We will need to modify suggestions for holding IMPACT Sundays in a pandemic, but that does not make it any less important to encourage your family, friends, co-workers, and church members to get out in vote.
Please consider sharing these recommendations however you and your congregation are communicating with others.
Some suggestions on how you can help
California Church IMPACT began “IMPACT Sundays” in 2005 to have socially active members of congregations share our ballot guides with other members of churches, temples, synagogues, and other places of worship. Obviously, whatever method you use (save for standing outside) involves the cooperation of your institution of faith, so please do obtain permission.
Some ways in which members conducted IMPACT Sundays include:
- Inserting the long or short form of our ballot guide within church bulletins
- Posting the short or long Ballot Guide on church bulletin boards
- Handing out CCI Ballot Guides at church coffee hours
- Placing CCI Ballot Guides with other literature handed out routinely
- Handing out CCI Ballot Guides outside of church as people enter or leave
- Hosting a discussion forum on ballot issues
- Posting the link to the guide from CCI on your church email
IMPACT does not endorse candidates. If your faith organization is interested in hearing from candidates, you may legally do so in an open candidates’ forum so long as you invite ALL candidates. Even if one candidate declines to participate, document the invitation and receipt of that invitation to that candidate (such as a registered letter or record of the time and date of a phone call and the name of the party to whom you spoke), and you may still continue with the presentation.
If your candidate meeting is outside the church (such as a house party) and is billed as meeting with individuals as private citizens, it does not involve the church or faith institution, and there is no bar to your hearing from only one candidate. Even if your invitation list is all members of your faith group, it is still private and not an institutional function.
Please do not EVER campaign for anyone within your place of worship! If a candidate for public office is a member of your denomination or place of worship, remember that he or she is your friend first and foremost, and a candidate only outside those walls. You do not get a ‘pass’ on political support simply because you know that person.
| impactsundays.pdf |
RSS Feed
