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On Wednesday, May 2, 2001, the Ohio Chapter of The National Reform Association (OCNRA) participated in a "Pro-Family Lobby Day," to bring explicitly Christian politics to the Ohio State Capital in Columbus. Bernard B. Kromer, the Ohio State Chapter Executive Director, and Bill Pikor, Ohio State Chapter Treasurer, attended the event with more than sixty-five activists, including those from "pro-family" groups.

We broke into teams of three, based upon geographical locations. The legislators had appointments fixed in advance with each team from their own area or nearby.

Prior to the conferences with the individual legislators or key members of their staff, a session was conducted on how to lobby legislators effectively. Each lobbyist was given a packet with talking points concerning the issues soon to be coming up for a vote that were of importance to the group. Teams were advised to politely state their points. Nevertheless, our team challenged legislators who had problematic positions, conflicting with an explicitly Christian worldview.

We handed out copies of Explicitly Christian Politics to selected Assemblymen, along with a packet that included The Christian Statesman, the NRA Mission Statement, an Ohio Chapter Mission Statement, and a membership form that included a subscription to The Christian Statesman

This forum provided an excellent opportunity for us to network with other pro-life, pro-family groups from across the state, helping them to recognize the difference between pro-family groups and an explicitly Christian political worldview.

The highlight of the conference materialized as Mark Hamilton, Ph.D., chairman of the Philosophy Department at Ashland University, and a minister at Providence Church in Ashland, powerfully debated the Faith-Based Initiative with two other members of the three-person panel. Dr. Hamilton presented the explicitly Christian view of politics, maintaining that the church is not subject to the government; moreover, that our government has not recognized the rule and reign of Jesus Christ overall, making the Faith-Based Initiative unsuitable. The Faith-Based Initiative would accept pagans on an equal basis with Christianity. While Dr. Hamilton was imparting the Reformed view, Kromer recalled an article that Hamilton wrote in the March-April, 2001 issue of The Christian Statesman on the same topic.

Fortuitously, Kromer knew the moderator, Barry Sheets, and had the opportunity to quietly mention to him that he had brought along several issues of The Christian Statesman containing Hamilton's article, "State Grants to Faith-Based Organizations: Some Questions to Ponder."

The moderator gave Kromer the floor immediately following the debate. It was a golden opportunity for him to tell the audience about the copies of that issue of The Christian Statesman . He added, "If you are interested in a subscription, pick up a handout packet."

The audience's response was immediate and energized. All the copies were gobbled up by hungry-souls, yearning for the explicitly Christian worldview. When people hear the Reformed message, it strikes a chord within them, if they are of the elect. The truth sets us free.

We will be meeting with pro-life, pro-family groups around the state on a regular basis--always presenting the explicitly Christian worldview. We intend to use this format to seek out those Christians who are willing to embrace the explicitly Christian worldview and would be interested in starting their own county chapters under the Ohio Chapter of The National Reform Association.

Additional meetings have been organized to discuss the groundwork for holding a Reformed Worldview Seminar with Ohio State legislators.

For the Advancment of Christ's Victorious Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, Sincerely, Bernard "Bernie" B. Kromer, Executive Director OHIO CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL REFORM ASSOCIATION P. O. Box 101, Willoughby, OH 44096-0101.

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