WASHINGTON--An e-mail to churches from President Bush's re-election campaign has raised concern that the campaign has overstepped the bounds separating church and state, according to Agape Press.

The Associated Press reported that an e-mail from the Bush campaign's Pennsylvania office urges churchgoers to help organize what it calls "friendly congregations" where supporters can meet regularly to sign up voters.

The e-mail states: "The Bush-Cheney '04 national headquarters in Virginia has asked us to identify 1,600 'Friendly Congregations' in Pennsylvania where voters friendly to President Bush might gather on a regular basis."

The e-mail seeks church goers as volunteer coordinators to distribute general information and updates as well as voter registration material "in a place accessible to the congregation."

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans for the Separation of Church and State, issued a statement in reaction to the Bush campaign e-mail. "This is the most shocking example of politicizing churches I've ever seen," he said.

He described the effort as an "election scheme." He contended that "introduction of partisan politics into the pews will also divide congregations and entangle politics and religion in very unhealthy ways."

According to Kevin Madden, a Bush-Cheney campaign spokesman, the campaign does not mean to imply that religious supporters should congregate for the president at their places of worship. The Internal Revenue Service prohibits campaigning at churches and other tax-exempt organizations.

"This message is intended to be from individual to individual," Madden explained. "This is organizing with individuals who may be members of a church who we hope to identify as supporters and be part of our efforts." He added that people of faith who feel strongly about the president "are people we want to be part of our campaign."

Another spokesman for the Bush Administration, Steve Schmidt, told the Detroit Free Press that "people of faith have as much right to participate in the political process as any other community," and that the e-mail was about "building the most sophisticated grassroots presidential campaign in the country's history."

Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention said if he were a pastor, he would not be comfortable with one of his church members distributing campaign material within a church or during a church service. While he indicated he would have no problem discussing campaign issues and party platforms with his congregation, he would offer only this advice: "I would tell them to vote -- and to vote their conscience," he said.

Land's organization, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has developed IVoteValues.com -- a Web site that encourages what he calls "citizen Christians" to become informed about various candidates' positions on issues and then vote accordingly. Land said such voters have a God-given responsibility.

"Those who vote blindly the traditional party loyalties of their families and regional origins instead of shared common core values, beliefs, and convictions are falling short in their roles as Citizen Christians," he says. "Ultimately, our loyalty belongs not to any political party or candidate but to God Almighty."

The National Council of Churches has also formed a new group to encourage people of faith to engage in the democratic process through voter registration and education efforts. The group, known as "Faithful Democracy," unveiled its website and other resources in front of Judiciary Square in Washington, D.C., on March 30 and issued a call for people of faith around the country to register and vote in 2004 and beyond.