RALEIGH, N.C. – A showdown appears imminent for a North Carolina county commission whose members say they want to keep offering the Christian prayers they’ve always said before meetings, despite warnings from the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Rowan County’s commissioners are scheduled to meet Monday, and it’s Commissioner Jon Barber’s turn to offer the prayer normally given before the start of the session.

“I’m the one who has to give the prayer, and if anyone is wondering if I’m going to buckle, the answer is no,” Barber said Friday.

That could be a problem, according to the state ACLU chapter, which began contacting government bodies across North Carolina after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a ruling by the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that found sectarian prayers at public meetings violate First Amendment protections.

So far, at least 15 government bodies have changed their prayer policies, state ACLU spokesman Mike Meno said.

“We hope the Rowan commissioners decide to uphold the law, as well,” he said.

Last month, the ACLU sent a letter to the Rowan County Commission, whose members typically offer prayers that address God as Father or use the familiar invocation, “in Jesus’ name.” The letter didn’t change that practice, and a commission meeting last month was packed with county residents who offered their support to the commissioners.

 

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