March 18, 2004

Dear Countryside Board of Trustees,

On February 10, I came to the new Countryside facility to attend the forum for the mayoral candidates for the City of Jefferson, as organized by WFAW and the Chamber of Commerce. I had heard that Countryside was eager to open its new building to the public and to open its meeting spaces to civic events.

I was surprised to see an altar and a large cross at the front of the room. I felt like I was in a Lutheran church, yet I knew I was in a public facility. I knew that according to the First Amendment of the Constitution, it is not the job of government to be assisting religions.

As I asked questions about the origin of the cross and altar, at first I was told the cross was new but had been purchased with donated funds. I was told the altar had been present at the old Countryside facility for many years.

Later, Rev. Nancy Carmichael of the Immanuel United Methodist Church told me that she believed the cross was chosen and purchased by a committee at Countryside, purchased by the County at a cost of more than $1,000, then added to the “adopt an item” brochure. After that, her church donated $1,000 and a private donor supplied the remainder of the cost of the cross.

I'm still trying to confirm all these details. I don't know the full story of how this cross came to be bolted to the wall. Perhaps the committee that chose it was composed of volunteers and not County employees. Perhaps no County employee time, committee time or funds were used to purchase it.

Don't get me wrong. I am not opposing the use of this room for religious services. These services are a dedicated volunteer effort by our local churches to fulfill the spiritual needs of those Countryside residents who wish to attend their respective meetings. Finding ways to meet the spiritual interests of residents is a Federally-sanctioned function of a nursing home. My thanks to Earlene Ronk for showing me the regulations about this.

On the other hand, if this space is used by all residents of Countryside at other times, by believers of all faiths and non-believers alike, as well as open to public events, then we need to create and foster a space that is accommodating to all. Storing an altar and permanently affixing a large, expensive cross to the wall of a large, open room in a public facility makes people feel like they are in a state-sponsored church.

The government should not be favoring any one class of users of this room over another, particularly regarding an issue as deeply personal and potentially divisive as religion. This is the way our form of government protects the expression of religion, and prevents any one religion or sect from overpowering another through government-sponsored action.

I hope that the County and this Board will examine this issue and help formulate new policies to dictate how religious services can be conducted without imposing one religion over the rest of the users of the room.

For example, I hope the issue can be resolved by finding a way to put the cross on a new stand on wheels. As I understand it, the altar is already on wheels. By moving the cross, altar and the other religious articles out of the room when religious meetings are not in session, the room becomes the public space that you intended it to be.

Sincerely,

John Foust