LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) – A Las Cruces church daycare says it’s closing due to troubled finances and the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage.
First Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor David Burrows told KFOX-TV in El Paso on June 29 that church officials are refusing to accept government funds because they don’t want the government telling them who they can hire.
That move comes after Burrows says a new security system, nine new employees and a lack of government funds created a $300,000 shortfall for the church.
Parents say church officials also told them they didn’t want the federal government forcing them to hire gays or atheists.
Burrows didn’t deny the parents’ claim but said plans to close the daycare also were discussed before last week’s ruling.
