Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

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1. CAROLINA JOURNAL: DEI Tug-of-War in Wake County Schools Stirs Tensions Among Board, Parents

“Amid new Trump-era policies abandoning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) has chosen not to dismantle its own Office of Equity Affairs, prompting some North Carolinians to warn of potential funding cuts that could impact the district.

Tuesday night’s WCPSS board meeting revealed deepening divisions over DEI policies, with heated exchanges between supporters and critics. Seven of the nine board members are Democrats who have allowed the district’s DEI policies to remain intact. Proponents point to protections for marginalized students, while opponents point to the division and harm created by the policies.”

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/dei-tug-of-war-in-wake-county-schools-stirs-tensions-among-board-parents/

2. FOX NEWS: Trump Signs Executive Order to ‘Aggressively’ Make IVF More Affordable and Accessible

“IVF treatments are notoriously expensive and can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a single round. Many women require multiple rounds, and there is no guarantee of success.

Trump’s announcement, which was short on details, came after he faced intense scrutiny from Democrats for his role in appointing Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, sending the issue of abortion back to the states.

Trump has tried to present himself as moderate on the issue, going as far as declaring himself ‘very strong on women’s reproductive rights.’”

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/promises-kept-trump-signs-executive-order-aggressively-make-ivf-more-affordable-accessible

3. FOX NEWS: Pro-Life Leaders Urge Trump to Reverse His IVF Stand, Say the Technology is ‘Not Pro-Life’

“Some key pro-life activists are raising ethical questions about President Donald Trump’s executive order to expand access to pricey in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, arguing the technology ‘is not pro-life’ because some embryos ‘are destroyed’ in the process.”

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pro-life-leaders-urge-trump-reverse-his-ivf-stand-say-technology-not-pro-life

4. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Out-of-State Donors Account for 70% of NC Democratic Party’s Fundraising in 2024 Cycle

“The 2024 election cycle in North Carolina highlighted stark differences in fundraising between Democrats and Republicans, with the Democratic Party relying heavily on out-of-state donors while the GOP drew more support from in-state contributors.

Over 70% of individual contributions to the North Carolina Republican Party came from within the state for the 2024 election cycle, while over 70% of the NC Democratic Party’s individual contributions came from out-of-state, according to 2024 election data from the State Board of Elections. Democrats raised about $5.4 million from individual donors, with 78.5%, or $4.2 million, coming from outside of North Carolina. Only 21.5%, or $1 million, came from in-state donors, reflecting a heavy dependence on external fundraising.”

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/out-of-state-donors-account-for-70-of-nc-democratic-partys-fundraising-in-2024-cycle/

5. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Griffin Opposes SCONC Appeals Court in Election Dispute

“Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin urged that court Wednesday not to bypass North Carolina’s second-highest court to address Griffin’s election dispute. The State Board of Elections and Democratic candidate Allison Riggs support moving the case directly to the high court.

Griffin, a state Appeals Court judge, trails the appointed incumbent Justice Riggs by 734 votes out of 5.5 million ballots cast in the Nov. 5 election. Two recounts have confirmed Riggs’ lead. Yet Griffin is asking state courts to throw out more than 65,000 votes.

A Jan. 7 stay from the state Supreme Court has blocked the elections board from certifying Riggs as the election’s winner.”

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/griffin-opposes-sconc-bypassing-appeals-court-in-election-dispute/

Weekly Prayer: Family

LORD, we cry out to you as Father. You are a model of the love, mercy, and authority of the perfect parent. We thank you for modeling for us what every parent should strive for, and for creating this wonderful institution called family.

LORD, we thank you for creating us with a basic nature designed to not be alone. You made us to desire the intimacy of relationships, and it is here where we experience joys indescribable: the joys of marriage, the joys of having children; the joys of seeing our children have children. What a blessing and mercy you gave us in the family! In it we find our first teachers, our first guardians, and our first authorities.

LORD, we recognize how deeply you love your children, and how deeply it pains you when they go astray. Alongside our adoration and thanksgiving, we pray in confession—as individuals and as members of larger communities—over any sins we may have committed that undermine your beloved institution. Forgive us when we endanger your institution through selfishness and arrogance. Forgive our communities and nation for attempting to redefine some of the most basic and deepest parts of being human—being made male and female, having lifelong marriage vows and responsibilities, and having parental rights over educating one’s children.

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-17)

Amen

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values