 |
Message from Jim Antal on the UCC and the IRS
Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Massachusetts Conference UCC, Greetings in the name of a God who creates and recreates; a Christ who challenges and comforts; and a Spirit who sustains and inspires! Many of you may already be aware that, yesterday, the United Church of Christ received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service initiating an investigation of The United Church of Christ's tax exempt status. In their letter, the IRS stated that their concerns were due to "articles posted on websites" that "United States Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama addressed nearly 10,000 church members gathered at the United Church of Christ's biennial General Synod at the Hartford Civic Center, on June 23rd, 2007" and that "40 Obama volunteers staffed campaign tables outside the center to promote his campaign." The full text of the IRS letter as well as our denomination's official response can be found at www.ucc.org. While we have every confidence that the result of this inquiry will be to find that the General Synod and the UCC obeyed both the letter and the spirit of the law, still we find this disturbing, to say the least. As your Conference Minister, I wanted to alert you to this issue and equip you to respond to any concerns members of your church may raise. As this story continues to unfold in the days ahead, you may go to www.macucc.org for additional information and for links to information at www.ucc.org. In addressing the issues raised by the IRS, it is important to know that the invitation to Senator Obama to address Synod was given before he was a Presidential Candidate. He was invited, as a member of our denomination, to reflect on the connection between public service and personal faith; not to give a campaign speech. He was one of more than 60 speakers that addressed Synod in a variety of venues from a variety of perspectives throughout the week. It is also important to know that the Obama campaign tables that were set up outside on the sidewalk were not there by the invitation or consent of the UCC. These tables were set up in public space on the sidewalk and the Obama campaign needed no permission to set up there. All I know convinces me that everything our denomination did was legal and I am confident that this will be the conclusion of this IRS investigation. We have excellent legal council and are confident that our case will be well made. There will soon be a link available at www.ucc.org through which donations to our legal fund may be made so as to minimize the use of our mission funds for this purpose. Update, February 28: Legal Defense Fund Link. Some in our congregations will be concerned about this. As you listen to these concerns, please don’t hesitate to share with them the points in this letter, and the background information found at the end of this email. For almost four centuries, we have lived out our faith in the public square. This news provides us with an opportunity engage our congregations and those who may be drawn to the UCC in a conversation about the fundamental freedom of religious expression which we so treasure. Encourage those you encounter as a result of this recent news to look at our website (www.ucc.org); share your own testimony about what this denomination means to you and invite them to come to church with you to learn more about who we are. Let us continue to open ourselves to the breaking Good News which the Holy Spirit has in store for us through these and all our discussions in and beyond this season Lent. The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal
----------------------------------------------------- Potential talking points in response to IRS investigation into Sen. Obama's General Synod speech: Senator Barack Obama spoke to the UCC's 50th Anniversary General Synod on June 23, 2007. He was one of more than 60 presenters invited to speak about the impact of their faith on their work and vocation. Obama was invited as a UCC member to speak about faith and public service; other persons represented the arts, academia, media, business, science and technology. While the IRS investigation is clearly disturbing, we are certain that once the church has the opportunity to present the facts and clear up any misperceptions, the IRS will determine that we did nothing improper, nothing illegal. The UCC went to great lengths to assure that nothing was improper about Senator Obama's presence at Synod. We clearly stated that this was not a campaign-related event, but an opportunity for Obama, as an active member of the UCC and a leader in government, to speak about his faith. It was announced and enforced that any campaign activities would not be tolerated, such as leafleting, canvassing or displaying posters or placards. Obama campaign volunteers were not allowed access to the Hartford Civic Center. Although some Obama supporters did congregate on the sidewalk outside the Civic Center, they were not allowed access to the Civic Center. Their activity was restricted to the public sidewalk. Only registered Synod delegates and visitors were allowed to attend. The invitation to attend was extended a year before Obama announced his candidacy. Links to the Feb. 20 IRS letter to the UCC, and the video and written text of Obama's speech, to General Synod can be found at the bottom of the news story found at www.ucc.org.
|
