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'We got your six': Attendees show support of council's invocation policy
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
The Rowlett City Council chambers overflowed with people for the council's regular meeting on Tuesday, March 19, with a crowd showing support for the city council and its policy to continue to have an invocation to open council meetings, despite several residents and their representatives who have voiced concern over the council's policy and want it gone.
The council last dealt with issues regarding the invocation in 2010 when The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the council demanding it stop having the invocation, citing the separation of church and state in the U.S. Constitution. As a result of the letter, the council changed its policy to make the invocation optional and in most cases led by a member of the council instead of a local minister.
The issue resurfaced during the March 5 council meeting, when several residents and representatives of nonreligious factions addressed council members during the citizen's forum to express concerns over the invocation policy. The speakers said that the council policy to have a Christian invocation excluded residents of Rowlett who were part of other religious or nonreligious organizations or groups.
The speakers on Tuesday -- who included a couple of city council candidates, religious leaders, residents and even a former Olympian -- wanted to address the issue and encourage the council to continue to have its invocations.
Rowlett resident Shari Petrino spoke in favor of the city's policy to offer an invocation.
"We are living in a diverse, multicultural, tolerant society," Petrino said. "We are finding that we are able to accomplish great things by respecting each other's right to believe what we want to believe while standing firm on our beliefs."
Former Olympian and Rowlett resident Sammy Walker told the council he was there in support of the council and stood behind their decision to have an invocation as part of the council meetings.
"I appreciate what you stand for and that you continued to have invocation as part of the city council [meetings]," Walker said. "What you are doing here is right. Keep it up."
Local pastor Kason Huddleston thanked the council for their leadership within the city. He mentioned the declining crime statistics since Pray Rowlett began and that the numbers prove prayer works within the city.
Resident Monica Phillips told the council that she supported the council's current invocation policy and did not believe it to be an issue since people of all faiths or non-faiths are allowed to volunteer to lead the invocation.
"I am a staunch believer in the separation of church and state, and I am speaking tonight to state that I do not consider the offering of an invocation prior to your council meeting to be a violation of it," Phillips said. "This might be true if the opportunity to lead the invocation were offered only to those of the Christian faith. It is my understanding that members of any religion may volunteer to give the invocation. I would urge you as a council to change nothing in your invocation policy."
Gregory Peebles, Rowlett resident, told the council that the people speaking in support of the council were in effect telling them they had their back on the issue. Peebles referred to the ongoing slogan, 'We got your six,' which is being used to support veterans returning home from overseas.
"This is a few narrow-minded individuals trying to force others into their way of thinking. This is a nation of the majority rules, and the majority of the people in this community are God-fearing people," Peebles said. "You have the strength of the citizens of Rowlett behind you. You have seen the commercials where many of the movie stars are talking about the soldiers and how they have 'got their six'; they have got their backs when it comes to times of being in controversy. City Council, I believe the citizens of Rowlett, we have got your six."
The audience then stood in a sign of support as Peebles stated, "We, the citizens of Rowlett, will stand with you because we have got your six."
The citizen's forum ended with comments from Rowlett resident Fred Wetzel.
"I am standing up here because I support this council. This is not to me about a religious issue. This is about a control issue and people that want to control this council. They are people that do not bother to show up for council meetings and maybe don't show up to vote," Wetzel said. "The invocation is not done for the benefit of the gallery. It's not done for the benefit of the person giving the invocation. It's done for the edification and inspiration of the council themselves so they can in turn do a wonderful job for this city. This is about tolerance. We tolerate their non-belief, but they won't tolerate our belief. That's wrong, and I stand here not afraid to say that."
Since the issue was addressed during the citizen's forum, the council was not allowed to make any statements on the subject, per policy.
The council last dealt with issues regarding the invocation in 2010 when The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the council demanding it stop having the invocation, citing the separation of church and state in the U.S. Constitution. As a result of the letter, the council changed its policy to make the invocation optional and in most cases led by a member of the council instead of a local minister.
The issue resurfaced during the March 5 council meeting, when several residents and representatives of nonreligious factions addressed council members during the citizen's forum to express concerns over the invocation policy. The speakers said that the council policy to have a Christian invocation excluded residents of Rowlett who were part of other religious or nonreligious organizations or groups.
The speakers on Tuesday -- who included a couple of city council candidates, religious leaders, residents and even a former Olympian -- wanted to address the issue and encourage the council to continue to have its invocations.
Rowlett resident Shari Petrino spoke in favor of the city's policy to offer an invocation.
"We are living in a diverse, multicultural, tolerant society," Petrino said. "We are finding that we are able to accomplish great things by respecting each other's right to believe what we want to believe while standing firm on our beliefs."
Former Olympian and Rowlett resident Sammy Walker told the council he was there in support of the council and stood behind their decision to have an invocation as part of the council meetings.
"I appreciate what you stand for and that you continued to have invocation as part of the city council [meetings]," Walker said. "What you are doing here is right. Keep it up."
Local pastor Kason Huddleston thanked the council for their leadership within the city. He mentioned the declining crime statistics since Pray Rowlett began and that the numbers prove prayer works within the city.
Resident Monica Phillips told the council that she supported the council's current invocation policy and did not believe it to be an issue since people of all faiths or non-faiths are allowed to volunteer to lead the invocation.
"I am a staunch believer in the separation of church and state, and I am speaking tonight to state that I do not consider the offering of an invocation prior to your council meeting to be a violation of it," Phillips said. "This might be true if the opportunity to lead the invocation were offered only to those of the Christian faith. It is my understanding that members of any religion may volunteer to give the invocation. I would urge you as a council to change nothing in your invocation policy."
Gregory Peebles, Rowlett resident, told the council that the people speaking in support of the council were in effect telling them they had their back on the issue. Peebles referred to the ongoing slogan, 'We got your six,' which is being used to support veterans returning home from overseas.
"This is a few narrow-minded individuals trying to force others into their way of thinking. This is a nation of the majority rules, and the majority of the people in this community are God-fearing people," Peebles said. "You have the strength of the citizens of Rowlett behind you. You have seen the commercials where many of the movie stars are talking about the soldiers and how they have 'got their six'; they have got their backs when it comes to times of being in controversy. City Council, I believe the citizens of Rowlett, we have got your six."
The audience then stood in a sign of support as Peebles stated, "We, the citizens of Rowlett, will stand with you because we have got your six."
The citizen's forum ended with comments from Rowlett resident Fred Wetzel.
"I am standing up here because I support this council. This is not to me about a religious issue. This is about a control issue and people that want to control this council. They are people that do not bother to show up for council meetings and maybe don't show up to vote," Wetzel said. "The invocation is not done for the benefit of the gallery. It's not done for the benefit of the person giving the invocation. It's done for the edification and inspiration of the council themselves so they can in turn do a wonderful job for this city. This is about tolerance. We tolerate their non-belief, but they won't tolerate our belief. That's wrong, and I stand here not afraid to say that."
Since the issue was addressed during the citizen's forum, the council was not allowed to make any statements on the subject, per policy.
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