GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Ottawa Impact-backed commissioners in Ottawa County are currently under fire from churches and also a reverend who is suing Ottawa County, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners and BOC Chair Joe Moss for discrimination.
A group of eight Ottawa County commissioners were voted into power in November of last year under the banner of a group called “Ottawa Impact” a conservative Political Action Committee (PAC). The PAC’s mission as stated on their website is to “preserve and protect the individual rights of the people in Ottawa County.” They describe the rights as including “freedom of speech, freedom of association, religious liberty, due process, and sanctity of conscience.”
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The group was formed by residents and parents in the county who were critical of COVID policies, critical race theory and other things that were happening in their county, the state and the rest of the nation. They ran their campaigns on getting rid of the county’s controversial DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) division, they opposed unconstitutional pandemic orders and were against inappropriate sexual materials in classrooms and libraries among other things.
After the November elections, candidates who were backed by Ottawa Impact won the majority on the board, with eight out of eleven seats won by Commissioners Lucy Ebel, Jacob Bonnema, Joe Moss, Rebekah Curran, Sylvia Rhodea, Roger Belknap and Alison Miedema. However, in March, Commissioner Belknap left the PAC citing the fact that some of the PAC leaders were not acting in accordance to the values of government transparency, accountability and respect for parental rights.
Since taking office, the positions and policies of the Ottawa Impact commissioners, including trying to fire the health director, have met with pushback from some in the community who describe the group of commissioners as “far-right.”
One group of folks who aren’t happy with the current Ottawa County commissioners is a coalition of eight Christian churches in Grand Haven and Holland who have formed an organization called the “Unifying Coalition of Ottawa County” in partnership with the Ottawa County Unifying Congregations.
Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer of St. John’s Episcopal Church organized the coalition and is a Steering Committee member. In response to recent actions of the Ottawa Board of Commissioners, their website says, “We’re unifying Ottawa County against the recent negative IMPACT on our community.”
In their press release, the church coalition writes, “We, the Ottawa Coalition of Unifying Congregations (OCUC), a coalition of churches in Ottawa County, believe God calls us to take a public stand on issues that impact the common good of all residents of this county. While we do not, as churches, endorse or reject individual candidates for public office, we strive to support policies and programs which benefit all of our neighbors and speak out against those which do not.”
Even though the church coalitions purport to take a hands-off approach to politics at a church level and the group supports the separation of church and state on their website, the coalition of churches has a page which instructs people how to run for political office and they have many resources about engaging in county meetings and how to make effective public comment. Additionally, Rev. Cramer has a blog that is linked from his church’s website in which he frequently discusses government and political issues.
In the list of “common good” principles the church coalition supports, they affirm the sacred dignity of every human being no matter the race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, economic status, religion, background or ability. They also support households which exist in different shapes and forms and reject the claim that parents have the right to limit the educational opportunities of others’ children in a public school setting. They also stand behind the work done previously by the county’s DEI division and “grieve” the manner in which the office was eliminated. In addition to speaking out about those issues, they have also publicly opposed the decision to withhold funding from “Out on the Lakeshore” which is a LGBTQ+ community resource center.
The St. John’s Episcopal Church hosted the first Pride Worship Service in Grand Haven in 2021 which attracted about 200 people, the majority of whom were not from the church. Rev. Cramer says they were there to “worship our God who delights in diversity and celebrate all of God’s beloved children.” They had another worship service in 2022 but Rev. Cramer said they realized that they had to do more. In January of this year, they invited the LGBTQ+ community to join them to create the first-ever full Grand Haven Pride Festival. Leadership of the festival was transferred over from the church to the community and the church is now the highest sponsor of the festival, having raised over $32,000 for the event. The church continues its Pride Worship Service at the event and the activities at the festival included a drag show, a drag brunch and drag-queen bingo.
It is Rev. Cramer’s participation in pride that is likely a factor in Ottawa Commissioner Moss’ refusal to allow him to give the invocation at a county meeting, the priest says. And that has led to a lawsuit.
Commissioner and Board Chair Joe Moss, Ottawa County and the Ottawa County Board of Directors are all being sued by Rev. Jared Cramer (not on behalf of the church) for religious discrimination, claiming that Moss didn’t allow him to lead an invocation because the commissioner personally disagrees with the reverend’s religious beliefs.
The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday, says that the commission meetings begin with roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation or prayer, usually led by a church leader. Before 2023, commissioners would take turns choosing the leader of the invocation but when Moss became Chair in January, he was the sole one to choose the leader of the invocation, the complaint alleges.
In the court filing, it says that Rev. Cramer reached out to Commissioner Berman to help him to be included in the invocation rotation but was told the Commissioner Moss chooses who gives the invocation. Rev. Cramer emailed Moss several times (including copying to two other commissioners) to get on the invocation rotation but didn’t receive a response. He then sent the same request to Commissioner Moss by registered U.S. mail. Moss did not reply to Rev. Cramer.
The 8-page lawsuit is alleging discrimination contrary to the First Amendment of the Constitution. The lawsuit says that “Upon information and belief, the Commission does not have a written policy setting forth the standards for the selection and invitation of individuals to lead the invocation at its meetings. Rather, the selection and invitation of individuals to lead the invocation is left to the discretion of the members of the Commission.”
The lawsuit says that the defendants’ policy for selecting and inviting individuals to lead the invocation at commission meetings has the “predominant effect of advancing a particular set of religious beliefs.”
Rev. Cramer told Michigan News Source about the litigation, “In my work with UCOC I’ve been struck by the fact that there is a strong and very real Christian voice that would repudiate the claims of Ottawa Impact that they represent those who follow Jesus. So, I filed the suit so that every clergy person in Ottawa County – especially clergy who disagree with Ottawa Impact and who are currently excluded from giving the invocation – can have equal space to pray to the God of our many understandings for what Ottawa County needs right now.”
The lawsuit calls Ottawa Impact a “far-right political group” that Defendant Moss leads and founded. It goes on to say that Moss has “dedicated some of his efforts on undoing the county’s efforts at inclusion” including leading the efforts to dissolve the DEI office and to change the county’s motto from “Where You Belong” to “Where Freedom Rings.” The lawsuit also accuses Commissioner Moss as championing an “anti-LGBTQ+ agenda” as Chairperson.
Several Ottawa County commissioners at a June meeting described the Pride Fest that Rev. Cramer is involved with as a “grooming” opportunity and an inappropriate event for kids. Grooming, as described by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), is a “manipulative behaviors that the abuser uses to gain access to a potential victim, coerce them to agree to the abuse, and reduce the risk of being caught.”
At the next meeting, commissioners voted in favor of a resolution 9-2 called the “Resolution Protect Childhood Innocence” that bans county employees from attending events that “encourage, support or normalized the sexualization of children” and forbids the use of county staff or resources on “activities, programs, events, content, or institutions which support, normalize, or encourage the sexualization of children and youth.” This resolution was introduced and voted on after learning that two members of the Ottawa County Health Department staff attended the pride festival.
Rev. Cramer disputes the theory that the pride fest or the drag events are involved in grooming. He told Michigan News Source, “He (Moss) and other Ottawa Impact members of the Commission claimed our festival was grooming children. The use of ‘grooming’ in the rhetoric surrounding drag shows is not only inaccurate, it is harmful and dangerous. Grooming is done by someone who forms a manipulative relationship with a young person’s family or friends to make themselves appear more trustworthy and to coerce them into allowing abusive behavior.”
Rev. Cramer added, “By referring to drag shows as ‘grooming,’ they distract from the real issue of grooming behaviors – something parents must be aware of and educated on if they are to protect their children. Furthermore, the vast majority of child sexual abuse occurs in either a religious context or in the family itself – so it is actually among Christians that parents should be the most careful. This is why many churches (mine included) have very strict and specific policies to ensure children are kept safe.”
Rev. Cramer defends the drag performers by saying, “Furthermore, by using this word (grooming), they are implying that drag performers are pedophiles who prey on children. This is a heinous idea and not one with any basis in reality or fact…This rhetoric leads to increased harassment, threat, and violence against LGBTQ people. The use of rhetoric like this is one reason that violence against the queer community – especially the trans community – has gone up so very much in the past few years.” He concludes his comments by saying, “This kind of language is hateful, violence, and beneath those who hold elected office – especially if they claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. Our Lord would never lie and falsely imply danger and abuse just because someone was different.”
In addition to the Rev. Cramer and the church coalition opposing the county’s new direction, there is another group pushing back against Ottawa Impact commissioners and it’s called “Vote Common Good West Michigan.” Their motto is “STILL Where you Belong” and they are listed as a “guiding member” on the Unifying Coalition of Ottawa County’s Facebook page.
Their website describes themselves as a “nonpartisan group working to reexamine and create deeper narratives at the intersection of love and politics by bringing together candidates, faith leaders, volunteers, activists, and artists involved in local politics and aligned with the Common Good commitments.” Their website supports the Christian coalition group and says in a Facebook post, “The Ottawa Coalition of Unifying Christians is fast becoming a way for people of faith and good conscience to get involved with removing Ottawa Impact Commissioners from office in 2024.”
Even though the church coalition says they are not directly involved in politics, their goal appears to be to get the Ottawa Impact Commissioners removed from office – and “Vote Common Good” is helping by endorsing candidates and working to elect leaders.
Michigan News Source contacted the coalition and also the Ottawa-Impact commissioners for comment on the litigation and the battle between the commissioners and the local churches, but none of them returned our request for comment.
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