February 2026 Newsletter
When the Government Put a Church’s Beliefs on Trial
This past week, Advocates for Faith & Freedom attorneys were in trial in Bangor, Maine fighting for a Christian church‘s First Amendment rights. In November 2022, The Pines Church did what countless community groups do every week: it applied to rent space at Hermon High School for Sunday worship. The space was not being used by any other group.
The Pines Church was not asking for special treatment. It was asking for equal access. The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Booster Clubs, and local athletic leagues were welcome to rent space in the high school without question.
Instead of simply approving the rental agreement, the Church received a theological examination. The church was asked questions like:
What is the church‘s stance on same-sex marriage?
What is the church's stance on abortion?
Access to a public facility should never be conditioned on whether a church proscribes to a Biblical worldview.
The probe of the questions was unmistakable. The Pines Church was being vetted: Do your beliefs align with those of the government officials who rent the space?
That is not neutrality; it is viewpoint discrimination. And it is a direct assault on the First Amendment and the Free Exercise of the Christian faith. So, this month our attorneys stood in federal court and made the record clear: The Constitution does not permit the government to exclude a church from the public square because of its theology.
This case is about far more than one congregation in Maine. If the State can condition access to public life on theological agreement, then every church in America is vulnerable. If the Constitution is upheld, every church is strengthened.
Attorneys Wenonah Wirick, Robert Tyler and Julianne Fleischer, Pastor Matt Gioia
Now We Wait—and We Pray
The trial is complete. And the decision is now in the hands of the judge.
We ask you to stand with us in prayer:
That justice will be rooted in law – not politics or cultural pressure
That the First Amendment will be upheld without compromise
That this ruling will protect the religious liberty of churches across the nation
That God will be glorified above all
We did not merely argue a case. We defended the constitutional framework that allows the church to live, gather, and proclaim truth freely.
When Violence Invades the Sanctuary
In addition to protecting the rights of churches in the Court, we also advocated for their protection before the Nation. This month, FOX News published an Op-ed penned by Advocates for Faith & Freedom’s own Nicole Velasco. The wonderfully written piece addresses the hard reality that the churched can no longer afford to ignore:
The assumption that houses of worship are automatically safe is gone.
Across the country, churches, synagogues, and faith-based Schools are being targeted with deadly force during worship services, in classrooms, and in moments of prayer. From the massacre at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, to the attack at Tree of Life, to the recent violence against a church school community, the pattern is undeniable.
These are not isolated headlines. They are a warning.
When violence enters the Sanctuary, it does more than take lives, it shatters the idea that there is still sacred ground in America—places where families, children, and the faithful can gather in peace.
The threat is not just physical; it is cultural. A society that grows indifferent to the sacred will eventually tolerate its desecration. What is mocked is marginalized. What is marginalized is targeted. Words create climates, and climates produce action.
This Is Not a Call to Fear—It Is a Call to Clarity
The message of the article is not alarmism but a call for responsibility. Churches must now think intentionally about protecting their congregations—not because they have lost faith, but because they shepherd their flock. Acknowledging that evil exists is not paranoia; it is reality. And reality demands action that ensures that the Church in America will remain free to gather openly and without intimidation.
Why This Matters to the Work of Advocates
This is where the culture and the courtroom meet. The shift that allows church safety to be ignored or not prioritized by society is the same shift that will eventually allow a church to be treated as unacceptable in law. We must protect what is important.
When the sacred is no longer respected:
Churches are excluded from public spaces
Biblical belief is labeled as discrimination
Access to community life is conditioned on theological compromise
That is exactly what we are confronting in Maine. The legal battle and the cultural battle are not separate fights. They are the same fight on different fronts.
Thank you for commitment to this mission—in prayer, in truth, and in the defense of freedom.
Erin Mersino Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation
For the LORD is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us.
Isaiah 33:22
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