Categories: Historical Documents

Maryland 1996

THE STATE OF MARYLAND

PROCLAMATION

From the Governor of the State of Maryland

AMERICA’S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK

NOVEMBER 24 – 30, 1996

 WHEREAS, The United States has a glorious history of religious freedom, extending from our founding fathers to modern times…and, Christians have been a strong influence in our nation and our government ever since the start; and

WHEREAS, Steadfast faith sustained our forefathers’ survival through years of hardship, isolation and suffering; and

WHEREAS, On June 21, 1776, John Adams wrote, “Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand; and

WHEREAS, Thanksgiving week is an appropriate time to center attention on thanks for the blessings our nation has received and remember how much Christians have helped our nation reach its current majestic status.

NOW, THEREFORE, I,, PARRIS N. GLENDENING, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND, do hereby proclaim November 24 – 30, 1996 as AMERICA’S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK in Maryland, and do commend this observance to all of our citizens.

 Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the State of Maryland this 24th day of November One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety-six.

 

 Parris N.  Glendening

 Govenor

 

John J. Willis

 Secretary of State

Michigan 1996

STATE OF MICHIGAN

    EXECUTIVE DECLARATION

Governor John Engler

Hereby Issues this Executive Declaration

in Observance of

November 24 – 30, 1996

as

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK

WHEREAS, in Michigan, we are fortunate to have been blessed with beautiful rivers, lakes, fields, forests, and a people who —  through hard work and intellectual effort and toil —  have made cultural, industrial, agricultural, and educational advancements for the enrichment of life for our citizens; and

WHEREAS, In addition to having many blessings for which to be thankful, our society is also faced with difficult challenges, international unrest, and uncertain and changing times which test our working people and challenge their beliefs; and

WHEREAS, CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK provides us with the opportunity to contemplate the numerous challenges that we, as a society and a nation, face here at home and throughout the world, and to rededicate ourselves to eradicating the tragedies of homelessness, poverty, violence, war and international conflicts; and

WHEREAS, it is eminently fitting and proper that we observe CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK as a special time to acknowledge our many blessings and express gratitude to God, while recognizing the need for strengthening religious and moral values in our land;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, John Engler, Governor of the State of Michigan, do hereby declare November 24 – 30, 1996, as CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK in Michigan, and I encourage the citizens of the Great Lakes State to recognize the importance of Christian beliefs and values to the life and culture of our state and nation.

Given under my hand on this first day of July in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six and of the Commonwealth one hundred and fifty-nine.

JAMES ENGLER

Governor

Indiana 1996

STATE OF INDIANA

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

INDIANAPOLIS

PROCLAMATION

Executive Order

To All To Whom These Presents May Come, Greeting:

WHEREAS, religious holidays, festivals and celebrations add to the cultural mosaic of our state; and

WHEREAS, churches are a functional part of the many communities in our state, often providing charitable assistance to those in need; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting to center attention on the religious heritage of our state;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EVAN BAYH, Governor of the State of Indiana, do hereby proclaim November 25-December 1, 1996 as CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK in the State of Indiana.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Indiana at the Capitol in Indianapolis on this 27th day of September, 1996.

BY THE GOVERNOR:

Evan Bayh

Governor of Indiana

ATTEST:

Sue Anne Gilroy

Secretary of State

Asheville, North Carolina 1995

CITY OF ASHEVILLE

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the Christian Heritage of our nation is recognized in the accomplishments of such renowned individuals as Christopher Columbus, William Bradford, George Washington, John Hancock, Abigail Adams, Noah Webster, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson; and

WHEREAS, it is important that our children learn the complete history of our nation, including the historical Christian Heritage, from the establishment of our nation to the present date; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of our city, state and nation may be fully educated about the Christian Heritage of our nation through the voluntary exercise of their constitutional right to the freedom of educational choice; and

WHEREAS, the Christian faith has been historically documented as a foundation influence on the inception, formation, structure and culture of our nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Russell M. Martin, Mayor of the City of Asheville, do hereby proclaim the week of November 19-26, 1995, as

“CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK”

 in the city of Asheville and commend this observance to all our citizens.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Asheville, North Carolina, to be affixed, this 14thday of November, 1995.

Russell M. Martin

Mayor

Beaverton, Oregon 1995

CITY OF BEAVERTON

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, Oregon has been richly blessed in unsurpassed beauty and natural resources; and

WHEREAS, our country, our state, our communities and our families face difficult challenges in these changing and uncertain days; and

WHEREAS, the Christian faith has been recognized and historically documented as a foundational influence of the formation, structure and culture of this great nation and this state, revealed in its institutions, universities, hospitals, churches and charitable organizations; and

WHEREAS, it is important that our children learn the complete history of our nation and of our state, including Christian history, from the establishment of our nation to the present date; and

WHEREAS, the observance of Christian Heritage Week encourages Americans to affirm the nation’s spiritual roots and to enlist prayer for local, state and national leaders; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROB DRAKE, MAYOR, of the City of Beaverton do hereby proclaim the week of November 19 through November 25, 1995, as

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK

in the City of Beaverton and encourage citizens to join in this observance.

Rob Drake, Mayor

Wisconsin 1995

THE STATE of WISCONSIN

OFFICE of the GOVERNOR

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS; our state has been richly blessed in natural beauty, reflecting God’s miracle of creation; and

WHEREAS; Christian Heritage is important to our state’s traditions and values; and

WHEREAS; religious holidays, festivals, and celebrations have brought welcome respite from labor, as well as renewed respect and meaning for nature’s seasons of change; and

WHEREAS; the community church serves a vital function in binding folk together and providing crucial education and charitable services; and

WHEREAS; teaching future generations of our state the all important role of Christian heritage is of concern to citizens of all faiths;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, TOMMY G. THOMPSON, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim November 19 through November 25, 1995 CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK in the State of Wisconsin, and I commend this observance to all citizens.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed.

Done at the Capitol in the City of Madison this twelfth day of June in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-five.

TOMMY G. THOMPSON

GOVERNOR

By the Governor:

DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE

Secretary of State

New York 1995

STATE OF NEW YORK

EXECUTIVE CHAMBER

The Christian heritage of our nation is recognized in the writings and accomplishments of our citizens and in public documents and utterances made by many prominent Americans, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Patrick Henry.

The history of the Christian faith and traditions of our people is reflected in practices in our public institutions and by our government officials.

The importance of our Christian heritage to our institutions’ values and vision is invaluable and teaching future generations the all-important role of Christian heritage is meaningful to peoples of all faiths, with our churches serving a vital function in binding citizens together and providing crucial education and charitable services.

Thanksgiving week, traditionally a time to give thanks for our many blessings, has been designated as a time to celebrate Christian heritage.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, George E. Pataki, Governor of the State of New York, do hereby recognize November 19-25, 1995 as CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK.

George E. Pataki,

GOVERNOR

Tennessee 1995

STATE OF TENNESSEE

PROCLAMATION

BY THE GOVERNOR

WHEREAS, the Pilgrims, in the Mayflower Compact (1620), stated their purpose as, “…having undertaken, for the glorie of God, and advancement of the Christian faith….in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant & combine our selves togeather into a civill body politick, for our better ordering & preservation & furtherance of the ends aforesaid;…”; and

WHEREAS, on June 21, 1776, John Adams wrote, “Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.”; and

WHEREAS, our Declaration of Independence declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”; and

WHEREAS, on June 28, 1787, at the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin, quoting from Psalm 127:1, warned, “We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build he House they labour in vain that build it.’”; and

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States of America, in Article 1 Section 7, recognizes Sunday as a day of rest and worship; and is dated “the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven”, thus measuring time from the birth of Jesus Christ (Anno Domini).; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson, while President of the United States, was also made president of the school board for Washington, D.C. public schools and authored its original plan of education in which he placed the Bible and Watt’s Hymnal as two primary reading text.; and

WHEREAS, Thanksgiving week is an appropriate time to center attention on thanks to Almighty God for the “Blessings of Liberty”, to ask His help in reinsuring “domestic Tranquility”, and to recognize our national need to reaffirm our “reliance on the protection of divine Providence” in keeping America a free and independent Nation,

NOW THEREFORE, I, Don Sundquist, Governor of the State of Tennessee, do hereby proclaim November 19 through November 25, 1995, as AMERICA’S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK in Tennessee, and do urge all Tennesseans to acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate, each in their own way, America’s Christian heritage.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the official seal of the State of Tennessee to be affixed at Nashville on this 15th day of November, 1995.

Don Sundquist

Governor

Riley C. Darnell

Secretary of State

North Carolina 1995

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

JAMES B. HUNT JR.

GOVERNOR

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK

1995

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of North Carolina desires to recognize and commemorate the Christian Heritage of the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, the Christian Heritage of our nation is recognized in the accomplishments of such renowned individuals as Christopher Columbus, William Bradford, George Washington, John Hancock, Abigail Adams, Noah Webster, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson; and

WHEREAS, it is important that our children learn the complete history of our nation, including the historical Christian Heritage, from the establishment of our nation to the present date; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of our great state and nation may be fully educated about the Christian Heritage of our nation through the voluntary exercise of their constitutional right to the freedom of educational choice; and

WHEREAS, the Christian faith has been historically documented as a foundational influence on the inception, formation, structure and culture of our nation;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JAMES B. HUNT JR., Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim November 19-26, 1995, as “Christian Heritage Week” in North Carolina and commend this observance to all our citizens.

JAMES B. HUNT JR.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capital in Raleigh this fourteenth day of August in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth.

Louisiana 1995

STATE OF LOUISIANA

EDWIN W. EDWARDS

GOVERNOR

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, throughout the history of our country, prayer has been recognized by our leaders in times of war and peace as a vital part of maintaining a strong national character, and necessary to procure the blessings of a just and benevolent God upon our government and people; and

WHEREAS, the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation was put forth by Samuel Adams as a “National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer” and was observed by Washington’s army in the snowy fields of Valley Forge; and

WHEREAS, the observance of prayer encourages Americans to affirm our nation’s spiritual roots, to acknowledge dependence on God and to enlist prayer for local, state and national leaders; and

WHEREAS, it is certainly fitting and proper that we in Louisiana observe a time when all in our communities may acknowledge our many blessings and express gratitude to God for them while recognizing the need for strengthening religious and moral values in our land; and

WHEREAS, it is important that we remember the need to stand in the grace of God every day and we should acknowledge the need to pray for our leaders in government; and

WHEREAS, a time should be set aside to focus on the wisdom of God in the heritage of the United States and the intention of our founding fathers that the counsel of God be always deeply rooted in our makeup and progress as a nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDWIN W. EDWARDS, Governor of the State of Louisiana, do hereby proclaim November 19 through November 25, 1995 as CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK in the State of Louisiana, and encourage all citizens to acknowledge and appreciate the religious heritage of our great state and nation.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the City of Baton Rouge, on this The 20th day of March A.D. 1995.

Attest By

The Governor

EDWIN W. EDWARDS

Governor of Louisiana

Fox McKeithen

Secretary of State