like you invest in this ministry and make it possible for Advocates for Faith & Freedom to be there when the call comes.

Rachel Dohring, singing the national anthem

A Night to Remember in Michigan
This month, we had the privilege of gathering with an extraordinary group of friends at our Michigan gala.

The setting was beautiful, but what made the evening truly remarkable was not the room, the dinner, or the program. It was the people who filled it.

We were surrounded by members of the body of Christ who share a conviction that faith and freedom are worth defending, that families matter, and that constitutional liberty must be preserved for the generations coming behind us.

Dolores Park, sharing her testimony

There is something powerful about looking across a room and realizing that this mission is much bigger than any one attorney, case, donor, or office.

We saw faithful supporters and met new friends. We heard the powerful personal testimonies of everyday people who have directly benefited from our attorneys’ help. Most importantly, we were reminded again that God has built a remarkable community around this legal ministry.

Month in Review:

Mirabelli v. Bonta: Filed a Ninth Circuit amicus brief defending parents and educators
from compelled secrecy in public schools.
Erin Mersino Featured on Eleven Talents: Discussed faith, family, constitutional freedom,
and the legal battles ahead.
Santa Clara County Settlement: Secured a highly favorable settlement for clients after
years of litigation over COVID-19 vaccine policies and religious exemptions.
CPAC Women Warriors: Erin Mersino spoke at the Michigan event on faith, family,
freedom, and leadership.
Save Girls’ Sports: Continued discovery in one case while moving a second case forward in
defense of female athletes.

To everyone who attended, sponsored, gave, volunteered, prayed, invited friends, or helped make the evening possible, thank you. Your partnership does far more than help us host an event. It equips us to answer the next phone call, write the next letter, file the next brief, and walk alongside the next person whose constitutional freedoms are
being threatened.

And sometimes, one letter is all it takes.

Cristina Leal, Public School Teacher

A Teacher Asks for Religious Accommodation. The District Says No.
A Southern California public-school teacher learned that a transgender student assigned to her class wanted to use pronouns that did not align with the student’s biological sex. Recognizing that the request could conflict with her sincerely held Christian beliefs, she sought a reasonable religious accommodation before any issue arose.

Her request was simple and respectful: to allow her to serve the student without being compelled to use language that violated her faith. She proposed alternatives, including avoiding pronouns altogether. Instead, the District initially told her she would be required to comply if the student requested those pronouns.

That is when Advocates stepped in. We sent a demand letter defending her right to a religious accommodation, and the District changed course, agreeing to accommodate her beliefs.

No lawsuit was necessary. One teacher can now continue serving her students without being forced to choose between her profession and her faith.

That is what your support makes possible.

Sonja Shaw, CVUSD School Board President

A Significant Victory for Parents in Chino Valley
This month, the San Bernardino County Superior Court granted in part Chino Valley Unified School District’s request for relief from the permanent injunction restricting its parental notification policy.

Advocates for Faith & Freedom, alongside co-counsel California Justice Center, represents the District in this continuing parental rights case. The court clarified that Chino Valley is not precluded from adopting prospective policies requiring disclosure when a parent requests information.

The ruling follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which addressed parental access to information concerning a child’s social transition at school.

As Erin Mersino, our Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation, said: “Parents should not have to wonder whether a public school is withholding significant information about their own child.”

The fight is not over, but this is meaningful progress. Parents do not surrender their constitutional rights when they send their children through the doors of a public school.

This Is What Partnership Looks Like.

We are grateful for the attorneys who labor over these cases, the clients who courageously allow us to stand beside them, and the supporters who make every hour of this legal work possible.

You are a critical part of these victories.

While we know there are more battles ahead, we are taking a moment to thank God for what He has done and to thank you for standing with us.

In Christ,