Nearly 30 years ago, Don Ammon, now president and CEO of Adventist Health, met a young Jewish attorney associated with the law firm representing Adventist Health. He took an immediate liking to him. Ever since, Jeffrey A. Berman has been representing Adventist Health and other Seventh-day Adventist institutions on labor law issues, and in particular, defending the constitutional freedom of religious institutions to practice their faith.

Over the years, Berman has appeared or filed briefs in numerous state and Federal courts defending the constitutional freedom of religion. It was a privilege, therefore, to be able to nominate Berman to receive a special award honoring his years of service to the cause of religious freedom at the church’s annual Liberty banquet in Washington, D.C., May 4.

The keynote speaker for this year’s banquet was Arizona Senator John McCain, who praised the Seventh-day Adventist Church for its commitment to defending religious liberty for people of all faiths. McCain spoke about the necessity of a human rights based foreign policy. He challenged us to learn the historical lesson that support for dictators who oppress their own citizens while they “pledge their love for America” has had dire implications for our own security and economic interests. The banquet was well-attended by dozens of diplomats, representatives from Congress, the interfaith community, and more than 50 members of the North American Religious Liberty Association, including almost two dozen members from the Pacific Union.

The banquet was part of a weekend of events sponsored by the North American Religious Liberty Association, beginning on Thursday with advocacy training and congressional lobby visits, and culminating in a Friday evening prophecy seminar and the observance of "Written in the Heart" Sabbath.

On Thursday afternoon, NARLA members formed small groups and visited more than 30 congressional offices, making substantial progress in obtaining support from key senators and House members. Two bills were the subject of lobby efforts: the Workplace Religious Freedom Act and a bill to subject tobacco to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration.