Dear Jack,

Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

We would be very grateful if you could make a donation of $100, $50, $25, or $10 today towards our work producing these Friday Fives and fighting for your values on the public square!

1. TRIANGLE TRUMPET: By Any Other Name: Raleigh's DEI Coverup Exposed

"Milstead also claimed that the Department of Economic and Social Advancement, of which Scurry is now the Assistant Director, was launched 'as of the new fiscal year' with 'its work support[ing] a range of small business and community activities, including connecting businesses with resources,' and that Scurry’s statements 'do not represent the current work of this department.'

However, budget documents, personnel continuity, and the city’s own web pages indicate that the 'Department of Economic and Social Advancement' is not, in fact, a new department, but rather a direct rebranding of the 'Department of Equity and Inclusion.'"

Read more: https://www.thisweekinthetriangle.com/p/by-any-other-name-raleighs-dei-coverup

2. VOTE: Don't Forget to Vote in Your Local Election!

At last week’s meeting, Wake Forest Commissioner Faith Cross courageously reminded the board and community that our public streets should remain G-rated and family-friendly.

As she explained, last year’s Wake Forest Pride event organizers said there would be no drag show—but this year, one took place anyway, with children and adults tipping performers. Commissioner Cross called out how such actions desensitize children to adult content and divide our community at a time when we need unity and respect for families.

She shared her concern “for the children” and urged the town to continue supporting truly family-friendly events like Boo Bash, Six Sundays in Spring, and Movies at Joyner Park—events that bring neighbors together around what’s good, wholesome, and uplifting.

Local elections matter. Don’t forget to go out and vote for conservatives like Cross in your local municipal election today! Early voting ends on Saturday, with Election Day coming up on Tuesday, November 4th.

Watch: https://fb.watch/D3kSaGx0oL/

Vote: http://ncvalues.org/vote/

3. NC VALUES: Celebration of Carolina Values Event in Raleigh

Our NC Values Celebration of Carolina Values event last week brought together friends and supporters from across North Carolina for an evening filled with encouragement, conviction, and community. Together, we celebrated the timeless principles that strengthen our state—life, family, and religious freedom—and renewed our shared commitment to stand for them in every sphere of public life. Thank you to all who could attend.

Enjoy a few more highlights from this memorable evening—and if you’d like to help us continue advancing these values across North Carolina, click here to make a one-time or monthly gift to support our mission.

View: https://ncvalues.org/celebration-gallery/

4. WRAL: Lawsuit Targets New NC Congressional Map. More Challenges Could Be On the Way

"The first of what’s expected to be multiple legal challenges against North Carolina’s new congressional map has begun, with changes made to a long-running gerrymandering lawsuit.

This week’s redistricting efforts from Republican state lawmakers tweaked a separate map they drew in 2023, which had also faced a lawsuit over allegations of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. Late Thursday, the challengers in the 2023 lawsuit filed new paperwork seeking to re-focus part of their lawsuit on the new version of the map."

Read more: https://www.wral.com/story/lawsuit-targets-new-nc-congressional-map-as-more-challenges-could-be-on-the-way/22212492/

5. WORLD: Backholm: Creating a Culture of Corruption

"In a story that is both unsurprising and fantastical, three people connected to the National Basketball Association (NBA) were arrested in a federal gambling crackdown. Damon Jones and Terry Rozier were arrested for allegedly providing insider information related to basketball games. Portland Trailblazers coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested, but Billups is alleged to have used his celebrity status to lure poker players to rigged poker games and splitting profits with the organizers of the games. This scheme allegedly has connections to games run by the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families.  

Human nature being what it is, the corruption of sports through the proliferation of sports betting shouldn’t surprise anyone. The predictability of this outcome is why we spent generations prohibiting sports betting. But, in 2018, the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting when it struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. At the time, only Nevada had a legalized, fully regulated sports betting market, but since then 35 states and Washington, D.C., decided to get a piece of the action too, and as a result more than $500 billion has been wagered on sports since 2018.

Read more: https://wng.org/opinions/creating-a-culture-of-corruption-1761425604

Weekly Prayer: Officials

LORD, you also have instructed us to pray for our governing officials, and we come to you in the spirit of this petition. We pray for our state government and its executive, legislative, and judicial servants. May they indeed be servants unto the people, and govern in a manner that protects liberty and virtue. In the same spirit, we pray for public servants across our local governments. May they all heed your mandate in Romans 13:4 to be in positions of authority as “God’s servant” and for the “good” of the public. They govern in what we confess are difficult times. May they plead with you to give them wisdom, and may your grace to govern wisely be poured out on them.

Protect us from the oppression and loss of freedoms that other countries have experienced, and help us to value and preserve freedom, which we know comes only from You.

“I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.  I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free.” Acts 7:34

Amen

Sincerely,

Tami & Team

NC Values