Maine's Emrich Officially Joins Family Research Council Payroll‏

The Family Research Council has formally put the good reverend Robert K. "Bob" Emrich on their payroll (see League Record article below).  I wonder how much that pays, eh?  Times must be tough financially for Emrich and his defunct, and now-discredited, Maine Jeremiah Project (see attached) in order for him to start officially collecting paychecks from FRC.

It's odd the FRC delayed for a month their announcement of this, since Emcrich himself announced obtaining this newly-created, previously non-existent FRC position in the League's "Welcome to the Christian Civic League of Maine" article (www.cclmaine.org/welcome-to-the-christian-civic-league-of-maine/) from September 27, 2011: "These exciting changes have also allowed me the freedom to join Family Research Council as the 'Northeast Ambassador for Church Ministries' as part of our efforts to stand for Faith, Family and Freedom in Maine and America."

Odd, too, that Emrich is noted as only serving on the Board of the Christian Civic League of Maine and not as their Board Chairman.  Perhaps there has been a recent change to this effect, or perhaps this FRC announcement (below) is a typo in that respect.

And this puff piece of an announcement fails to mention that Emrich himself ran for Maine State Representative last year and lost in the House District #25 Republican primary in his home district of Plymouth/Newport, Maine. 

Oh, and Emrich will be in Uganda again this month (November), possibly advocating again for the 'death to the gays' Ugandan national legislation, as he did in 2009.

"Michael Hein, Augusta"

Bob Emrich joins Family Research Council

by Deb Wagner, Christian Civic League of Maine
www.cclmaine.org/bob-emrich-joins-family-research-council/
October 27, 2011

The Family Research Council announced on Oct. 24th that Pastor Bob Emrich is now the Northeast Field Ambassador for our Church Ministries Division. While Bob will continue as a full-time Pastor, he will be working on a part-time contractual basis assisting us as we are championing pastors to transform America. Pastor Bob has an impressive resume of involvement.

A graduate of the University of Maine and New Brunswick Bible Institute, Pastor Bob Emrich has served as Pastor of Emmanuel Bible Baptist Church in Plymouth, Maine since 1993. Prior to that time, he worked as an educator and as an administrator in the offices of the Maine State Senate.

Inspired by his participation in the 2005 Watchmen on the Wall Pastors Briefing in DC, Pastor Bob founded the Maine Jeremiah Project, which is a grassroots coalition of Pastors and Churches with a fourfold mission: to encourage informed prayer, to educate the Church and the people of Maine about Biblical principles and historical precedent in their state and our nation, to equip people to influence public policy and to enlist them for appropriate citizen action to influence public policy.

Pastor Bob led the grassroots effort to collect petition signatures to veto same-sex “marriage,” which was passed by the legislature and signed by the former governor. He then led in encouraging Pastors and Churches to get out the vote, which resulted in a 53% to 47% victory. Afterward, Pastor Bob recruited candidates out of the churches to replace the pro-same-sex “marriage” legislators. A total of 54 candidates ran for office, many of whom were successful. As a consequence, 16 members of the House and 6 members of the Senate were replaced.

Additionally, a number of open seats were won, changing control of the House, Senate, and the Governor’s office from pro-same-sex marriage politicians to pro-family leaders. Now Pastor Bob is helping Carroll Conley, Executive Director of the Maine Civic League, to advance pro-life and pro-family legislation in this new environment.

Pastor Bob also joined the effort to restore Maine’s Family Policy Council to a position of strength and effectiveness. He serves on the Board of Directors for Maine Right to Life and the Maine Christian Civic League. When not working in Maine, Pastor Emrich travels to remote areas of Uganda to train Pastors and Church leaders. 

The links to the two articles are at www.cclmaine.org/welcome-to-the-christian-civic-league-of-maine and www.cclmaine.org/bob-emrich-joins-family-research-council

 

The transcribed form of the article is below: 

Jeremiah Project Leaders Deny Wrongdoing

by Larry Grard, Citizen Journal

September 22, 2011

  

Plymouth [Maine] - Responding to a charge made by former employee Mike Hein, the chairman of the Christian Civic League of Maine said last week that it was his intent to end his former organization's non-profit status, rather than risk a violation.

  

Quoting GuideStar, an online non-profit information clearinghouse, Mike Hein informed email contacts that Bob Emrich's Maine Jeremiah Project had its 501(c)3 IRS non-profit designation "automatically revoked" in 2009 or 2010 "for failure to file a Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-N, or 990-PF for 3 consecutive years."

  

Emrich is chairman of the Christian Civic League of Maine.  Carroll Conley, who is the League's executive director, fired Hein from his position as administrator prior to taking the position last year.

  

Hein went on to say that when the Christian Civic League of Maine and the Maine Jeremiah Project "merged" earlier this year "the League leadership knew, or should have known, they were merging with a group in violation of the Internal Revenue Services statutes regarding non-profit organizations. 

Additionally, the League leadership knew, or should have known in 2010, this information when Bob Emrich was first installed onto the League's Board of Directors, and subsequently made President of the Board of Directors."

  

Emrich, pastor of Emmanuel Bible Baptist Church in Plymouth, responded with a simple explanation.

  

"It's true that our status was revoked," he said, "but that was by my choice, not that I was in violation. I did not want 501(c)3 status because that restricts political activity. I consulted with an attorney on this."

  

That doesn't cut it, according to Hein.

  

"That might work with some people," Hein said, "but the fact is that his nonprofit [status] was revoked. He testified by signing for that status that he would file. It's not optional. He can spin it however he wants."

  

As a pastor, Hein added, Emrich has "a higher degree of standing in the community."

  

Emrich maintains that Conley did not need to know that he had not filed with the IRS.

  

"It's irrelevant," Emrich said. "Why should [Conley] have known? Most people don't spend all their time investigating me."

  

"It's sad, this thing that (Hein) has about me and about Carroll. He blames me for the fact that he lost his job."

  

Conley dismissed the disagreement.

  

"It's a non-story as far as we're concerned," Conley said. "It was never an issue for us, in any way, shape or form."

  

"Mike Hein is making us pay thousands of dollars in legal fees. He's been successful in that regard."

  

As leader of the Jeremiah Project, Emrich teamed with the Catholic Church in a successful stand for traditional marriage. Maine voters outlawed same-sex marriage in November, 2009.

  

Emrich went on to say that 1,483 - or about 20 percent - of Maine non-profits also have relinquished or had their 501(c)3 [status] revoked since the IRS changed its policies.