Lobby Day Instructions & What to Expect on February 20th
DEFEND MARRIAGE Lobby Day
Click HERE for a PDF version of the lobby day instructions.
When: Wednesday, February 20th, 2013
Where: Illinois State Capitol
Address: 401 S. 2nd Street, Springfield, IL 62701
Time: 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
Rally: At the Lincoln statue in front of the Capitol (10:30 to 11:00 AM)
Things are really heating up in Springfield. The pension crisis? Illinois’ financial trouble and inability to pay its bills? No, liberal lawmakers want to legalize homosexual marriage and have actually put it on a fast track.
Join Illinois families from all over the state on Wednesday, February 20th, to stand for natural marriage and lobby your state rep to vote NO on same-sex marriage. Pack your church vans, buses and cars and join us at the Capitol to defeat this bill that will affect your family, churches and businesses. If 4,000 homeschoolers can stop a bill in one day, so can we!
If people of faith allow this bill to pass, churches will be forced to change their hiring practices and allow same-sex marriage ceremonies if they rent their facilities. Individuals and businesses owners will be subjected to lawsuits and regulatory action if they refuse to condone the “new” understanding of marriage. And children will be taught in school they can marry a man or a woman when they grow up!
SB 10 passed out of a senate committee on February 5th. It is likely going to the full senate on Valentine’s Day. Then it will go through the same process in the House. We have time to stop this bill!
This Lobby Day could not happen at a more appropriate time!
Details:
Before arriving at the Capitol, you will want to know your representative’s name & Springfield office address and what they look like. Click HERE and type in your zip code and address. Click on the representative’s name to view their contact information and picture. It would be a good idea to print this and bring it to Springfield.
Upon arriving at the Capitol, you will go through security and a metal detector and proceed to the IFI table located in the north hallway off of the Rotunda (middle of the Capitol). Pick up a yellow marriage button, instructions and materials.
Proceed to your state representative’s office and ask the secretary if you can have a few minutes of his/her time. If you are able to speak to them, let them know that you are a constituent and have traveled to Springfield to urge a NO vote on the same-sex marriage bill. Ask how they will be voting. If the representative is not in their office, ask the secretary where they are.
If they are in a committee hearing or caucus meeting: you may go to the room and wait for them to come out. (This is where knowing what they look like will come in handy.) Once they exit the room, approach them, introduce yourself and ask if you can have a minute to speak to them. Urge them to vote NO on SB 10. Feel free to share your concerns depending on the amount of time they have. Be respectful of their time.
If they are in the House Chambers, take the business-size card provided at the IFI table and proceed to the third floor. Go to the House Chambers side. It will be the area with all the people waiting outside a very large door. Write your name and address and their name on the card. Give it to one of the doormen who will enter the Chambers and deliver it to the representative. Eventually he/she will come out to talk to you, so watch for them. (Another reason their picture will be helpful.)
If you are unable to speak to them, leave the pre-printed letter, available at the IFI table, with their secretary so that they will know you were there. Feel free to write your own note on the paper.
Please pray that this bill will be stopped in the House. Pray before coming to Springfield and while there. Just your presence as Christ’s ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20) has tremendous spiritual impact on the lawmakers and this bill. The fact that hundreds/thousands will be there wearing a bright yellow button depicting marriage as one man and one woman and you took the time to travel to the Capitol has more impact than you will ever realize. Many lawmakers will be hard-pressed to vote on a bill that may cost them their next election, if for no other reason.
Thank you for taking time to help defeat this bill and to boldly speak out on behalf of God’s established order of marriage and family!
Click HERE for a PDF version of the lobby day instructions.
Click HERE to make a donation to IFI.