‘Controversial’ political sign lights up at NC church. ‘I was shocked to see it’
People had mixed reactions to “controversial” political messaging that popped up on a North Carolina church’s billboard.
The billboard, located at the People’s Baptist Church in Greenville, stands beneath a large American flag and a sign of the church’s name. Over the weekend, it flashed messaging in orange letters about issues on the ballot in the presidential election, according to locals.
“I was shocked to see it,” said Jessi Melendez, a Greenville resident.
Melendez told McClatchy News she planned to confront the church about the sign — which she called “divisive” — after seeing one message which stuck out to her as more controversial.
The sign read “Healthcare for illegals is on the ballot,” Melendez said, adding that she thinks the term is a dehumanizing way to refer to undocumented persons.
“Referring to human beings as illegals is really divisive; it just makes way to spread hate,” she said.
McClatchy News reached out to the People’s Baptist Church on Oct. 31 but did not receive an immediate response.
Melendez said she tried contacting the church to voice her concerns about the sign but was unsuccessful.
“You’re a church. You’re supposed to be accepting and welcoming, and that’s not the kind of message a church should be sending out,” she said.
Though Melendez said she’s not religious herself, she said she “commended” other churches in the area, adding that she didn’t know of any other church that put up political messaging.
Questions about legality arise
While for some the sign was outright offensive, for others, the sign raises questions about the legality of the church’s role in promoting this type of political messaging.
“Absolutely not OK for churches to be involved in politics. Churches should pay taxes if they want to be political,” one person commented on an Oct. 31 WOWT Facebook post.
“They don’t pay taxes; they have no business getting involved with politics,” another person said.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, 501(c)(3) organizations — which include charities and churches — are prohibited from engaging in political campaign activity, but they are permitted to “engage in a limited amount of lobbying, including ballot measures.”
“Churches and clergy are free to educate voters on issues and candidates but may only do so in a nonpartisan and neutral fashion,” legal experts said in an analysis published in the New York Law Journal.
Still, others said because these issues are in line with church teaching it made sense for the church to have a say.
“Well, if it’s a Christian church, which should mean they are actually teaching from the bible, there’s going to be some overlapping subjects. And if it’s in God’s Word, it needs to be preached,” someone commented on the post.
Melendez said the sign was taken down since she last visited the church.
Greenville is about an 82-mile drive east from Raleigh.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 5:22 PM with the headline "‘Controversial’ political sign lights up at NC church. ‘I was shocked to see it’."
