By Rev. Mark H. Creech, D.H.L.
RevMarkCreech.org
The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina met this week at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. The Convention’s news journal, the Biblical Recorder, covered the event and reported that among the matters voted on by messengers was “a minor change to the state convention’s bylaws to remove a reference to appointing trustees to the Christian Action League of North Carolina.” The article explained that this was no longer necessary because the League dissolved last year.
When I read that line, I thought to myself, “That’s it – that tremendous eighty-seven-year-old ministry with such a rich history is, in every sense of the word, gone now.” The finality of it pierced my heart. I wept – again – as I have many times since the League’s closing. It was more than a job for me, it was like a dear friend. And though I know the League’s dissolution came by the ordering of Providence, I am not sure I will ever fully get over its passing.
The Christian Action League of North Carolina, founded in 1937, stood for nearly a century as a moral and spiritual voice for our churches in the public square. It championed righteousness in government, defended the sanctity of life and marriage, promoted temperance, and sought to preserve the moral foundation of our laws and culture. For twenty-five years (the longest serving executive director in the League’s history), I was blessed to lead this historic organization through many critical victories that honored Christ in the hallowed halls of state government.
Yet as I reflect now, I am deeply burdened. Many of the same churches and pastors that faithfully supported the League for decades no longer have a trusted home where their moral Christian convictions are represented before lawmakers. The moral landscape of our state continues to shift; the threats to biblical truth are as urgent as ever; and the need for an informed and courageous voice in Raleigh has not diminished – it has grown.
This is why, although the League is gone, the mission remains. It lives on through Return America, an organization with which I am now privileged to serve as Director of Government Relations. Under the leadership of Dr. Ron Baity, Return America continues the essential work of proclaiming God’s truth in the public arena, standing for life, marriage, religious liberty, and the Judeo-Christian foundations of our republic.
I want to personally invite every pastor, church, and friend of the Christian Action League to join with me now under the banner of Return America. Your voice and support are still desperately needed. Your convictions still matter. The causes we once defended together still cry out for representation. The same biblical truths that guided us for decades remain the surest defense against our nation’s collapse.
The passing of the Christian Action League was not the end. I believe it was a transition. The Lord sometimes closes one chapter to open another. I believe that Return America is now the providential instrument through which that next chapter of moral and biblical witness in North Carolina can be written.
So, I ask you – those who have stood with me in the past – to stand with me again. Together, we can continue to make a difference for Christ and His kingdom in the civic life of our state.
“The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.” — Psalm 33:11
For information on Return America, please visit ReturnAmerica.org, or reach out to me directly. I’m also available to come to your church Sunday morning or evening, and Wednesday evenings, whatever is available on your calendar, to speak. That would be a good time for you and your church to get to know Return America and see just how faithful and effective a ministry it is today.
You can contact me at the following:
Email: mark@revmarkcreech.org
Phone: 919.787.0606
Address: 710 Spring Falls Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27609
Let’s ensure that the faithful voice of North Carolina’s churches does not fall silent for even a moment, but continues to speak truth to power until Christ returns.
