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Published: April 21, 2008
Updated: April 22, 2008
MAYODAN — A Mayodan church publicly calling for the defeat of a May 6 ballot issue for the sale of liquor by the drink is being investigated by the state Board of Elections for failing to file as a political committee.
Tina Cardwell, deputy director of the Rockingham County Board of Elections, said her office was obliged to intervene after it received several reports from Mayodan residents. The committee set up to advocate liquor by the drink, Yes For Progress, sent the election board a complaint April 15. It said the church group was doing the same type of publicity as Yes For Progress but failed to file with the county or admit that a church must follow the same laws as other groups.
The elections board sent a letter to the Rev. Paul Sisk, pastor of West Side Baptist, notifying him the church was trying to influence a public vote and would need to file with the Board of Elections. The group would then report the sources of money that paid for publicity, like fliers or tracts urging people to vote against liquor by the drink.
In response, Cardwell said the BOE received a letter from Gibbs Law Firm, of Seminole, Fla., on behalf of West Side Baptist Church. Attorney David Gibbs wrote that state law defines a referen-dum committee as being assembled for the primary purpose of supporting or opposing the passage of a ballot referendum. Gibbs said West Side Baptist’s primary purpose was to spread Christianity, not to oppose a ballot issue.
“As such, it is not a ‘referendum committee’ as defined by the North Carolina General Statutes and, therefore not subject to any of the registration requirements set forth in Chapter 163, including the filing of a ‘Statement of Purpose,’” Gibbs wrote.
The N.C. 2008-09 Campaign Finance Manual says a referendum committee must declare its purpose for organization and must comply with the state laws for collecting and spending money to publicly oppose or support a ballot issue. The manual does not restrict what or how committees present arguments for or against.
The letter closes with the statement that the church wishes for an amicable resolution, but it will “vigorously pursue and protect their rights” if need be.
At receipt of Gibbs’ letter, the case was referred to the state board for investigation.
“We have received a complaint about the group and have begun an investigation,” said Adam Ragan, a compliance specialist for the campaign finance division of the state BOE.
Ragan said he could not comment on the investigation until its completion, but if the state board rules against the church group, the punishment may vary.
The statute says a group refusing to comply could face a civil case or criminal prosecution by the local district attorney. Ragan said the Internal Revenue Service has the right to withdraw a church’s tax-exempt status if it violates political participation guidelines.
Sisk said the church group will not file with the BOE.
“Because, according to the law, we are exempt from going to the election board,” Sisk said. “We are a church, not a committee.”
Sisk said the church opposed the same issue in 2004, but it was not required to file. That was the first year the requirement was law and compliance was not policed, so referendum committees presented public messages without being contacted by the BOE. Sisk said he assumed nothing had changed in the past three years.
“I had no idea we had to go to the Board of Elections because this is a moral issue, it’s a Bible issue and we’re just trying to warn people about the dangers of alcohol,” Sisk said.
Sisk said church members regularly go door-to-door handing out gospel tracts printed by the church but had no government interference until a vote was mentioned.
The church, he said, will push the issue “(A)s far as our lawyer says we can go.”
A message left with Gibbs Law Firm was not returned.
Staff writer Heather J. Smith can be reached at or 623-2155, ext. 15.
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Reader Reactions
I am 100% behind WestSide Baptist on this issue. It is a great church and it stands on the true word of God. People are only getting bad because they are in the wrong. If people would read their Bible then they would see that they are in the wrong. Don’t give me that excuse that it will bring businesses in. I live in Eden and since we have passed that bill we have only had a couple of businesses that has moved in to Eden since then.If peole would look around they will see that drinking is not the way to go. It tears families and houses apart. I think that what Westside Baptist did is not in the wrong, it is in the right. God bless…
This is ridiculous. If I had a whistle I would blow it or put my hands up in a “T” sign for time-out. The facts are simple: The Bible says you have to obey the laws of Caesar as well as the law of God. The LAW says you have to register as a political committee to campaign. Mr. Sisk says he won’t. Fine. Distributing gospel tracts is not against the law but once you utter the word V-O-T-E it does become a political matter, once you harass voters of a differing opinion it becomes a political matter, once you post signs and hand out fictitious material in opposition it becomes a political matter. Laws are in place to protect all of us regardless of what side of the issue you are on and like all the other laws on the books we have to obey them whether we like them, agree with them, or not.
Beer and wine are both readily available in stores and restaurants in Mayodan. 1 oz. of liquor, 4 oz. of wine, and 12 oz. of beer are equal. At $2 for a beer, $4 for a glass of wine, and $6+ for a mixed drink what is a true drinker going to choose? There have been establishments that served alcohol in Mayodan as long as I can remember and I am a life-long resident. Where have all these people so caught up with this issue been all my life? Why aren’t they on the streets day in and out? Drunk driving is not going to be invented due to this referendum. Not one of our neighboring towns has seen an increase due to serving mixed beverages. An overwhelming majority of fatalities and incidents involving impaired drivers are due to a person leaving a party or a private home, not a restaurant.
I too grew up in an alcoholic home of epic proportions but the alcoholism wasn’t due to a mixed drink in a restaurant. My parent CHOSE to drink which ultimately led to their death and yes, they asked for forgiveness from our loving and forgiving God. We didn’t have mixed drinks then so how could this have happened? It happened because a person made a bad choice and had nothing to do with availability of a mixed drink in a restaurant.
For all these so called opponents of this issue: I challenge you to make sure when you are conducting your own lives you are not frequenting establishments that sale alcohol at all, and that includes the grocery stores, the big box stores, the mom ‘n pop shop on the corner, the chop-chop steakhouses, the bloomin’ onion places, and when you sneak away down to Myrtle Beach. Put your money where your mouth is. I would bet you can’t do it.
This is purely an economic issue to help Mayodan remain competitive. We need more restaurants and a place of lodging to draw in traffic from I-73. This is the way of the world and that’s just the way it is. The restaurants won’t come without mixed drinks. Motels won’t come without an anchor restaurant. Without this referendum we all lose. I am a Christian and I will be voting FOR on May 6th and I will pray that God continues to bless us all.
When Peter and the other apostles were beaten and jailed in Acts, chapters 4-5 for preaching among other things, repentance, and for having “filled Jerusalem with your doctrine”, which means teaching, they replied to the “religious” leaders of that time, “We ought to obey God rather than men.“ It seems to me that a lot of “religious” people are upset, not that Bro. Sisk and our church has broken some kind of law, but that we stand against an activity that the Word of God pronounces a woe upon, and clearly calls SIN. The Apostle Paul, writer of 14 books in the New Testament, and a man who spent most of his Christian life in jail for refusing to quit preaching on the sins of his day, said in Galatians 5:19-21, “that they which do such things (drunkenness) shall not inherit the kingdom of God.“ I have been a proud member of West Side Baptist Church for 21 years and I thank God for a real man of God who isn’t afraid to preach the entire Bible, and call sin what it is. Most so-called preachers in this county wouldn’t yell fire if your house was burning. Under the ministry of West Side the Lord has allowed my wife and I to raise two fine daughters who have NEVER tasted alcohol. They were saved at an early age and are now married to God preachers themselves. We are not perfect, but we do desire to live for Christ and obey His commands. I lived in the home of an alcoholic for 17 years and there is nothing good that can be said FOR strong-drink. I encourage
you to copy and paste the link below into your web browser, and look at just one of the results of driving under the influence of alcohol. Some have said that it is no one else’s business what another man does in the privacy of his own home, and I as a proud American, agree (although it really is God’s business, to whom we ALL inevitably must answer). But when another man drinks alcohol in a public establishment and then drives his automobile on the same road as I, I think it does become my business. Those of you who intend to vote FOR, please look at the website below. If this were to happen to one your loved ones here in the “fair city” of Mayodan, would you want to change your vote?
www.helpjacqui.com/home.htm
To MS and Pastor Jim that are in favor of Westside…I think you too are taking this issue incorrectly. I also am a Christian, and I’m not saying it’s right to drink, however it is a persons choice. If the only way to bring new restraunts in to my town(and I say mine because I live and pay taxes here) is to offer alcohol, then that’s what we have to do. I do not know you, but I do know Jim is a pastor in Eden. Eden voted in the mix-drink referendum, and have got new restraunts because of this. I personally have seen members of Westside in a restraunt in Madison that serves alcohol, however I did not see them drink. That is the point…if you can go somewhere outside your town that serves it, what is the difference in having it in Mayodan. Most people have an open mind about this, and realize we are not advocating for people to drink, we are merely asking for it to be an option, in order for Mayodan to grow. Voting “For” on May 6th, will allow this growth!
So Pastor Jim and ms do you care about laws? Seems that estside has no regard for them. I too beleive in doing Gods will and his works. Where was Westside last weekend when the churchs in the area were participating in the “In as Much” efforts giving back to the town and helping the needy and visting people? Instead it seems to me they chose to spend their time breaking the law. I would have NO problem with this group if they complied with the laws of the town and state. Once they chose the path of noncompliance they lost my ear to hear them. I attend church (Baptist) every Sunday in the fair city of Mayodan as I have for the last 40+ years. I resent being lumped in with a group of law breaks that hide behind the bible and God for the excuse to break the law. No wonder most of this country see religion as a joke. I would too if all I had as an example was Westside. I have had no problem with the way this church choses to worship or come to my house to tell their side of the bible, I do have a problem when they come to my house ask how i am going to vote and then tell me what horrible things are going to happen to me if I don’t go their way. If you want to get into politics just pay taxes to the city your church calls home and register as a committee and I will be willing to listen to your points. I would love to visit this church but I hear I would not be welcome because I do not dress or act like them therefore I can’t worship with them. I think Jesus said for ALL TO COME UNTO HIM. What an opportunity Westside has to be an example in the media by admitting they did wrong and wanting to correct the mistakes they have made, the impact would be HUGE!
If it weren’t for old time Christians, who were not afraid of what other people thought of them, we would not be allowed to worship as we do today.God’s people have the right to speak their beliefs as well. However, they have a duty to do what God told them to do. If our preachers, and God’s people do not speak out against wrongdoing, who will?
It is wrong to drink alcohol, and get behind the wheel of a car. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.“
I care more about standing before God,
and giving an account, that about what people say about me.
Thank God for old time christians who still hold true to the Bible. The no vote is a moral issue, a Bible issue. Many think liqour by the drink is good for the local economy, but the destruction of homes, and lives shows us a different picture. The true picture!
Drinking is a sin…..Vote NO!
God bless the Westside Baptist Church.
The last comment by MS & Bro Tom shows they are obviously members of this cult. They speak of sin & preaching against it. You and this cult leader can do that all you want, (IN CHURCH). But when you bring it to my door after you have lied, stole and broke the law, your crediablity is gone as a church. Standing in front of the bible & using it to futher one denomination belief’s, is not moral and is a sin itself. Get off of the preacher doing GOD’s work. He would not approve of this method. This pastor has crossed the line, not only will the state be investigating him, but maybe a federal agency will be to.(You know the one that monitors TAX Exempt oganizations). The citizens of this city should rally against this illegal interference and and stop this nut by initiating a law suit for the right to choose without interference from someone breaking laws to prevent a fair election. I believe this man is his own worst enemy. His time will come, its a shame he will lead others to a disgraceful losing cause. STOP THIS MAN & HIS CULT !!!
I too lived in a house (in Mayodan) that drinking was in control but that was a bad choice that a parent made not whether it was available at a eating establishment. Is this church currently protesting the stores where beer and wine are sold everyday in Mayodan? I only see them at my door when this issue comes up on the ballot. My parent never went out to eat and drank. They made a bad choice and 40 years ago they saw the error of their ways and was saved too, and never drank another drop again(PRAISE GOD) but they agree today that this town needs HELP with taxes and jobs. They have enough common sense to see that is NOT ABOUT GOD.
The church is under investigation for breaking laws and rules. Mr. Sisk seems to have trouble in this area of his life.(I will pray for you tonight to overcome this habit) I could not support a church that lies and breaks laws and puts fear in folks that does not think like him. Shame on Westside for not complying with the laws and causing this to become about them and not the real issue at hand. I would never promote drunkness or breaking the law. If this church truly wants to help this community start tracking down the drug dealers and users and stand up for something we can all get behind and support and leave the politics to the tax paying citizens of Mayodan or start paying your taxes and register as a committee and stop hiding behind a lawyer and say anything you want if you live in this town as i do, OTHERWISE be a law abiding church.
VOTE FOR MAYODAN ON MAY 6TH.
For those of you, who think this church does not care about souls…. My father had drank all his life. The people from West Side Church visited my father and led him to the Lord. He was 55 years old
then. He never drank again, and lived for God the rest of his life. He is no longer living, but because of that visit, and many prayers of Christian people, his life was changed.I lived first hand my whole life, in an alcoholic home. Do you know what it’s like when the grocery money is gone,
you don’t have good enough clothes to wear, your Mother is crying? That becomes your daily life.
May God Almighty have mercy on us all.
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