Associated Baptist Press / By Jeff Brumley
This article originally appeared on ABPnews.com
In some ways, 2013 was a typical year for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, with legal briefs to file, politicians and Supreme Court justices to sway and religious liberty to defend. In other ways, it was a ground-breaking year for the Washington-based agency that saw expansion of its facilities, operations, staff and educational efforts.
Executive Director J. Brent Walker said that growth will continue in 2014, when the organization launches a new website and more aggressively promotes religious liberty both inside the Beltway and beyond. “Most of it will be an intensification of what we are already doing,” he said.
ABPnews interviewed Walker recently about the organization’s key actions this year and the big cases expected in 2014.
What’s the pace like in DC and at the BJC this time of year?
Things definitely slow down from Thanksgiving until the end of the year. Congress is normally out, and if we don’t have a case to be argued before the Supreme Court for that time period…. But like any nonprofit, the end of the year is very important to us for our fundraising efforts. We are very busy trying to make our budget for 2013 and talking to our donors.
Have you had time to reflect on 2013 — how was that year for the BJC?
It has been a very good year. We completed the first year in our new Center for Religious Liberty on Capitol Hill, which we had planned for and developed for several years now…. We have increased our staff size. Charles Watson Jr., has come on board as education and outreach specialist, …
