Below are some questions students have asked us about YCI clubs. If you have a question been asked a

Are YCI clubs legal? What about the separation of Church and State?

YCI clubs are completely legal, because of the Equal Access Act.
In 1984, the United States Congress passed the Equal Access Act, which guaranteed the students’ Constitutional right to have "Religious" or Christian clubs on their public secondary school campuses. President Ronald Reagan then signed it into law.
In June of 1990, the United States Supreme Court upheld the Equal Access Act in a landmark decision handed down in Board of Education of Westside Community Schools vs. Mergens, (496 U.S. 226). This provided a vehicle for students to come together and meet at school, using the school facilities just like everyone else.

According to the American Center for Law and Justice, "the Supreme Court ruled that public secondary schools which receive federal funds and allow non-curriculum related clubs to meet on campus must also allow ’religious clubs’ (that is, Bible clubs, Prayer clubs, or any club involving religious speech) to meet on campus during non-instructional time. . . . In other words, the school must give the religious club official recognition on campus. If the school allows service clubs, such as Interact, Zonta, or 4-H, or clubs like a chess club, it must allow religious clubs. This is what a is meant by equal access".

Separation of Church and State?

Nowhere does the Constitution of the United States use the phrase "separation of church and state"! Neither is it in the Bill of Rights. The first time that the phrase is used is in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association by Thomas Jefferson 14 years after the adoption of the Bill of Rights. The only governmental document to provide such a guarantee is the constitution of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). What the First Amendment to the Constitution does say about religion is this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." In other words, the Federal Government is forbidden, by the First Amendment, from establishing or creating an official national religion. The government is also forbidden from passing any law which restricts, in any way, your right to practice your religion anytime, anyplace and anyway that you see fit.

What denomination is The YCI?

Youth Commission International is a non-denominational non-profit organization, and The YCI clubs are the same. Club meetings are to avoid focusing on the issues that divide believers, and instead focus solely on sharing the message of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.
- Is there a cost?

There is no cost to be a part of a YCI club at your school, so come on in and invite your friends...it's all free!

Obviously, it does take finances to operate the organization as a whole, but it will never cost you a penny to a part of a YCI club. That said, if you, or someone you know, would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to Youth Commission International, please contact Amy Capps at 704.364.2122, extension 10, or mail a check or money order to:
Youth Commission International
4100 Coca-Cola Plaza
Suite 105
Charlotte, NC 28211