This year, May 17 will have special significance agai. You will again have a chance to be part of history. On the one-year anniversary of Massachusetts being forced by activist judges to grant same-sex marriage licenses, Arizona will begin the democratic process of allowing its people to decide whether to preserve the institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, or leave it open to being changed by a few activist judges.

We will launch the initiative at three separate press conferences in three Arizona cities: Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff. We need lots of citizens to show up in support of the initiative in each of these places. At the press conferences, we will have petitions available for you to sign and to circulate, and we will announce:

• The name of the coalition.
• The actual text of the amendment.
• The name of the amendment.
• The chairman of the campaign.

Here are the details on each press conference Tuesday, May 17:
 

TUCSON 7:30 a.m.
Faith Community Church
Parking lot
2551 W. Orange Grove Rd.
(east of I-10, Orange Grove exit)

PHOENIX 11 a.m.
State Capitol
Senate Lawn
1700 W. Washington

FLAGSTAFF 3:30 p.m.
Lamb of God Bible Church
Parking lot
2615 E. 7th Ave.

It is a monumental task to gather about 184,000 valid signatures to place this amendment on the ballot for the 2006 elections, and we need your help. Be part of history. Join us in one of these locations to show the people of Arizona the strong grassroots support for this amendment.

I want to encourage you to forward this e-mail to your friends and supporters, and to make copies and bring it to church this weekend.

If you come, be prepared for opponents of the initiative and protesters to be present and confrontational. Please do not engage them with anything but love. No matter how they treat us, please treat them with the same respect and civility you would hope to receive.

This is a critical moment in Arizona history. It is time to show up, be counted and take your stand. Please pray for this initiative, and join us on Tuesday at the launch if possible! If you have questions, you can call us at 1-800-FAMILY-1 or (480) 922-3101.