In a statement signed by 101 clergy members in Richland County, a large portion of the leaders of the county’s faith communities have expressed their support for the restaurant chain Chick-fil-A to locate here.
In its statement, the Richland Community Prayer Network members stated together as follows:
“The exceptional reputation of Chick fil-A as a business and as a community stakeholder is unmatched. The company’s mission statement includes the goal of ‘glorifying GOD’ which provides perspective on the regal treatment it gives its customers.
The faith community in Richland County, Ohio has a strong tradition and while this has not been the case in other parts of the country, we wholeheartedly support the prospects of Chick fil-A choosing our neighborhood as its next franchise destination.
We are eagerly ‘setting the table’ in anticipation for the arrival of Chick fil-A and firmly believe that our families will taste and see that the LORD is good.”
Clergy signing the statement represent churches from all areas of the county.
This statement is the latest in a public dialogue which began on July 2 with an announcement by Mansfield Mayor Timothy Theaker about one of the chain’s food trucks coming to the city to test the market for a permanent restaurant. This, in turn, led to a number of statements and social media comments that we covered on July 28 in a post entitled, “Chicken And Food Trucks Take Over Local Social Media.”
There has been no word to date on whether or not the chain has made a decision to locate a restaurant in Richland County.
The joint statement can be read below.
RCPN-JOINT-STATEMENT-CHICK-FIL-A