First Baptist Church learns banned shirts have been spirited away

For close to five years First Baptist Church Maricopa has been buying shirts for the Spirit Line at Maricopa High School or purchasing ads for the football programs. Now, however, Pastor Jim Johnson has learned that the church’s message, which contains the word “God,” cannot appear on the shirts for the school.

Johnson appeared at last week’s school board meeting during the Call to the Public to ask if this was the school’s decision–and if he should cancel the order for the rally towels for basketball season.

At that time the board said there would be a follow up on the situation. However, according to Johnson, “My frustration is that I have had to initiate all communication with the school district and staff and have not heard back from the superintendent’s office, whom the governing board asked to follow up on this issue.”

The spirit t-shirts have previously been provided to the Spirit Line to raise funds or to give away free at football games.

When Johnson ordered spirit towels for the coming basketball season, the vendor, Spirit Stop, informed him that the school would no longer accept items with the church’s message: “Loving God, Loving Others, Serving All.”

“We believe that the greatest commandment God gave us in the Bible is to Love God, the second greatest commandment is to Love Others,” Johnson explained. “The Serving All is how that love for God and Others is shown and put into action and that is by service to God and others.”

“This is our message,” he added. “The intent of the message is to publicize First Baptist Church Maricopa. The message on the towels or t-shirts is to let people know who we are and what our purpose is as a church.”

Delivered to the high school on May 4, the shirts seem to have been “spirited” away. Neither Athletic Director Jeff Kleck nor his secretary Nancy Taylor has any idea where they are; they may have been distributed to students last year. The contact person listed for Spirit Stop was the previous Spirit Line director.

Johnson has ordered the rally towels for the basketball season, but they will be delivered directly to the church. “We will work with the cheerleaders, as long as the school does not forbid it, or we will hand the towels out at the games ourselves, free of charge, as private citizens,” explained Johnson.

He added, “It is a shame that the school staff has taken this stance since the church wants to do nothing but support our kids, our schools and our community. As I said in the school board meeting, ‘Loving God is not offensive and is much needed in our world today.'”

Photos by Joyce Hollis