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.

We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!

1. CELEBRATION: Thank You For Joining Us at Our Celebration

We wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for those who were able to attend the NC Values Celebration of Carolina Values in Charlotte! Your presence and continued support are invaluable to our mission.

If you believe in the work that we are doing, would you consider making a donation today? Your one-time or monthly gift helps us advance the values of life, family, and religious freedom across North Carolina.

Visit ncvalues.org/gift to make a contribution today and be part of this vital effort.

2. SAVE THE DATE: Come Join Us on Wednesday, April 30th, at Our Upcoming Day of Action

Our annual Legislative Day of Action is on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025. We’ll be meeting starting at 9:00am in front of the Legislative Building (16 W Jones St., Raleigh, NC).

We could use your help. Our Legislative Day of Action is one of the opportunites we provide to help you share your voice with your representatives. This year, our legislative effort is focused on the Women’s Safety and Protection Act (SB 516/HB 791).

If this issue is important to you, would you consider joining us for our day of action?

We hope to see you in the capital. If you would like to join us, contact Corrie at [email protected]. Visit ncvalues.org/action to learn more.

3. THE CONSERVATEUR: Payton McNabb Was Made for Such a Time as This

“Since she was five years old, Payton had been a three-sport athlete. Her high school’s graduating class was only 30 kids, so it was not uncommon for  the same girls to play all the same sports to ensure there were enough players to compete. Payton happily offered her talents to the women’s  basketball, softball, and volleyball teams, where she served as co-captain her junior year.

But the excitement of the season was soon soured by the specter of gender ideology: a transgender-identifying  man on the high school women’s  volleyball circuit. He had been rumored on the  scene for years but became a serious  problem once he hit puberty. It was little discussed in the area so  as not to ruffle any feathers.

‘We had to practice to prepare for just him,’ Payton told The Conservateur. ‘We just based everything around him because he was the only reason they were winning.’

But nothing could have prepared her for what came next.”

Read more: https://www.theconservateur.com/features/payton-mcnabb-was-made-for-such-a-time-as-this

4. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Trump Executive Order Aims to Eliminate DEI from School Discipline Policies

“President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday designed to weed out diversity, equity, and inclusion criteria in public school discipline policies.

The goal is to restore behavior-based standards to address growing concerns over student safety and classroom orders, according to the Trump administration, while reversing DEI-based approaches that prioritized racial quotas over safety and fairness.”

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/trump-executive-order-aims-to-eliminate-dei-from-school-discipline-policies/

5. AP: Supreme Court Signals Support for Maryland Parents Who Object to LGBTQ Books in Public Schools

“The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Tuesday signaled support for the religious rights of parents in Maryland who want to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters.

The court seemed likely to find that the Montgomery County school system, in suburban Washington, could not require elementary school children to sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious objections to the material.

The case is one of three religious rights cases at the court this term. The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of religious discrimination in recent years.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-lgbtq-books-religion-maryland-069d155fa862d2a16619fc7f513819ab

Weekly Prayer: Officials

LORD, you also have instructed us to pray for our governing officials, and we come to you in the spirit of this petition. We pray for our state government and its executive, legislative, and judicial servants. May they indeed be servants unto the people, and govern in a manner that protects liberty and virtue. In the same spirit, we pray for public servants across our local governments. May they all heed your mandate in Romans 13:4 to be in positions of authority as “God’s servant” and for the “good” of the public. They govern in what we confess are difficult times. May they plead with you to give them wisdom, and may your grace to govern wisely be poured out on them.

Protect us from the oppression and loss of freedoms that other countries have experienced, and help us to value and preserve freedom, which we know comes only from You.

“I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.  I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free.” Acts 7:34

Amen

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values