TACL, the Talbot Association of Clergy and Laity, was formed in 1980 as the successor group to the Talbot Clergymen's Association that had existed for some time before that. A number of congregations in the county had recognized the need for a united voice in confronting issues of social justice and religious need in our local communities and had joined together to work under the banner of first the Churchmen's Association and then TACL.

Representatives of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish religious groupings sought to proclaim their shared conviction that, despite the differences in their faith communities, they could come together in honoring the dignity and worth of every person. Together they denounced the Ku Klux Klan, they organized the local hospital chaplaincy, they spoke out against the evils of war, and they came together for shared worship.

Today, the members of TACL continue to reach out to every religious individual and community in our county, inviting each and all to join together in confronting the issues and actions that rob us of our humanity and in sharing in worship whenever our diverse faiths permit.

Each year, we join together in community worship at Thanksgiving. We co-sponsor the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. program with the NAACP and PEACE, co-sponsor the local Crop Walk activities that are led by the Easton Church of the Brethren, work with B'nai Israel, the Jewish Temple, to facilitate the community Seder Service, and participate in other programs of shared religious value whenever possible. For many years, we have overseen the Good Samaritan Fund, a program of support for the needy in Talbot County. We serve as a clearinghouse of information for our member congregations in order to assist them in knowing about programs of social justice and religious inspiration that may be of mutual benefit. It is always our desire to facilitate opportunities for shared religious experiences with every faith community.

With office and staffing provided through the generosity of St.  Luke's United Methodist Church in St. Michaels, the TACL Good Samaritan   Fund reaches out to those in need in the Talbot County area.

Full text of Carlton Spitzer Op-Ed Essay published (incomplete) in Star-Democrat 1/14/08

 TACL has tackled key issues for a half century

 Carlton E. Spitzer

    Adhering to separation of church and state,Talbot Association of Clergy and Laity (TACL) still manages to unite churches and the larger community to meet the needs of the poor and disadvantaged, the depressed and dispossessed of every color and ethnic origin in our midst.

   For 44 years, under determined leaders, TACL has been faithful to its original purpose, “mobilizing cooperative, collaborative discussion and action for all members of the Family of God in Talbot County.”

   Begun in 1964 as The Talbot Churchman’s Association, it held workshops for volunteers assisting migrant families and provided food for the hungry.  Over the years it has provided chaplains for hospitals, jails, hospices, police departments and fire houses, conducted summer Bible Schools, worked with the Neighborhood Center to winterize homes and apartments, and organized interfaith services during Lent, Christmas and Easter, with special ecumenical celebrations at Thanksgiving. 

   That its Thanksgiving service in 2007 was held at Temple B’nai Israel - with every pew filled and many standing - attests to TACL’s interfaith commitment.

   Having toyed with such names as Ministers Association and Churchmembers Association, members settled on Talbot Association of Clergy and Laity in 1980.

   Its constant goal is to engage more clergy and expand services to people in need.

   TACL’s Good Samaritan Fund has prevented evictions, provided financial counseling, and worked with Social Services to help destitute families pay heating bills and purchase basic foods.  The fund received an anonymous gift of $2,500 this year to expand its humanitarian work. 

   But as one reviews records of this community-oriented, church-sponsored group one is most impressed by its firm stand against racism, violence and incivility.

   Prompted in 1980 by a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, with cross-burnings and distribution of hate pamphlets in Royal Oak, TACL’s president, Rev. Robert Price, urged its members to speak out forcefully in the public press.  “In the past,” he wrote, “church groups have been quiet until something happened.  When church leadership is silent, I think it’s read by a lot of people as almost condoning one side of an issue.”

   Price acknowledged not all residents were racially enlightened, but firmly believed they were not Klan-oriented.  Rev. Howard Camper, president of Dorchester County Ministerial Association, denounced KKK efforts to distribute hate literature to school children and recruit young adults.  Rev. Kenneth White of the Caroline County NAACP called for unbroken solidarity in opposing renewed KKK intrusion.  And Rev. Kenneth Bedell said the idea of white supremacy defied every principle of Christianity.  Leaders of Peninsula Conference of the United Methodist Church urged clergy of all denominations to say boldly what they were for as well as what they were against.

    TACL is still fighting racism and injustice and seeking to expand interfaith action.

     In 1982, Easton Mayor George Murphy, with TACL leader Dr. C. Edwin Lasbury of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, led a nine-person delegation to a conference on extremism and violence at Linthicum where they heard its chairman, Stanley Sollins, warn that ethnic slurs “are becoming almost fashionable.” 

    The conference’s goal was to defuse resurgence of bigotry and hatred in Maryland, evidenced by 200 cross-burnings, vandalisms and widespread distribution of hate literature in the previous year alone.

    Gov. Harry Hughes, addressing delegates, likened the situation to the “scapegoat syndrome” that turned the German people against their Jewish neighbors and led to the downfall of that nation.  He called on every elected official to speak out strongly against racially and religiously motivated acts of violence and extremism. 

    While agreeing with the governor, his attorney general, Steven Sachs cautioned delegates that personal action, not legislation, was needed to reverse trends.  To legislate behavior would, he pointed out, intrude on freedom of expression and association for all citizens. 

     That is why TACL’s role has been so important, representing clergy of many denominations.  Love and hate live in the heart, mind and soul of every individual.  TACL speaks to man’s better nature.  In a published letter signed by its members in 1982, TACL derided the KKK’s “resurgent presence” and message of “hatred and strident racism,” urging readers to support “forces of love, toleration and justice.” 

     TACL has been at the forefront of Habitat for Humanity, feeding the hungry, protesting nuclear arms, seeking peaceful resolutions to international disputes to avoid war, and in 1982 conducting a week of prayer for Christian Unity led by Rev. Howard Thomas Clark, pastor of St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, followed by  services at various churches for seven days. 

     It has held interfaith services to express gratitude for the return of American hostages in Iran, including prayers for Iranian leaders: “Where they have been wronged, help them to forgive; where they have wronged, forgive them and help us to forgive them.”  In 2008, TACL hopes to co-sponsor a conference with the National Organization on Disability, “From Barriers to Bridges” and develop a working partnership with the disAbility Coalition of Talbot County.

    As we again celebrate the remarkable contributions of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is well to remember that 25 years ago – a dozen years after we finally desegregated schools and hospitals - we were still fighting to keep the KKK out of Talbot County.

    Fourteen different churches and retired clergy represent TACL in 2008.  New members are welcome.  To learn more about TACL, see the Interfaith Website: whatsoeveryoudo.net.  Or call Ann Williams, Treasurer, at 410-770-3237.

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