The city of Springfield and its mayor will no longer be associated with an annual prayer breakfast held in the city, following action by the Freedom from Religion Foundation and citizens of Springfield.
FFRF Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert sent a letter to Springfield Mayor J. Michael Houston on Nov. 6, 2012, outlining how the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast violated the Establishment Clause. She asked Houston to refrain from using publicly funded resources to promote the prayer breakfast.
Markert received a response on Nov. 8, 2012, from Houston, which assured that in the future an independent, non-city affiliated group will run the prayer breakfast.
