Ohio Rep. Angie King, R-Celina, was the keynote speaker at the West Ohio Christian Chamber of Commerce Family Christmas Dinner Thursday at Old Barn Restaurant in Lima.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — In the nine months of its existence, the West Ohio Christian Chamber of Commerce has endeavored to give Christian business owners a place where they can encourage each other in their faith and vocation while also providing a united voice to advocate for their values in the business community. On Thursday, the chamber held a Christmas dinner to celebrate its growth and look forward to the future.
Chamber CEO David Roznowski was pleased to see the growth in the organization since its beginnings in March, with the chamber now having a membership of about 100 businesses encompassing Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Hardin, Paulding, Putnam and Van Wert counties.
“It’s just been amazing, the response and support that we’ve got,” he said. “I think that for us, as Christian business owners, we want to try to represent the Lord well in our businesses and also take advantage of opportunities to minister to other people through our businesses.”
Having a Christian chamber of commerce also gives these businesses a chance to have a stronger voice when it comes to advocating for policies that align with the faith of the members.
“There are a lot of things right now happening that are on the agenda in our state that are affecting Christians and Christian businesses,” Roznowski said. “There is strength in numbers, and numbers give us a voice.”
Speaking at Thursday’s event was state Rep. Angie King, R-Celina, who shared her story about her journey into public service while updating attendees on legislative updates from Columbus.
“We’ve been doing great work in Columbus, working on reducing taxes for Ohio families,” she said. “We are now down to two tax brackets. Eight years ago, it was nine. Now we’re down to two.”
King also highlighted recent legislation in Columbus that focused on culture issues, including the recently passed Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act, which prohibits minors from receiving gender-affirming medical treatments, as well as the Save Women’s Sports Act, which prohibits transgender participation in girls’ and women’s sports.
“I’m very pleased that this passed to ensure that girls have an opportunity for fair competition and access to scholarships for college,” King said. “(In the SAFE Act), there are amendments on that. So for children under 18 currently being seen by a doctor, they do not have to stop their treatment. But going forward, we’re going to make sure that kids have ample time to get the mental health support that they need and having time to process that and mature and wait until they are at least 18 years old.”
Reach Craig Kelly at 567-242-0391.
