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Frankenmuth shield protest fuels reaction Saturday, April 12, 2008 RHIANNON THOMAS THE SAGINAW NEWS A Frankenmuth resident may challenge the city's inclusion of a Christian symbol in its shield, but other residents aren't taking that possible challenge lying down. The Rev. Mark Brandt, senior pastor at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, said three church members have offered to make 1,000 3-foot wooden crosses, which the church will encourage members to display at their homes and businesses. ''We're pretty confident we're going to give away all of those,'' Brandt said. The crosses will become available today and Sunday at the church, 1030 W. Tuscola, Frankenmuth, in response to a public demand. ''There's a lot of people who are reacting to this threatened lawsuit,'' he said. The city of Frankenmuth removed two 1-foot tall crosses from its Main Street bridge that crosses the Cass River after resident Lloyd C. Clarke challenged them, saying they violate separation of church and state. Clarke also said he may challenge the city's shield, which features a Harlequin pattern, a shock of grain and a Luther Rose, a symbol of Lutheranism. The rose contains a cross, and Clarke said he believes it is unconstitutional for a cross to be a part of the city's shield. A Wednesday article in The Saginaw News described Clarke's possible challenge and asked readers to vote in a telephone poll asking whether to allow a municipality to include Christian symbols in its shield if they reflect the community's heritage. More than 1,200 people responded, with 98 percent saying the shield should stay as it is. Clarke said he also received calls from residents who disagreed with his position, but that his mind has not changed. ''I do not need approval from any individual, including those who have contacted me, to do what I feel needs to be done,'' Clarke said. ''This is totally a constitutional question. I wish more people would see it from that perspective.'' Clarke, who is retired, said he needs more information from the city about the shield before deciding whether to bring suit. ''If my advisers concur with the city's position, then it would be futile to challenge this,'' he said. ''If it's legal, it's legal.'' Clarke said he may contact an outside organization, such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State or Freedom From Religion Inc., if he takes legal action against the city. He is not bothered by residents' plans to put up crosses. ''I think it would be lovely if people put up crosses on their private property -- that's appropriate,'' Clarke said. Others also are planning demonstrations of support for the shield. Steve Grasel, owner of Grasel Graphics, 9710 Junction, Frankenmuth Township, said he is planning to design a shirt in support of the city's heritage. Another Frankenmuth resident, who declined to be named, said Living Well, a substance abuse recovery group, plans to sell shield pins with yellow ribbons that residents can wear. The pins will ''provide a positive way for people to voice their opinions, rather than taking it to the next level and doing things that might be considered un-Christian,'' the resident said. The resident said the group plans to offer the pins for $1 at several Frankenmuth businesses, but The Saginaw News was unable to confirm this with those businesses. Rhiannon Thomas is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach her at 776-9682. |