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Today, the federal court handed down a win for equal access on campuses that allows faith-based organizations to select leaders who share their faith.
Hey Team! We want to celebrate today’s monumental victory for our campus ministries. We praise God that the largest federal appeals court in the U.S. has ruled that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ student clubs can once again gather and hold events on public high school campuses in San Jose, California.
Today’s ruling came after a very long court case. Rigo Lopez and the FCA team had served students in San Jose high schools for over a decade, and there were Huddles open to all students. They also hosted local sports camps and donated sports equipment to underserved groups within the San Jose area, leading to strong relationships with many leaders. But in 2019, the San Jose School District officials removed FCA clubs from all their high schools. Students faced harassment and protests simply because the clubs—which welcome everyone—ask our leaders to sign our Christian Community Statement which includes our Statement of Faith.
After many years, today the case is resolved. The Ninth Circuit court ruled that FCA and similar religious clubs do not have to give up their biblical convictions in order for students and leaders to meet on campus. Today, nine of 11 justices ruled in favor of FCA. This is a win for Christian ministries across the nation. FCA is grateful to resume campus ministry in San Jose high schools, and we ask for your prayers for both our local staff and student-leaders. We are thanking God for His faithfulness in this case, and for the wisdom of the courts to protect equal access and religious speech.
A special thanks to all who have prayed for and with Rigo Lopez through this challenging time.
“FCA is excited to be able to get back to serving our campuses,” said Rigo Lopez, FCA Metro Director in the Bay Area. “Our FCA teams have long enjoyed strong relationships with teachers and students in the past, and we are looking forward to that again.”
We are also grateful to the thousands of school districts around the country that continue to support FCA and its campus-based initiatives.
Because this case is high-profile in nature, members of the media may contact you and ask about this case and for a comment. If this happens, please follow our simple and standard process:
Please hold off talking with media until you have contacted our team for further directives.
Contact Hamilton Strategies public relations:
- Deb Hamilton – (215) 815-7716, Media@hamiltonstrategies.com
- Media requests will be directed to the appropriate FCA spokespersons.
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