Separation of church and state is a longstanding American tradition. In suburban New York, houses of worship are hoping for something new — separation of church and soccer.
Five churches and synagogues have officially asked the Larchmont Junior Soccer League to stop scheduling games between 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday and Sunday mornings in order to avoid conflicts with religious services.
The Rev. Michael Nelms, associate pastor at Larchmont Avenue Presbyterian Church, said, “We believe that soccer is an important part of our children’s lives, as is faith. We realize it is not possible to totally block off those times. We’re respectfully asking that those times be respected so that children who are involved in both can do both.”
There are 1,700 children in the Larchmont league, and 2.5 million children in soccer leagues nationwide.
— E.P. News
