Ten Commandments new addition to church property

HARRISBURG, Ill. (ABP) -- A Baptist pastor in southern Illinois believes
before heads of local government can be expected to support posting the
Ten Commandments on taxpayer property the churches should be posting
them on their own lands.

Leroy Hicks, pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Mitchellsville, Ill.,
brought the idea up before the church and members agreed.

Since Dec. 22 two stone monuments bearing five commandments each have been in the church's front yard.

"For the past several years I've noted a lot of discussion about the Ten
Commandments put on the courthouse lawn. A lot don't want that and some
did and the ones who did are probably church affiliated. But I've noted
none on church property," Hicks said.

"I thought it was a good idea to first make a statement for our church."

Officials in Saline County are in the process of deciding whether to
place the Ten Commandments on courthouse property. The county's building
committee decided recently to recommend against it, citing concerns of a
costly lawsuit, but asked the county board to table the decision for a
month to allow time for further research.

The Ten Commandments are already posted on private property in two
locations in the county, the lawn and steps of First United Methodist
Church in Eldorado, and a lawn monument facing downtown Harrisburg
sponsored by Union Grove Baptist Church and with labor provided by
Colonial Terrace Funeral Home.

Hicks said he hopes other churches might follow his and post the Ten Commandments where they can be viewed by passersby.

"I brought it before the church a few months ago, and they thought it
was a good idea and voted to do this," Hicks said. "We got it erected
here for anyone to stop and read it or if they are passing by to get
reminded of the wonderful law of God."

"We may have to make the statement from our own churches rather than on government property," he said.

This story appeared in the Daily Register of Harrisburg, Illinois Jan. 19 and is used by permission.