As many of you know, I have had the
pleasure of serving over a dozen years as the chaplain of the Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel Foundation
… who 46+ years ago saved this historic U.S. Army chapel from the wrecking
ball. (You can read more about it at www.fortsnellingmcf.org) During my
pastorate, we established the by-line – “Where
the Veteran is Remembered” – in keeping with our purpose statement. Shortly after America started deploying
troops in response to the 9/11 attack, we put up a ‘Blue Star Flag’ in the
sanctuary, adopted countless troops (sending care packages and cards throughout
the year), publically recognized them upon their return, financially supporting
our military veterans with thousands of dollars, and encouraged our
congregation to show their individual backing with hundreds of ‘yellow ribbons’
on their property … just to name a few of our evident support for our troops.
Well, a church is in a clash with
Nevada County, CA after being told to take down a sign with an American flag
and a message to support the troops. Simple Truth Church put up the sign to
cover an old, rundown billboard. However
the “Support Our Troops” sign is becoming quite controversial. According to CBS13, if the church doesn’t remove the sign, it could be fined. Most drivers CBS13 spoke with did not have a problem with the sign. “It doesn’t bother me at all,” said one
person. But for others, it’s an eyesore.
It’s for that reason someone complained
to the county to have it taken down.
“It’s a little surprising. All we meant to do was beautify the area, the
corner, and it’s a reminder for me — for everyone that drives by — to pray for
the troops,” church member Julia Stokes said. Bill and Julia Stokes say the sign was meant
to send a positive message and the church never knew it would stir up such
controversy. “Why would you knock
something that has an America flag on it that says ‘Support Our Troops?’ I have no idea; I really don’t,” said Bill.
The banner, put up a few weeks ago,
may be an upgrade from the faded realty sign that was there before. But, according to Nevada County officials, Simple Truth Church needed to have a
permit before making the change. And, if
they don’t remove it, the county may.
“If we don’t do anything, they may
come out and cut the sign down. And, we
would have to pay for them to cut the sign down, which seems to be pretty
harsh,” said Bill. The church is holding
off on taking down the sign as long as it can. For now, church officials say it is bringing
more followers to the Sunday service. “People
just drive by and love it,” said Julia. “There have been four new people come to our
church because of that sign.”
The church will meet with the county
to determine exactly what will be done with the sign. In the meantime, members hope they can keep it
up. The previous realty sign stood for nearly
20-years without any permit issues.
While I greatly appreciate what this
church has done in replacing a run-down realty sign, and I'm in full agreement
with the message of the new signage, I must say the ‘simple truth’ to this
‘church’ – Get the permit! It’s just too
simple!
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor,
Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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