After pressure from a group that advocates for the removal of religion from public spaces, a south-central Illinois town has painted over part of a mural that depicted a cross that is a well-known landmark for area citizens.

The mural painted on an overpass next to Effingham High School depicts an American flag stretching across a green landscape towards an illuminated cross that resembles “The Cross at the Crossroads” which stands as a landmark along Interstates 57 and 70. The 198-foot tall cross was installed in 2001 by a faith-based group.

In a May 20, 2020 press release, the city of Effingham stated that while it had no objection to the mural’s content or design, it represented private speech on public property. Therefore, “The last thing the City Council wants is for any members of our community to feel excluded or treated as second-class citizens because they hold a minority belief.  It is in service to these principles that the City Council has altered the mural accordingly.”

It’s unclear exactly when the cross was painted over. According to city of Effingham administrator Steve Miller, the work was done either Tuesday, May 19 or Wednesday, May 20.

In December 2019, The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) based in Wisconsin sent a letter to the city of Effingham seeking removal of the cross from a mural. The letter complained, “The cross has an exclusionary effect, making non-Christian and non-believing residents of Effingham political outsiders in their own community.”

Effingham commissioner Merv Gillenwater told the Effingham Daily News, “This has been a lengthy discussion. We have to be very careful because there are legal issues on both sides. I think we did a good job reaching a conclusion that I hope the citizens understand our position.”

“We could pick a side and stand up for either position,” said Gillenwater. “And the other group would say we can take you to court. We could spend a lot of years in court. Spend a lot of city money and still not make somebody happy. We had to do what we felt was the right thing to do. And not end up in court.”

In February, David Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute, sent a letter to Mayor Schutzbach and city commissioners offering the city of Effingham his support.  He said, “We hope that you will not yield to threats to rob you and your community of your rights and heritage.”

The mural was commissioned by the Effingham High School Football Moms and painted by local artist Jamie Stang-Ellis. At the time, Effingham Mayor Mike Schutzbach said that while the city gave its approval for the mural to be painted, neither he nor the school knew the cross would be part of the mural.

An online petition, “Let the Cross Stay,” at Change.org has nearly 33,600 signatures.

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Written by Julia Reinthaler and David E. Smith

Elected officials in the City of Effingham are considering zoning ordinances and guidelines for marijuana sales within city limits. It is imperative that local officials hear from pro-family residents, especially the clergy! They need to hear your concerns about the consequences of marijuana sales in the area. They need to be urged to prohibit sales in the community.

The next regular City Council Meeting will be held at the Effingham City Council Chambers on January 21st at 5 PM.

Don’t let proponents deceive you with their “tax revenues” talking points. According to a report published by the Centennial Institute, “for every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spend approximately $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization.” The costs of legal pot are not worth the costs to families, communities and lives.

Although the licensed growth, sale, possession and use of marijuana will be legal in Illinois effective January 1, 2020, the legislation signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker allows villages, cities and counties to opt out of marijuana retail sales. This gives communities the opportunity to say “no” to drug traffic and the retail presence of a federally classified Schedule 1 Drug, a dangerous intoxicant that the DEA deems has “a high potential for abuse.”

Far from being an innocuous drug that the marijuana lobby portrays as safe and even medicinal, marijuana has serious health risks that should alarm any parent and community.

According to a 2017 review from the National Academy of Medicine, cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses, and among regular users it is likely to increase the risk for developing social anxiety disorder.

According to a 2018 paper published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, people who used cannabis were almost three times as likely to use opiates three years later.

Another study, released in Australia, cited that patients with chronic pain who used cannabis experienced even greater pain over time, dispelling the myth that pot relieves pain better than other available pain medicines.

To understand the effects that marijuana legalization will ultimately have in Illinois, we need look no further than Colorado to see a cautionary tale of the unintended consequences of legalization.

In the six years since marijuana was legalized in Colorado, the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for marijuana has doubled. There have been increased rates in marijuana-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and higher rates of violent crime. Though legal for 21 and older, more than a fourth of Colorado’s middle and high school students use pot more than once daily. Chronic use by those under 25 can lead to a permanent loss of up to 8 IQ points.

Knowing what we know about the tragic and often irreversible effects of marijuana, we cannot in good conscience permit a retailer to peddle a drug that robs so many youth of their future and compromises the safety of our citizenry. Instead of making Big Marijuana richer and the City of Effingham a haven for those selling the drug and those seeking to purchase it, let’s make it a refuge for families seeking to shield their loved ones from this drug’s destructive path.

Next month’s meeting might lead to a vote that will shape the future of the City of Effingham.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email to Mayor Mike Schutzbach and all four City Council members asking them to reduce drug traffic and protect the families they represent by passing a ban on the retail sales of marijuana. And if you’re able, please attend the January 21st meeting to make your opposition known.

Learn more about marijuana’s consequences at NoWeedIllinois.com.

See the U.S. Surgeon General’s Press Advisory about the health risks of marijuana use.

A bold voice for pro-family values in Illinois!

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The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has sent a letter to a south central Illinois City seeking removal of a cross from a mural painted near a local high school. A petition, which now has over 23,000 signatures, has been started to protest the effort and people in the area are rallying in support of the cross.

The mural, painted on an overpass next to Effingham High School, depicts an American flag stretching across a green landscape towards an illuminated cross that resembles “The Cross at the Crossroads,” a landmark which stands along Interstates 57 and 70. The 198-foot tall cross was installed in 2001 by a faith-based group.

According to the letter from FFRF, a local resident had contacted them with a complaint. FFRF claims that U.S. Supreme Court rulings have declared such works of art on public property unconstitutional. It further contends that “the cross has an exclusionary effect, making non-Christian and non-believing residents of Effingham political outsiders in their own community.” The letter did not outline a timeframe for the cross’s removal.

Mayor Mike Schutzbach told the Effingham Daily News in an e-mail that while the City gave approval for the mural after consulting with the school district, “it was not known to the city or school that a cross would be part of the artwork.” The mural was commissioned by the Effingham High School Football Moms and painted by local artist Jamie Stang-Ellis.

The Illinois Family Institute works to uphold religious liberty, and in this case, believes that the mural should be left as is. Earlier this week, IFI sent a letter to Mayor Schutzbach and City Commissioners offering support for the City of Effingham. The letter cites the “2005 case of Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677, in which Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist for the Court wrote that the proper analysis to apply to the use of religious symbols on monuments/buildings is the nature of the monument/building and our Nation’s history.” These include representations of the Ten Commandments within the walls of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, Department of Justice, and National Archives.

IFI encouraged its recipients to “not yield to threats to rob you and your community of your rights and heritage,” and in closing, IFI pointed out that attorneys, such as those at the National Legal Foundation, stand at the ready to protect the community’s religious liberty at no cost.

Citizens from Effingham and surrounding communities have been holding rallies in support of the mural painted on the Raney Street overpass next to the high school football field. The issue was not on the agenda during the standing-room-only Effingham City Council Meeting January 7, but 12 people spoke in support of the mural during public speakers’ period.

At the close of the period, City Attorney Tracy Willenborg issued a statement:

“The city is of the opinion that the mural at issue does not constitute a violation of the establishment clause, as it constitutes purely private speech, having been placed by a private organization with a message that was not and has not been approved or adopted by the city. The city, however, is currently evaluating options relative to the use of the headwall, including the current mural, as well as evaluating the risks associated with each potential option.”

Take ACTION: You can send a message of encouragement to “stand strong” in the face of outside pressure to Mayor Schutzbach via email at mschutzbach@effinghamil.com. You can also leave a message for the mayor and city council by calling Effingham City Hall at (217) 342-5300.

If you’d like to sign the Change.org online petition titled “Let the Cross Stay,” click HERE.

Please pray that the fear of man doesn’t overshadow the mayor and council’s resolve to keep the beautiful mural as is.

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