Full Quiver Mission Returns to York, PA 

Halloween Parade in York, PA

October 26, 2003

The Murch Family joined our friend and co-laborer Pastor Jim Grove of York, Pennsylvania in a return to the city-sponsored Halloween Parade. At last year's parade, the Murch's graphic signs were confiscated and held for a full year. In the meantime, the Murch Family, Pastor Grove and members of his congregation sued the City. We won an Emergency Temporary Restraining Order in Federal Court against the Police Department and the City. But the City charged Pastor Grove with three summary charges and a misdemeanor 28 days after the event was over, as a response to our lawsuit. After delays of almost a year, the City suffered a humiliating loss in front of a jury. Pastor Grove was acquitted in a couple of hours of deliberation over lunch, after a five-day long trial.

This year's parade was a test of sorts. Pastor Grove had actually filed for a permit to be in the parade itself, and planned to have his van decked out with the bloody photos, and little caskets marked "Baby Boy" and "Baby Girl". The van was called "Dr. Butcher's Chop Shop". Captions under the photos of a late-term aborted baby read "Government-approved 'Choice' Cuts" and "Silence-approved 'Choice' Cuts". His church members were dressed in green surgical scrubs.  He informed the City ahead of time that he would have a graphic display, and sent them a copy of the literature he was using called "The American Holocaust Photo Display". While graphic, other entries in the parade included a severed head bobbing in a pot, bloody severed limbs, and last year, a baby doll in a hangman's noose with blood on it. Clearly the only real problem with Pastor Grove's display was that it was about abortion.

LEFT: The offending van with graphic signs on both sides and back, adorned with miniature caskets. RIGHT: One of the members of Pastor Grove's church dressed in his scribs hits the streets with us after they were removed from the parade ground.

The Murch Family decided that we would test our preliminary victory in federal court out in the streets. We were allowed to march eight or ten blocks. When Bruce was physically accosted by a punk-type character with spiked hair, a black leather spiked collar around his neck and black clothing, police were slow to respond and did nothing but let him go. They then escorted the family with a squad car with siren blaring. That drew a lot of attention, but drowned out Bruce's preaching, which was what they intended to do. We used a combination of pictures this time. We carried the "8 weeks after conception" photos next to the "7th week aborted" photos. This is the age when most babies are killed in the womb, and it was a stunning camparison.

Eventually Bruce was approached by the City Solicitor and the Police Commissioner. He was told that the signs would be confiscated again if we did not leave the parade route. They insisted that the federal judge's decision had nothing to do with this event, and they were not going to allow these graphic signs on the streets of York. Period. With that, they escorted us off the parade route and hustled to the parade ground, where they refused Pastor Grove entry in the parade.

So, their first "official" complaint last year was that we did not have a "parade permit". This year they would not let anybody in the streets with those signs regardless of whether we had a permit or not. This will mean their absolute loss in federal court, where the judge has already declared that what happened at last year's parade was a violation of our right of free speech and assembly.

After both groups were ejected from their prospective spots, we decided to set up at a busy intersection, to catch the traffic that would leaving as the parade ended. Our two preacher-boys started right in as soon as we were set up, preaching to the cars stopped in traffic. Below and left is Pastor Grove's wife, Pearl with members of their congregation. At right, Sam and Hannah Murch display the signs we used on the parade route.

The Federal Trial will be in March. Please pray for us.