User:Rtgates/FNA

“Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital” is a Christian outreach organization ministering to top-level government officials. The organizational headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. across the street from the east façade of the United States Supreme Court. From there, they provide numerous personal ministries to elected officials and their staff, conduct worship services, sponsor religious oriented events, as well as providing media commentary on faith issues that are interwoven within government and legal matters. Faith and Action also serves as a resource on questions of church and state.

Purpose
Faith and Action is an ecumenical ministry which represents common Christian beliefs and values. They state that their organizational statement-of-faith is the historic Apostles’ Creed. The mission statement on their website, “Faith and Action” states that their purpose is “to challenge the minds and consciences of public policy makers with the mandate given by Christ in the two Great Commandments, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,’ and ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:36-40 KJV)

Birth of Faith and Action
In August 1994, President Rev. Rob Schenck moved from Tonawanda (Buffalo area), New York where he served as Minister of Missions and Evangelism at the New Covenant Tabernacle to Washington D.C. to begin an outreach to policy makers. His first assignment in Washington was to organize a church fellowship. He started (or “planted”) the National Community Church. In early 1996, Schenck passed the mantle to protégé Mark Batterson who led that core group in building a large, vibrant and innovative congregation. Schenck did so to concentrate fully on his outreach ministry to policy makers. Initially known as “Operation Save Our Nation” it became known as “Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital” or simply “Faith and Action”. In 2000, an ordaining council of the Come Alive New Testament Church of Medford, New Jersey officially commissioned Rev. Schenck as a missionary to Capitol Hill.

Description
Faith and Action is a Christian outreach to top-level government officials located in Washington, DC, throughout the United States and around the world. By definition, an outreach is an attempt to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. Whether it be a business, a government agency, or a ministry, this concept is critical to any group seeking to grow in size or influence. Christians often see outreach as an article of faith following Christ's Great Commission to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." (Matthew 28:19-20 KJV). This is clearly united with the purpose or the mission of Faith and Action which is to connect Christian ideals and values to the individuals who make and implement policy in the U.S government. The Faith and Action website states…

…Faith IN Action is a Christian outreach to top-level government officials located in Washington, D.C., throughout the United States and around the world. Our purpose is to challenge the minds and consciences of public policy makers with the mandate given by Christ in the two Great Commandments, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Because they base the nature of their outreach model on the two Great Commandments typical ministry includes care for the person being connected. Both these aspects of outreach, the sharing of a message and the personal interest in the receiver are included in the Faith and Action scriptural foundation. Faith and Action believes that these two scriptural precepts are the key basis for organizing any human endeavor, including governments.

Relationships
Faith and Action states that the way they seek to accomplish their purpose of engaging the hearts and minds of government officials is “through building personal relationships with individuals serving in government, engaging in private and public conversation and debate, distributing Scripture and informative materials and staging special events such as panel discussions, symposia, news conferences, seminars and prayer, worship and preaching services.”

Since outreach is completely dependent on the ability to communicate a message in an engaging way Faith and Action seeks to include the media, electronic communications, the Internet and church leadership. Because church leadership and preaching is integral to the way they support and promulgate their message, Faith and Action believes in and works hard to build strong alliances with all like-minded individuals, groups, religious communities, churches, organizations and institutions. Faith and Action is a non-denominational outreach organization working with Evangelical, mainline Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and other groups to promote Christian viewpoints among government, law, and policymakers.

Methodology
Faith and Action’s style of outreach shares characteristics with the missions model used for generations by Christian missionaries around the globe. The mission group locates among an indigenous culture, meets perceived needs, and builds authentic relationships. Through this dedicated person-to-person ministry, it is hoped to gain a hearing for their message and thereby share their motivations: the spiritual and ethical teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as the values of the Bible. With this outreach effort, Rev. Rob Schenck, founder of Faith and Action, says their desire is to “win the hearts and minds of those who make public policy” and also that Faith and Action is “a Christian outreach whose mission is to reintroduce the Word of God into the public debate surrounding legislation and policy matters."

Faith and Action targets a specific group of people within the national government. There are 2604 individuals who are the focus of the targeted outreach efforts. There are 54 within the Supreme Court, counting the 9 justices and their clerks and assistants. There are 50 persons within the Executive branch including the President, Vice President, as well as their advisors, cabinet officials and assistants. Over 2500 Legislative Branch employees also receive direct attention from Faith and Action. This includes the Senators and Representatives as well as their assistants and closest advisors.

Faith and Action is a registered tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code, section 501(c)3. This means 3 things in particular for a Christian outreach. First, that they are tax-exempt and do not pay most taxes. Secondly, they can receive tax deductible charitable contributions. A third important criteria of an IRS tax-exempt charitable organization is important to Faith and Action because their ministry is directed toward people in the political sphere. The tax code states that such an exempt organization is prohibited from participation in partisan political action. This is in keeping with Faith and Action’s methodology of dealing with individuals on a spiritual, non-political level and speaking to the intersection of public policy and Christian values.

Rev. Rob Schenck
Rev. Rob Schenck is the founder and President of “Faith and Action”. Raised in a secular Jewish home in Grand Island, New York, Rob and twin brother, Paul, became Christians as teens. After graduating high school in 1977, Rob went into ministry as a counselor and then as director of the Rochester (New York) Teen Challenge, a church sponsored home for at-risk youth. Then in 1982, Rob became minister of missions and evangelism at the New Covenant Tabernacle in Tonawanda, New York, where brother Paul was the pastor. During that time, the Schenck brothers began the ministry that became P&R Schenck Associates in Evangelism, the parent organization for Faith and Action. In 1994 Rob moved to Washington, D.C and became a full time missionary to Capitol Hill.

Schenck has a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Faith Evangelical Seminary and is currently finishing his Doctor of Ministry- Strategic Leadership.

Schenck is also President of the National Clergy Council, a network of pastors and denominational leaders from Evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian traditions. The National Clergy Council was formed in 1989 and has maintained an office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, since 1994. Its mission is to "Bring classical Christian moral instruction into the conversation and debate surrounding public policy."

The National Clergy Council members work together to bring a Christian values-based ethic into the public conversation on national affairs. This means participation among newsmakers and a willingness to comment upon notable events. As a leading voice of the NCC, Schenck often shares the group’s views with Congress and its leadership. Remaining informed on the details of pending laws and Supreme Court cases remains critical because many in the media are interested in his comments on the issues. As president of the clergy association, he is often asked to opine on the topic of the day.

DC Team
Peggy Neinaber is Faith and Action’s Chief of Program as well as serving as Executive Assistant to the President. Peggy has been an integral part of Faith and Action since 2005. She has been highly involved in pro-life, pro-family and religious freedom issues for over 21 years. In a personal, yet complimentary role, she is President of the Capitol Hill Executive Service Club. One of her major activities at the ministry is event planning. Faith and Action stages 8 major activities per year and numerous smaller ones. This programming is a significant part of the ongoing outreach to the government officials as well as the inclusion of the religious community on Capitol Hill bringing in anchor pastors, trustees and allied ministries. The team also includes R. Todd Gates as staff writer and Nicholas Olsen as News Reporter. Allied Ministries include the National Pro-Life Center and Priests for Life as well as the National Clergy Council.

The Honorable William Ostrowski House
The organization itself is headquartered in the Honorable William J. Ostrowksi House, named for the retired New York State Supreme Court judge and long-time supporter of the Schenck brothers’ efforts. The 19th Century Victorian Row House sits directly across from East Façade of the U.S. Supreme Court building at 109 2nd Street, NE. A notable feature of the ministry office is a granite sculpture depicting the Ten Commandments displayed in the building’s front garden. The most noticeable non-architectural feature is what Rob Schenck calls “our two story Gospel tract”. This is the often-changing 20 foot banners that hang above the buildings front door and proclaim scriptural messages to passersby and attenders of the Supreme Court.

Cora Bieber Garden at F&A
Another beautiful feature of the property, though not as well known as the Ten Commandments Sculpture is the Cora Bieber Garden. This pleasant garden area is named for Lancaster Pennsylvaia’s Cora Bieber who was extremely active in the Global Aid Network as well as Faith and Action. In 2007, Global Aid Network and her family dedicated the Garden after Cora’s passing from a rare bone marrow disease.

Louis and Tina Kayatin Prayer Garden
The Louis and Tina Kayatin Prayer Garden is a full season garden around the rear of the building with a sitting area and umbrellas. The space is set aside for prayer and meditation and the public is welcomed to some sit for solitude and a quiet time of reflection and seeking God. Flowers are planted in varieties that bloom at various times of the season create a sense of beauty and peace for the full growing season. Those who work on Capitol Hill know that the Kayatin Prayer Garden is open to them and various officials make use of the sacred space.

The Ten Commandments Garden Statue
A notable feature of the ministry office is a granite sculpture depicting the Ten Commandments displayed in the building’s front garden. Placing this garden statue was considered so provocative that after five years of negotiating with the local government authorities, permission to install it was denied even though most residents did not object to the monument.

As time moved along Rev. Schenck and Faith and Action decided they had waited long enough and decided to challenge the city directly. Said Schenck, “[We’re} not going to play the fool twice, we don’t need a permit” So, on Memorial Day in 2006, the monument was attractively placed in the front of the building, readily noticeable from the street. (Though they lacked a proper installation permit, the volunteer workers that installed the 850-pound granite sculpture were careful to exceed code requirements.)

When the Government of the District of Columbia threatened fines of $300 a day for a “possible public space violation,” Schenck appealed the decision saying, ““This public display of the Ten Commandments is all about giving glory to God and advancing the truth. Capitol Hill is in need of both. We expect fierce opposition, but we will vigorously fight for our constitutional right to acknowledge God in the public square."

Faith and Action appealed the District’s ruling based on a First Amendment claim in view of the many similarly-sized sculptures located in the garden areas of surrounding properties. Three weeks later, the Government of the District of Columbia reversed itself based on Schenck’s “First Amendment interests” and “upon further consideration of the applicable law,” informing him he did not need an actual permit or any other official permission to display the statue.

Ten Commandments Project
The Ten Commandments Project is an ongoing operation of Faith and Action. Faith and Action's motto is "bringing the word of God to bear on the hearts and minds of those who make public policy in America." One of its goals is to "restore the moral foundations of our American culture" through placing Ten Commandments displays in public buildings.

Created in 1995, Faith and Action’s Ten Commandments Project seeks to remind Americans of our common need for a moral foundation. For this reason, Faith and Action has given over 400 plaques bearing the familiar Words of Sinai to members of Congress and other highly placed officials, including former presidents Clinton and Bush. Special delegations made up of clergy and lay people make the presentations during ceremonies held in the recipients’ offices. The agenda includes a short speech about the foundational basis of morality and law, a reading of the Commandments in their entirety and prayers. The official is then given an inscribed wooden plaque on which is mounted two stone polymer tablets containing a summary of the Ten Commandments. Recipients are urged to “display and obey” the Ten Commandments.

Schenck chose to promote the Ten Commandments because of their universal and enduring nature and because they are fundamental to morality. The Decalogue is also revered equally by Jews, Christians and Muslims, and are considered by most other major religions to reflect the highest in divine and human ideals.

Pro-Life work
Faith and Action is a member of the National Pro Life Religious Council and is involved in the various Pro-life activities and events in DC as well as Rev. Schenck’s personal ministry. Faith and Action’s Pro-life stand encompasses the gamut of issues. Not only is Faith and Action a major sponsor the National Memorial for the Preborn and Their Mothers and Fathers (the only full scale prayer and preaching service held annually inside the U.S. Capitol), Rev. Schenck participated in the events surrounding Terri Schiavo, a profoundly disabled woman who was allowed to die by the withholding of food and water against the wishes of her family. Among other things, Schenck traveled to Florida to advocate for Sciavo, including publicly calling for police protection for her. He was also a signatory of a letter to President George Bush and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by national pro-life leaders. In 2005, Faith and Action stepped in during the tragic case of Susan Torres; a brain-dead pregnant mother being kept on life support so that her child could grow until fully developed. Faith and Action served as the clearinghouse for the outpouring of donations to the Torres family.

National Memorial for the Preborn
In 1995, Rev. Schenck organized the first National Memorial for the Preborn and their Mothers and Fathers. This Memorial is a service of preaching, worship and witness for the sanctity and dignity of all human life, beginning with those yet to be born. The first event drew people from around the country, women and men who had suffered the loss of abortion, pro-life activists and clergy from other Christian traditions, as well as members of congress. This quickly became a prominent pro-life event held inside the US Capitol complex in Washington, DC. Originally a program of the National Clergy Council, the event has now been renamed the National Pro-Life Clergy Conference and is sponsored by the National Pro-Life Religious Council. The NPRC is led by prominent pro-life leader Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life and a trustee of Schenck’s Faith and Action. Rev. Schenck and his staff continue to have major roles and responsibilities associated with the event.

The Nativity Project
In 2005 Faith and Action ministry began sponsoring a Capitol Hill Nativity Scene during the Christmas season. This was set in the front of the Faith and Action Center on second Street across from the Supreme Court. In 2010, they begin a “Live Nativity” scene where the characters and animals will be living and in costume.

More than this, Faith and Action co-sponsors, with the Christian Defense Coalition and Operation Nativity (an effort by the Rev. Dr. Charles Nestor of Lakeland, Florida). “The Nativity Project” by encouraging Christian individuals and organizations to request and place Nativity Scenes in front of Public buildings” Officially, "The Nativity Project: A Public Witness to Keep Christ in Christmas", the project is a public witness to remind people of the powerful message delivered on the very first Christmas, "Peace on Earth. Good will toward men." It is also a witness to address the growing hostility toward public expressions of faith, especially during the Christmas season.

Annual Events
Included in these events are the regular seasonal events that are sponsored by Faith and Action. These are in confluence with the Christian calendar
 * Live nativity at the US Supreme Court- This live nativity scene is held on the grounds of the Faith and Action Center which is across from the Supreme Court and uses live actors (and animals) in period costume to portray the biblical narrative of the birth of Christ.
 * Christmas Outreach- The details of the Christmas Outreach to government officials changes every year but Advent, the Faith and Action team is making a special outreach effort every year to see that the Christmas message is conveyed to those policy makers. Because of ethics laws, government officials cannot receive gifts, however small monetary value tokens are acceptable.  So, Faith and Action gives a small Christmas “gift” as a token of their care.  In 2010, they dropped off copies of a Christmas Edition New Testament to their mission charges on Capitol Hill.
 * Easter Outreach- Like the Christmas Outreach, the specifics of the Easter Outreach change yearly but the message of the meaning of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is shared with the high government officials in the U.S. government. For example, one year Faith and Action gave each a copy of the DVD of Mel Gibson’s powerful film “The Passion of the Christ” as their Easter outreach.
 * National Memorial for the Preborn and their Mothers and Fathers- In January, on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, Faith and Action joins other Pro-Life organizations in sponsoring this Service of Worship and Prayer.
 * Bible Reading Marathon- In conjunction with the National Day of Prayer in May, Faith and Action helps organize a 72 hour Bible reading marathon where the scriptures are read on the steps of the nation’s capitol.  Rain or shine, continuously, the Bible is read by a parade of people until the entire Bible is completed aloud.
 * The Family Circle Dinner- In October, Faith and Action sponsors a dinner for friends and supporters in which they can share the details of their important work on Capitol Hill. This also is a time of connection and renewal for those working in the ministry and those who help make it possible.
 * Passover Seder- At Passover, Rev. Schenck leads a traditional Seder meal and service. This is the service that Jesus would have led at the Last Supper and is a historic tie to the Judaic roots of Christianity.

Events
Besides their annual events, Faith and Action has put on many notable onetime events for government officials, clergy, and the public. Peggy Nienaber schedules and organizes many of these events which target individual groups. These events are a source of both education and dialogue and of ministry to those whom Faith and Action wishes to outreach. Some representative examples of these event have been...

The Reese Roundtable
In 2006, Faith and Action launched the Reese Roundtable, an annual luncheon about the moral meaning of the Declaration of Independence. The first speaker was Dr. James Hutson, chief of manuscripts for the Library of Congress. Dr. Hutson Spoke about his book, The Founders on Religion (Princeton University Press) and his scholarship on Thomas Jefferson's 1802 letter to the Danbury Association of Baptists from which the U.S. Supreme Court borrowed the phrase "wall of separation between church and state."

Easter “Trial”
One of the special events that the Faith and Action team sponsored was a moot court setting for a consideration of the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "The Case for the Resurrection" pitted two constitutional scholars against one another in front of a three-judge panel that included a sitting federal judge and a retired state supreme court justice.

Conversation with Webster & Cole- “The Virtue of War”
The will often host interesting and provocative discussions or roundtables. On one particular occasion Faith and Action hosted an evening of discussion at the Ostrowski House with Fr. Alexander Webster and Professor Darrell Cole, authors of "The Virtue of War."

Save the Commandments Caravan
The Ten Commandments mean a lot to Faith and Action. In addition to their Ten Commandments project, their garden monument, Faith and Action sponsored a 5 state “Save the Commandments” caravan in support of the Ten Commandments when the Alabama Court was removing a Ten Commandments monument set in place by Judge Roy Moore. The monument was a memorial to the historic sources of law. The movement of the memorial caused attention around the country. The caravan included a lighted mobile billboard of the Ten Commandments.

Ministry
The Faith and Action work is directly religious in nature. While Faith and Action speaks out on issues of religious significance, they perform activities that are more in keeping with a church. Rev. Schenk used a ritual of blessing and prayer to seek divine guidance for the committee and the jurist during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito. and Sonja Sotomayor A similar anointing and prayer ritual was used to seek God’s guidance for President Obama when Rev. Schenck anointed the doorway to the inauguration through which the president elect would walk to the Inaugural stage. This was part of a 19 day effort of prayer and fasting for Obama and his presidency.

Rev Schenck’s explanation carried with it the Faith and Action sensibility on religion and government interacting together and the Biblical ethic that governments are appointed by God. Said Schenck, “Anointing with oil is a rich tradition both in the Bible and in the history of the US Capitol. Oil symbolizes consecration, or setting something apart for God's use.' He said, 'This site will be a literal rite of passage for the new president. The Bible commands us to pray for kings and all who are in authority. It should be our natural inclination to do so, and it can only do the new president and the country good to pray for him. I don't care what your political sensibilities are, we all need prayer and we all need to pray.”. This was a continuation of official prayer for the new president that began with President George W. Bush’s Second term.

Mt. Soledad Cross
In 2006, Rev. Schenck joined other Christians in speaking out against the forced removal of a 50 year old cross that served as a war memorial in a California wilderness area. Schenck went to Sand Diego and held a press conference at the site of the Mount Soledad cross calling for respect for America’s religious heritage and the right of Veteran’s groups to honor the fallen with a cross. Schenck commented for the press, “The forced removal of a sacred and historic symbol for both the living and the dead is a supreme insult to these heroes and to the 100 million Christian citizens for whom the cross has deep meaning. Shame on the federal courts and activist judges that seek to strip these important symbols from the American landscape.”



Petitions to ACLU
In response to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) lawsuit against a rural Adams County, Ohio school district for having Ten Commandment monuments on their property, Faith and Action helped collect over 20,000 petitions. They were hand delivered to the New York headquarters of the ACLU along with a demand that the liberal organization quit interfering with communities and individuals who seek to affirm the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

Monument relocation from Ohio
In May 2009, Rev. Schenck joined Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt and other Ohio leaders help relocate a Ten Commandments sculpture. The 3-foot by 3-foot granite sculpture, which weighs 850 pounds, is one of four monuments removed by federal court order from the fronts of public schools in rural Adams County, Ohio. The monument was place in a prominent position on private property. The site also includes a flower garden and flagpole. The flag raised was one which had been previously flown above the U.S. Capitol building. The monument is identical to the one situated in the front of the Faith and Action ministry center on Capitol Hill.

Pledge of Allegiance
In 2004 there was a push from strict church and state separationists to remove the “under God’ from the pledge of Allegiance. Feeling that this move would be the exact opposite of the nature of the mission of Faith and Action, they took action. The group participated in gathering over 150,000 petitions and more than 2000 personal notes to justices to be hand-delivered to the Supreme Court. They also led prayer services and rallies for the continued inclusion of the “under God” claus in the Pledge

Miscellaneous
Rev. Schenck appeared briefly in the the Alexandra Pelosi documentary about the Evangelical movement, "Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi."