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(RNS) Now that Boy Scout delegates have taken their long-awaited vote and permitted openly gay Scouts, will there be a mass exodus by religious groups?

It depends on who you ask.

The Assemblies of God is certain there will be.

“We believe that the BSA policy change will lead to a mass exodus from the Boy Scout program, as Assemblies of God and many other churches can no longer support groups that are part of an organization allowing members who are openly homosexual,” the Pentecostal denomination declared minutes after 61 percent of delegates to a Boy Scouts of America meeting voted Thursday (May 23) to change the policy.

But R. Chip Turner, national chairman of the BSA’s Religious Relationships Task Force, hopes not. He acknowledged there will likely be fewer units, especially among religious groups, which have comprised about 70 percent of BSA sponsoring organizations.

“We’re absolutely not telling them you have to endorse homosexuality,” he said. “You may not deny that membership based on that one characteristic.”

Other conservative leaders, including Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver and Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land, are using the “mass exodus” terminology about the change that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.

Roger “Sing” Oldham, spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee. Photo courtesy Baptist Press

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“I think there will be an immediate exodus,” said Roger “Sing” Oldham, spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee.  “I don’t know how large that immediate exodus will be, but then I think there’ll be a continual attrition over time.”

• READ: Church-based scouting alternatives attract interest

John Stemberger, who led the charge against a policy change as the head of the group OnMyHonor.net, plans to gather supporters in Louisville, Ky., in June to consider starting an alternative “character development organization for boys.”

Both the Assemblies of God and the Southern Baptists have alternative programs that could attract members who are thinking of leaving the Scouts. The Assemblies put its statement on the website of its Royal Rangers, which includes boys in kindergarten through 12th grade. Oldham said some churches have been contacting the Royal Ambassadors program, which is run by the SBC’s Woman’s Missionary Union and includes boys in grades 1-6.

But other prominent religious groups are standing by the Scouts.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which sponsors more BSA troops than any other organization, “will continue to sponsor Scout units for its congregations in the United States,” said spokesman Eric Hawkins. He does not expect any to disband.

United Methodist Scouting officials, the BSA’s second-largest sponsor, are continuing to support the BSA after the vote, along with other youth organizations.

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting said it hopes to maintain a relationship with BSA but will be conferring with bishops and diocesan Scouting committees about how the policy change will affect their activities. The committee noted: “Open and avowed homosexuals promoting and engaging in homosexual conduct are not living lives consistent with Catholic teaching.”

• READ: Catholics split on proposed gay Scouts change

Some individuals, on the other hand, already say they are going rather than grappling.

“As of now, I will no longer associate myself with the Boys Scouts and would work to promote the creation of Columbian Squires with every Knights of Columbus Council,” said Albert Bryson, a local leader of the Catholic fraternal group in Parkesburg, Pa., referring to a Scout-like group it sponsors.

“Our family are evangelical Christians,” said Mari LaCom, who attends a congregation of the Evangelical Free Church near Chatsworth, Calif., and expects her son will no longer pursue the rank of Eagle Scout.

“This is the reason our church will no longer be chartering our troop or have Scout Sundays. What do gay Boy Scouts grow up to be? Gay Boy Scout leaders.”

But religious supporters of the BSA vote say they are celebrating — and expecting more progressive congregations to sponsor Scout troops — while holding out hope that the Scouts eventually will approve gay leaders.

GLAAD logo courtesy GLAAD

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“It’s a good message to say youth are youth and can be involved with Scouting, and the difficult part is does someone suddenly become immoral and unable to serve once they turn 18?” asked Ross Murray, director of news and faith initiatives for the pro-gay organization GLAAD.

The BSA did not see that as an immediate agenda item: “There are no plans for further review on this matter,” it said, noting it did not want to “be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue.”

The Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, the United Church of Christ’s executive minister for gay and lesbian concerns, said he expects more UCC congregations to get involved in Scouting. But he hopes houses of worship with less progressive stances also will continue their Scouting support.

“I think that Scouting is big enough for everyone and I think it’s big enough for people who are conservative to remain in the program as well,” he said.

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Here’s a list of faith-related groups that have reported what they consider to be inappropriate or unusual action by the IRS:

Updated Wednesday (May 22): Freedom Federation, an initiative of Liberty Counsel, a law firm focused on religious liberty, whose founder Mat Staver says he is still waiting for its 501(c)(4) status to be approved. An application was filed in July 2012.

Biblical Recorder, the North Carolina Baptist news journal that published a 2012 interview with Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy in which he said he was “guilty as charged” when asked about his support of the “traditional family.” The paper also supported the North Carolina marriage amendment. The IRS completed an audit of the news journal on May 9.

Evangelists Franklin Graham, left, and Billy Graham, right, stop on North Galvez Street in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward. Religion News Service photo by Ellis Lucia/The Times-Picayune of New Orleans

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Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which ran 2012 ads (paid for with designated funds from donors) supporting a North Carolina amendment that banned same-sex marriage and urging voters to consider candidates based on “biblical principles and support of Israel.” It was audited in October 2012.

Catholic League, conservative advocacy group, which says it was targeted shortly after the 2008 election of President Obama. Bill Donohue, the group’s president, said the IRS determined it “intervened in a political campaign,” but the group kept its tax-exempt status.

Catholics United Education Fund, an affiliate of the progressive Catholics United, which had an application that “languished for years” before its registration was approved.

Christian Voices for Life, a group based in Fort Bend County, Texas, which suffered delays in its application for tax-exempt status in 2011, the Thomas More Society said.

Coalition for Life of Iowa, which says it promotes “respect for human life … through prayer, education and raising awareness,” faced delays before getting its tax-exempt status in 2009, said the Thomas More Society.

Christian conservative leader James Dobson, the founder of the Focus on the Family ministry, has gained a new title: novelist. RNS photo by Harry Langdon.

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Family Talk Action, the advocacy arm of James Dobson’s Family Talk, said its application for 501(c)(4) status was delayed and questioned between 2011 and 2013.

Samaritan’s Purse, which was audited in October 2012. Its president, Franklin Graham, wrote a letter to President Obama calling the audit, and that of the BGEA, “un-American.”

Z Street, a conservative Jewish organization, which has a July 2 hearing in U.S. district court after it sued the IRS for viewpoint discrimination.

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Evangelist Franklin Graham preaches during a crusade in Mobile, Ala. (2006) Religion News Service photo by John David Mercer/The Press-Register in Mobile, Ala.

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In a Tuesday (May 14) letter to President Obama, Graham said the two organizations he leads were notified last September that the IRS would review their records for the 2010 tax year.

The IRS inquiry, he noted, occurred months after the BGEA ran ads in April 2012 supporting a North Carolina amendment that banned same-sex marriage, which passed in May. The BGEA also ran ads last fall urging voters to consider candidates who make decisions based on “biblical principles and support the nation of Israel.”

Graham noted that the ads were bought with designated funds given by ministry donors for that purpose.

The IRS audits were conducted on Oct. 15 at Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization based in Boone, N.C., and on Oct. 29 at the BGEA, in Charlotte.

“I am bringing this to your attention because I believe that someone in the Administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us,” wrote Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham. “This is morally wrong and unethical — indeed some would call it ‘un-American.’”

A Treasury Department inspector general recently determined that “inappropriate criteria” were used by the IRS when considering the applications of Tea Party and other organizations that were applying for tax-exempt status.

“I do not believe that the IRS audit of our two organizations last year is a coincidence — or justifiable,’’ wrote Graham, who last year apologized to the president for seeming to question Obama’s Christian faith.

He said his organizations learned after the fall election that they could continue to be tax-exempt. But Graham said the audits “wasted taxpayer money” and “precious resources.”

The White House and the IRS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a Tuesday statement, President Obama called the findings of the Treasury watchdog’s report “intolerable and inexcusable” and said he wants those responsible to be held accountable.

Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said after last year’s electoral endorsements by the Grahams, Franklin Graham has no grounds to complain.

“Franklin Graham is now complaining to the media that he was targeted by the IRS. Well, in light of those ads he should have been,” Boston said. “My only regret was that the IRS didn’t yank his ministries’ tax-exempt status.”

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California radio evangelist Harold Camping said the world will end on May 21, 2011 — a figure he based, in part, on when he believes Noah entered the ark. Photo by Kimberly Winston

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The Contra Costa Times reported that the ministry has sold its prominent stations and laid off veteran staffers, with net assets dropping from $135 million in 2007 to $29.2 million in 2011, according to tax records.

The newspaper said Family Radio has sold its three largest radio stations, and saw its cash on hand drop from $1.5 million to $282,880 in 2011. Since the incorrect prediction, donations have dropped 70 percent, ministry insiders told the newspaper. Records indicate the network took out a loan to keep going.

Camping, 91, predicted the Rapture would occur on May 21, 2011. A few days after that date, he said his calculations were off by five months.

In March 2012, he declared that his May prediction was “incorrect and sinful” and pronounced that his ministry would no longer predict when the world would end.

Matt Tuter, a longtime right-hand man to Camping who was fired last year, told the Contra Costa Times that he thinks the selling of the stations is the beginning of the end for the 55-year-old ministry.

“You eliminate those three (FM stations) and, ultimately, the rest of it dies,” he said. “I believe they are killing it off.”

But board member Tom Evans, who has handled operations since Camping had a stroke in June 2011, said the ministry is facing a tough economy like other nonprofits. He said Family Radio is not closing, is not in as dire straits as some allege and has a new mission in mind — comforting people affected by tragic events, from hurricanes to gun violence.

“We want to be a comfort and reminder of God’s strength and mercy,”  Evans told the newspaper. “In the end, our founding mission is to proclaim the word of God.”

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Scaffolding now crowns the central tower of Washington National Cathedral, which was heavily damaged by a rare East Coast earthquake in August 2012. RNS photo by Annalisa Musarra

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The cathedral will receive all the money it requested from the campaign sponsored by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It will help pay for inspection and repair of its nave’s vaults following the quake that hit the Washington area.

“We are overjoyed by this vote of support for our restoration efforts,” said the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of Washington National Cathedral, which sustained $20 million in damage.

The three other houses of worship competing among 24 grant candidates also received significant grants: Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church: $90,000 to restore stained glass windows on the church’s facade; Sixth & I Historic Synagogue: $75,000 to renovate a dozen of its stained glass windows; and All Souls Church Unitarian: $50,000 to repair a bell tower crafted by the son of Paul Revere.

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue received $75,000 in preservation funding to renovate a dozen of its stained glass windows. Photo by Bruce Guthrie / courtesy The Harbour Group

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“We hope the Partners in Preservation funding is just the first step in ensuring that these cultural sites are accessible for many years to come,” said Timothy J. McClimon, president of American Express Foundation.

A total of $1 million will be given to D.C. historic sites, including Congressional Cemetery and the dining room at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.

“It has been inspiring to see the tremendous support local preservationists have shown their favorite historic places in the Washington area,” added Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Since the initiative began in 2006, American Express has committed $10 million and aided historic landmarks in Washington and seven other cities. In three of the previous campaigns, religious institutions won the top vote.

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Calvinist Cadet Corps participants from the Grand Rapids North Council meet at a snow derby checkpoint where groups were tested in their knowledge of compass and map reading. Photo courtesy Calvinist Cadet Corps

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• READ: Church-based scouting alternatives attract interest

Adventure Corps

Founded by the Salvation Army in the 1980s, Adventure Corps includes about 1,300 units of boys from grades 1-8. The program focuses on teamwork, leadership and Christian fellowship. They do not have to be a member of a Salvation Army congregation. There are about 130 Boy Scout troops affiliated with the Salvation Army.

Calvinist Cadet Corps

Founded in 1952, Calvinist Cadet Corps includes boys in first grade through high school. This evangelical organization has about 400 U.S. clubs. Its weekly meetings include a Bible lesson.

Church of the Nazarene’s Caravan ministry participant with sash, photo courtesy Nazarene Publishing House

Caravan

Founded in 1946, Caravan includes about 600 clubs in U.S. churches affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. The clubs, which include boys and girls from first through sixth grade, focus on church doctrine. About 150 Nazarene churches have Boy Scout troops.

CSB (Christian Service Brigade) Ministries

Founded in 1937, CSB includes about 300 units of boys in the first through 12^th grades. This evangelical organization aims to build boys’ character with an emphasis on the Bible.

The CSB (Christian Service Brigade) Ministries logo photo courtesy CSB Ministries.

Pathfinders

Dating to the 1920s, this organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church includes more than 2,000 clubs of girls and boys in grades 5-10 in North America. About 60 percent of the members are girls and 40 percent are boys. They do not have to be members of a Seventh-day Adventist congregation.

Royal Ambassadors

Founded in 1908 and operated by the Woman’s Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention, Royal Ambassadors includes boys in grades 1 to 6 in about 3,000 churches in the U.S.  Some Southern Baptist churches also have Boy Scout troops.

The logo for Royal Ambassadors, a missions-focused program for elementary school boys. The program is hosted in about 3,000 churches, most of which are Southern Baptist. Photo courtesy Royal Ambassadors

Royal Rangers

Founded in 1962 by the Assemblies of God, Royal Rangers includes boys in kindergarten through 12^th grade in about 4,000 groups in the U.S. Its goal is to provide boys with “Christlike character formation.” The Assemblies of God also hosts about 90 Boy Scout troops.

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The logo for Royal Ambassadors, a missions-focused program for elementary school boys. The program is hosted in about 3,000 churches, most of which are Southern Baptist. Photo courtesy Royal Ambassadors

But they’re not the Boy Scouts.

Across the country, there are decades-old religious alternatives with names like Pathfinders (Seventh-day Adventist), Royal Ambassadors (Southern Baptist) and Royal Rangers (Assemblies of God).

And as the Boy Scouts of America considers whether to change its membership policy to admit gay members (but continue its ban on gay leaders), some of these groups are fielding inquiries from people concerned about the action the BSA may take.

• READ: Evangelical alternatives to the Boy Scouts

James Black, the Seventh-day Adventists’ North American director of youth ministries. Photo courtesy Seventh-day Adventist Church

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Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Pathfinders have been asked about their program in light of the pending Boy Scout vote, said James Black, the Adventists’ North American director of youth ministries.

“If individuals saw the Pathfinders as a viable option for their children, we would welcome them with open arms,” he said.

Some denominational leaders with strong ties to the Boy Scouts —including Roman Catholics and United Methodists —have said they are still mulling the Scouts’ proposed change, which will face a vote during the BSA’s May 22-24 annual meeting.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which hosts more Scouts troops than any other organization, said it is “satisfied that BSA has made a thoughtful, good-faith effort” with the proposed resolution. But Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, said the change “would force sponsoring churches to subordinate their convictions to stay involved with the Boy Scouts.”

Dick Broene, executive director of the Calvinist Cadet Corps, said his evangelical organization heard from Scout leaders who had considered leaving the BSA when it appeared the group might approve including gay leaders. Photo courtesy Calvinist Cadet Corps

A recent story in Baptist Press included tips on how a church can start a Royal Ambassadors program. The missions-focused program for elementary school boys, is hosted in about 3,000 churches, most of which are Southern Baptist.

Steve Heartsill, managing editor of the program’s curriculum, said there has been “some uptick in phone calls” as the vote approaches.

The Assemblies of God offices in Springfield, Mo., have received many calls in the last few months about its Royal Rangers program. “The inquiries come in waves, increasing each time a new report on the topic releases,” the denomination said.

Calvinist Cadet Corps participants from the Grand Rapids North Council meet at a snow derby checkpoint where groups were tested in their knowledge of compass and map reading. Photo courtesy Calvinist Cadet Corps

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Dick Broene, executive director of the Calvinist Cadet Corps, said his evangelical organization heard from Scout leaders who had considered leaving the BSA when it appeared the group might approve including gay leaders. The CCC includes Bible lessons in weekly meetings and connects merit badges to Scripture.

“We are very similar in many ways, with the merit badges and rank advancement, uniforms and emphasis on camping,” said Broene, whose organization drew 1,200 participants to a 2011 triennial camporee in Michigan. “The difference is we have Christ at the heart of everything we do.”

Like the Calvinist Cadet Corps, the CSB (Christian Service Brigade) Ministries is not connected to a particular denomination. It recently moved from Wheaton, Ill., to Hamburg, N.Y. , and has fielded inquiries.

“We are difficult to find,” said Dale Kinkade, CSB Ministries’ Ohio Valley regional director, who is handling Scout-related calls. “Despite that, we have had quite a few inquiries of who and what we are.”

Kinkade said his evangelical group is not as outdoors-oriented as the BSA, but it has a “Shape N Race Derby” that resembles the Scouts’ Pinewood Derby races. It also features the rank of “Herald of Christ,” which is similar to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout.

The CSB (Christian Service Brigade) Ministries (group pictured here) is not connected to a particular denomination and is not as outdoors-oriented as the BSA, but it has a “Shape N Race Derby” that resembles the Scouts’ Pinewood Derby races. It also features the rank of “Herald of Christ,” which is similar to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout. Photo courtesy CSB Ministries

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“Our goal is to go beyond raising up character, and especially in citizenship, but really focuses in on building up a young man who has awareness of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” he said.

Supporters of OnMyHonor.net, a new organization spearheading efforts to oppose the BSA policy change, said in a May 5 simulcast that some Scout-affiliated church groups are considering pulling out if the vote doesn’t go their way. Religious groups charter 70 percent of the Scout-sponsoring organizations.

“That relationship is at risk, as is the future of one of the last nonreligious institutions that has not yielded to political correctness,” said a narrator of the simulcast, which was hosted by the Family Research Council.

Boy Scouts officials are quite aware of the potential effect of a gay-related policy change on their local religious units. According to an executive summary on the BSA website, a change in the youth membership policy “would be consistent with the religious beliefs of the BSA’s major chartered organizations.” A policy change about both leaders and members could cause “membership losses in a range from 100,000 to 350,000.”

Some religious Scout leaders said they have not had any inquiries from people wondering about Scouting alternatives.

“We have no plans to offer alternatives,” said Larry Coppock, the United Methodist Church’s national director of Scouting ministries.

R. Chip Turner, national chairman of the BSA’s Religious Relationships Task Force, said he’s grateful the Scouts delayed the process about a potential policy change. Now, he said, it’s a matter of prayer as the task force gathers at the BSA annual meeting before the vote occurs.

“I have asked several task force members from various faith groups to lead us in a season of prayer for divine guidance in the voting process,” he said.

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Pastor Greg Laurie, the honorary chairman of this year’s National Day of Prayer (May 2), knows a thing or two about prayer in tough times. Photo courtesy A. Larry Ross Communications

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(RNS) Pastor Greg Laurie knows a thing or two about prayer in tough times.

The honorary chairman of this year’s National Day of Prayer (Thursday, May 2) says prayer was the only thing that got him through his son’s death five years ago. When fellow megachurch pastor Rick Warren lost his son Matthew to suicide, Laurie was the man he most wanted to hear from.

Laurie, 60, who leads the evangelical Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., talked about prayer, grief and what not to say when a friend’s loved one dies. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: The prayer you wrote for the National Day of Prayer mentions “random acts of horrific violence.” How did you pray after the Boston Marathon bombings?

A: I prayed that comfort would be extended to those who had lost loved ones. I prayed for those who were injured. And I prayed for no more of these attacks to happen.

Q: Then there was an explosion at the Texas fertilizer plant. How did you pray about that?

A: Anytime there’s human suffering and anytime people have lost loved ones, I pray that God will extend comfort to them because, having had our own son die five years ago, I’ve been up close and personal with grief and I know the very real pain that it brings into a person’s life.

Q: It’s been a difficult month for the nation with these back-to-back tragedies. Do you think people should be more drawn to prayer in times like this, or is it wrong to mostly call on God when we’re in need?

A: I don’t think it’s ever wrong to call on God. Certainly it’s far better if we’re calling on him all the time. Quite frankly, sometimes crisis is what shows us a need that we had all along, which was the need to pray.

Q: Can you discuss your role in talking to Rick Warren after he lost his son to suicide?

A: I called him the day after it happened and he said, “You’re the one person I’ve been waiting to hear from.” We talked for a while about it. We prayed. I shared some things that I learned over the years after losing our own son and then I spoke just last Sunday at Saddleback Church. I brought a message of hope and encouragement to his congregation.

Q: What was your major piece of advice for them?

A: I said, I just want you to know that Rick is going to come through this. He’s going to come through this stronger but I also want you to know this is the hardest thing that can happen to a parent — to lose a child.

Greg Laurie preaches at a Harvest event. Photo courtesy A. Larry Ross Communications

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Q: What should people not say when a friend is grieving the loss of a child?

A: Don’t say, “I know what you’re going through” because you probably don’t.

I’ve had people come up to me and say, “I know what you’re going through. My grandmother just died.” And I pointed out that everyone’s grandmother and grandfather will die, then their parents, then them. But no one expects their child to die before them.

Or saying things like “Well, just rejoice and smile they’re in heaven.” Understand that though that is technically true, it is also true that that person is in deep pain and that can come off almost glib and uncaring.

Q: Can you talk briefly about your son’s death?

A: He was 33. He was actually working for our church as our lead designer and was on his way to work and had an automobile accident and died.

Q: Has that experience changed the way you approach prayer?

A: It has shown me how much I need to pray. When it was all said and done, being a preacher didn’t give me a leg up on this. I still was a grieving father missing a son. And in the initial moments after it happens, and the hours and the days after that, one wonders if you can even survive such a thing. I’ve found that prayer is what got me through the day. Sometimes it wasn’t so much day by day, it was even hour by hour.

Q: So what’s the message you’re going to bring to Capitol Hill on the National Day of Prayer?

A: I am going to talk about how God promises to heal a nation if we will pray. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 he says, “If my people which are called by name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I’ll forgive their sin and heal their land.”

What I find interesting about that verse is God is not pointing his finger at the White House, so to speak, but at his house. I think that it’s very easy for people in the church to point their fingers at Washington or Hollywood. In effect, God points his finger at his own people.

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Clergy from across the country who support the launch of the African-American Church Gun Control Coalition stand together at Nineteenth Baptist Church on Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Washington. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks

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At meetings held Tuesday (April 23) in Washington and Los Angeles, supporters of the African-American Church Gun Control Coalition called gun violence “both a sin and a public health crisis” and committed to a three-year action plan of advocacy, education and legislative responses.

“As people of God and as faithful members we have the obligation to stir the world’s conscience and to call on our nation’s decision makers to do what is just and right,” said the Rev. Carroll Baltimore, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, which convened the coalition.

The Rev. Carroll Baltimore, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, announces the launch of the African-American Church Gun Control Coalition on Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Washington. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks

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“African-American clergy leaders hear daily the cries of the parents, family and friends of those whose precious lives have been snuffed out by guns and other types of violence.”

Denominational leaders have joined in recent multifaith calls to address gun violence, especially after December’s deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn. But the Rev. Stephen Thurston, president of the National Baptist Convention of America, said black pastors have dealt with such violence long before attention was drawn to gun violence in predominantly white communities.

“This is what happens every day and every week in America in some urban city,” he said before the coalition meeting. “Within the black community, it has been happening for so long.”

Gun violence is the leading cause of death of black males ages 15-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Children’s Defense Fund reported that in 2009 black male teens were eight times more likely to die from gun violence than white teenage males.

The clergy blasted the Senate for defeating legislation to expand background checks and ban assault weapons, but vowed to continue to work for stronger legislation and safer neighborhoods.

“I think we’re more empowered, more fired up to make some changes,” said the Rev. Cynthia Hale, senior pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Ga.

The Rev. Cynthia Hale, pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Ga., speaks at the launch of the African-American Church Gun Control Coalition on Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Washington. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks

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At the Washington meeting, dozens of clergy heard from gun control advocates and political leaders, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Rep. Marcia Fudge, (D-Ohio), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Other denominations supporting the new coalition include the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Church of God in Christ, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and National Baptist Convention, USA.

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