City removes itself as ChristFest sponsor (May 26, 2016)

The city of Muncie, Ind., is not listed as a sponsor of ChristFest 2016 after FFRF complained about sponsorship of the 2015 event.

ChristFest is an all-day event meant “to give praise, worship, and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ.” It features “praise & worship teams, drama teams, and Christian comedians.”

The event, which occurred on Aug. 15, 2015, at the Canan Commons, had the city of Muncie seal and the city’s name listed as gold level event sponsors. Gold level sponsors must give a donation of at least $1,500.

“Even if the city of Muncie did not donate funds to ChristFest, it is improper to allow the city seal to appear on the ChristFest website,” FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel wrote to the city.

The city replied that it had not given any money to the event and were already attempting to have the seal removed. The city’s name and seal are no longer on the 2016 event website.

Freedom From Religion Foundation