In accordance with Louisiana Law, all public school classrooms in St. Mary Parish will soon display the nation’s motto, , “In God We Trust”. While the law went into effect on August 1, the plaques stating the motto were not yet made available to the schools. That’s when the Louisiana Family Forum and East St. Mary Ministerial Alliance stepped in.
The law, titled H.B. 8, requires the national motto to be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least 11 inches by 14 inches in each public school classroom in Louisiana. The law was passed this year by the Louisiana Legisture and signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards in June.
According to Rev. Gene Mills, President of the Louisiana Family Forum, a personal friend offered to pay for the printing of the plaques that would be made available to over 1,700 public and private schools in Louisiana, each with an average of 50 classrooms. The friend just asked for the organization to cover the postage, which averages $57.00 per school.
When the executive committee of the East St. Mary Ministerial Alliance learned of the offer, they in turn offered to pay for the postage of each St. Mary Parish School.
Mills was the guest speaker at Sunday night’s Community Thanksgiving Service at Bethel Pentecostal Fellowship in Patterson, which is hosted annually by the East St. Mary Ministerial Alliance. The service was attended by pastors and members of local churches. While an offering was taken to cover the cost of the postage, Rev. Marty Harden, Pastor of Bethel Pentecostal Fellowship and President of the East St. Mary Ministerial Alliance, said if the offering was not enough to pay the entire amount, the alliance would cover the difference.
During the service, Mills and pastors with the East St. Mary Ministerial Alliance presented the plaques to Brittany Simoneaux, an administrator with Patterson Jr. High School, on behalf of St. Mary Parish School Superintendent Dr. Buffy Feganbush and St. Mary Parish Schools.
KQKI News Correspondent Brady Borel spoke with Mills and Rev. Marty Harden, President of East St. Mary Ministerial Alliance, regarding the presentation. You may listen to the interview below.