Contact: Rev. Pat Mahoney, 540-538-4741; Rev. Rob Schenck, 202-656-1252

HOUSTON, Oct. 28, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- A seven-member delegation of clergy representing different denominations and including church leaders from four states and the District of Columbia will visit the office of Houston Mayor Annise Parker today after a 10:00 a.m. news conference in front of the mayor's office at 901 Bagby Street.

Delegates will also visit the office of city attorney David Feldman who issued the subpoenas.

The group, made up of pastors and denominational officials from Assemblies of God, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, and Russian Orthodox traditions, will demand the city withdraw its subpoenas requiring pastors turn over their talks with congregants. Delegates are also carrying a letter of support from the editor of Catholic Online, one of the most popular Catholic websites in the United States.

The seven-member Emergency Delegation is a joint effort of the Christian Defense Coalition, the National Clergy Council, both based in Washington, DC, and the League in Defense of Christian Pastors, based in Pennsylvania.

This visit will be the first step in a national campaign involving the faith community across America. The delegation is encouraging thousands of clergy in all 50 states to support the I Stand Rally to take place in Houston next Sunday, November 2.

Participants:

Rev. Rob Schenck, D. Min.
President, National Clergy Council
Chairman, Evangelical Church Alliance

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney
Director, Christian Defense Coalition
Lead Pastor, Church on the Hill, Washington, DC

Rev. Keith Tucci
President, The League in Defense of Christian Pastors
Senior Pastor, Living Hope Church, LaTrobe, PA

Rev. Myke Crowder, D.D.
Member, Executive Committee, National Clergy Council
Senior Pastor, Christian Life Center, Layton, Utah

Pastor David Anderson, D.Ed.
Executive Committee, National Clergy Council
Senor Pastor, Faith Baptist Church, Sarasota, FL

Archpriest Alexander Webster, Ph.D.
Member, Executive Committee, National Clergy Council
U.S. Army Chaplain
Professor of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University
Pastor, St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church, Stafford, VA

Rev. Sean Sloan
Associate Pastor, Harvest Time Tabernacle, Ft. Smith, AR