"Did you know your First Amendment rights have evaporated?”* This was the question posed to hundreds of fairgoers at the Napa Town and Country Fair, Aug. 10 to 14, at a booth sponsored by the Napa Valley chapter of the North American Religious Liberty Association. Sporting a bright NARLA banner and a sign reading: “Maintain the Wall of Separation Between Church and State,” the booth proved a popular spot for conversation.

Some 90 people signed petitions in support of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act. Hundreds accepted literature, including “Written in the Heart,” a brochure about the Ten Commandments, and “A Quick Guide to the Religion Clauses” describing First Amendment rights. Some fairgoers were surprised that staffers could produce copies of the actual bill and were so well informed.

The booth was situated between the two political parties, so many stopped to inquire about their political leanings. The booth was also across from a Planned Parenthood booth that generated considerable controversy. Ironically, many of those who expressed concern about the erosion of their First Amendment rights were quick to urge that Planned Parenthood be deprived of theirs. “What can we do to get rid of that awful booth,” they asked?

The PARL booth was organized by Dan and Jodi Shavlik, religious liberty leaders at the St. Helena Church, and Ken and Leta Juler, religious liberty leaders at the Angwin Village Church. More than a dozen church members, mostly from the St. Helena and Yountville churches, staffed the booth in three hour shifts for the five days of the fair.

Meanwhile, John Spoto organized a religious liberty booth at the Trinity County Fair in early July as an outreach of the Hayfork church. The theme of respect for personal liberty was very popular among fairgoers in rural Trinity County and was an excellent bridge-builder for the church. The Hayfork booth utilized a display provided by the Pacific Union that is available to any church willing to conduct a fair booth. Brochures were also supplied and distributed.

For information on how your church can conduct a fair booth, or a booth at a local farmer’s or flea market, contact the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department at parl@puconline.org or by calling 805-413-7396.