Senior Center

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They were only one small group of people.  But the senior citizens that attended the Balch Springs Senior Center were not about to give up their rights to worship Christ publicly.
 
For 20 years, the senior center was filled with the sounds of gospel music, prayer, and the preaching of a local retired pastor. That is, until the summer of 2003 when the city suddenly demanded that all mealtime prayers, gospel music, and “religious messages” cease immediately.  No other group was censored, only Christians.

The seniors could have surrendered their rights, abandoned their beliefs, and accepted the city’s new policy. But one by one, each of these seniors came to the decision that they would not be bullied.
 
The city responded by firing the center’s events planner and bus driver, refusing even to take the seniors to get their prescriptions filled.  At one point, the meal service to the center was even threatened.

An ADF allied attorney stepped in to help and a lawsuit was filed to protect the seniors’ religious liberties. The Department of Justice got involved as well. The city finally agreed that their actions violated the Free Speech rights of the senior citizens.

Their victory not only reaffirmed the religious freedoms of every American, no matter what their age, but it also proved that with prayer and the courage to stand up for what’s right one small group of people can make a difference.