In Teller County, CO, where Andrew Wommack Ministries International (AWMI) is located, casinos are allowed to manipulate numbers so they can exceed the COVID 175-person gathering limit. Yet, AWMI faces "jail time and fines" for holding religious meetings and worship. The message is clear - CO Gov. Jared Polis values the massive tax revenue from gambling establishments over the unalienable right of churches to meet and worship God. Read on to learn the disturbing facts in our case defending AWMI and Charis Bible College. – Mat

Teller County is to Colorado what Las Vegas is to Nevada.

The City of Cripple Creek, which is home to 12 casinos, and Teller County rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars every month from casino tax revenue. Teller County favors casinos with a "wink and a nod" by allowing them to manipulate the number of people in their buildings in order to well exceed the 175-person limit that Gov. Polis has dictated to other establishments.

The county has simply not enforced the 175-person limit on casinos. The single biggest source of revenue for the county comes from the casino tax. Of the 12 casinos, 11 operate 24/7 with little or no regard for social distancing.

People from around the state and the country flock to these casinos fueling the county's tax revenue via "games of chance," many of which require patrons to sit or stand in close proximity.

Yet the same gracious treatment is not being extended to AWMI and Charis Bible College, which remain restricted to 175 people maximum even though their facilities can accommodate over 5,000 people.

Gov. Polis has issued about 60 executive orders since March. In every one, he gives preferential treatment to nonreligious gatherings over religious gatherings. On September 15, he listed nearly 100 "critical businesses" that are exempt from numerical limits, but he continues to suppress houses of worship.

The virus does not discriminate between nonreligious and religious meetings, but Gov. Polis does. And that's unconstitutional!

While giving preferential treatment to casinos, Gov. Polis and Teller County are trying to STOP AWMI's ministers' conference, set to begin tonight.

Within three hours of our filing a request for an emergency hearing with the Court of Appeals last Thursday, the Court ordered Gov. Polis to respond by 5:00 PM yesterday. We could get a preliminary ruling today. Please, lift this case up in prayer!

By allowing casinos and resorts to operate under relaxed rules, while simultaneously holding AWMI under a stricter standard is obvious and blatant discrimination against religious gatherings and worship. It is also a clear violation of the First Amendment.

Teller County and the State of Colorado value gambling over houses of worship, but the First Amendment demands just the opposite!

STOP DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HOUSES OF WORSHIP!

Our lawsuit in Colorado is one of our six cases at federal Courts of Appeal. These include California, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, Maine and Colorado.

This week, we will be submitting our petition to the U.S. Supreme Court requesting a full-panel review of our Illinois case. Liberty Counsel represents immigrant Romanian churches being illegally and unconstitutionally restricted and threatened by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

As you may recall, this is the case where the City of Chicago has threatened to seize and destroy church buildings should they continue to hold church with more than 10 people. Many of our other cases are also making their way through the courts of appeal, and one or more may also wind up at the Supreme Court, as well.

Our current case load also includes our continued defense of Sandra Merritt, the brave woman who exposed Planned Parenthood's gruesome "Baby Parts for Sale" travesty.

Our other cases include defending Kim Davis – the Kentucky Clerk who took a courageous stand against "gay marriage." And there are the Christian symbols cases – defending the right to display a Christmas nativity scene and/or a Christian flag. And we have two vital "change counseling" cases moving through the appellate courts defending the right of people to seek Bible-based Christian counseling for unwanted same sex attractions.

In the next several weeks, we will be presenting seven oral arguments at different courts of appeal regarding churches, change counseling, censorship of Christian viewpoints and the Ten Commandments.

There has never been a time in Liberty Counsel's 31-year history in which we have had to defend so many religious freedom cases at the same time. Our resources have been stretched like never before. That's why I am asking you to now, please, step up like never before.

YOUR generosity ensures that Christians, ministers, churches, sidewalk counselors, and others under attack have a free legal defense. Liberty Counsel NEVER charges clients for our legal work. Instead, we rely on God's provision through faithful friends like you.

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Thank you in advance and may God bless you and your loved ones!

Mat Staver,
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

P.S. As I mentioned, we have several religious freedom cases coming before the U.S. Supreme Court. Unless Judge Amy Coney Barrett is immediately confirmed, these cases and many more could be in limbo.

Please, take a moment RIGHT NOW to tell the Senate to FILL THAT SEAT! Select here or the button below.

P.P.S. Your financial support is needed like never before to ensure religious liberty remains a free and an unalienable right for ALL. Please, give generously TODAY to ensure churches can remain open tomorrow! Select here or the button below.