Communities in Action: Chris Sweeny, Ozarks FFRF
Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash Chris Sweeny is the leader of the Ozarks chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). Ozarks FFRF is an affiliate of the American Humanist Association. Chris, and Ozarks FFRF’s membership, truly embody the humanist commitment to action and social engagement. Both political and personal, their activism extends beyond the secular community to include partnerships with local charities, community members, and even family-owned restaurants!
When did you first become involved with your Ozarks FFRF, and what motivated you to join?
My name is Chris Sweeney, I’m the leader of the Ozarks chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. We were incepted in 2022, so about four years ago, by way of sending out a postcard to other FFRF members within the Northwest Arkansas area. We met at a coffee shop on a random Sunday and had 40 plus people show up. So really was our proof of concept, showing that we had a secular movement.
From that point on, it was trying to understand what we can do with that. It’s one thing to sit around and talk about secular values, it’s another to be activated and move the needle. And so we decided to go and do tabling events at the local farmers market, and we found that Northwest Arkansas was a hotbed for progressive values. In 2026, really our mantra has been to widen the tent – we’ve tried to align ourselves with other groups like AHA or American Atheists with the common denominator being church state separation issues.
How big is your organization? Has it grown or shrunk over time?
We probably have about 40 to 50 core members who come out at volunteer events, social events, speaking events. Beyond that, we have over 600 people on our Facebook page, and about 600 people as well on our email distribution list. And then we just do a lot of publishing by way of other groups that are kind of aligned with us. So our reach, we estimate to be well over a thousand people. We know some of those emails and Facebook groups overlap, but we know that we have a reach of at least over a thousand people here in Northwest Arkansas.
It seems like your group has a focus on action and community services – when did that start, and why?
One of the things that we’re looking to backfill is the community that the church has often provided for many of our members. There are a lot of good things that come from church, and community is one of those. Being a secular person, there is no secular church. But at the end of the day, we want to be participating in the community.
I like to think that our impact is greatest at the local level. And that means at the city level, at the township, municipality. We have to be aware of who our politicians are, what they’re doing, and what legislation they’re creating – and you have to ask questions. I find that my state representative is rather responsive. I don’t agree with her policies 99% of the time, but she’s at least willing to take my phone call and have a conversation with me.
For example, Siloam Springs School District currently owes $500,000 for their school lunches, and they’re going to turn the debt over to collections. These people probably don’t have the means to pay for these lunches, and now that they’re being threatened with collections. Meanwhile our state politicians are going to hire a lawyer to justify why the Ten Commandments belong in schools. And that’s again why I’m going to continue to raise awareness. I’m going to work hard, I’m gonna do the research myself. I’m not expecting the media to do a FOIA request. That’s my job as a citizen. It is individual citizens that can make an impact. And that’s one of the things I try to underscore with our membership: That you, as a citizen of the United States, of the state of Arkansas, can make an impact. How little or how large it is just depends on really how much you wanna work for it.
I noticed you host regular highway cleanups and volunteer opportunities with a local women’s shelter thrift store. Could you tell me a bit more about these events?
How can we better the community? We love Arkansas. We love the outdoors. Yet you drive down the road, and you see trash. We want to demonstrate to the community that secular people care. It’s important to us to be a part of the solution, not part of the problem. And that’s one of the core tenants that we have – being a good steward of our community.
With the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter, that partnership was started as an extension of the Northwest Arkansas Freethought Group. Some of their people were older and infirm, and couldn’t do what they needed to do as volunteers. So that’s where I offered to step in. I’ve really come to value their mission. I find it just incredible, who they are as an organization. I’ve gotten to meet all of their executive board members, just people who deeply care about the community. We just go sorting clothes on a Saturday, or cleaning up and reshelving. It’s something they value so much – they come up to us and they express sheer joy and appreciation for us helping them.
How is your organization “meeting the moment”?
I find that so many people just sit there and think of it as “the way it is”. And I just hate that. I hate standing still.
We’re coming out to a tabling event. We’re having civil discourse with our community. You have to talk about these issues where we fundamentally don’t agree – that’s not a reason to put your head in the sand. It’s even more reason to get out and have that dialogue and reach across the aisle. Find common ground. And as an organization, we need to be present. As individuals, we need to be present and involved.
How do you envision the future of your chapter, and what resources will you need in order to get there?
I’m just excited. I’m over the moon at our chapter – where we’ve been and where we are now – and I’m excited for our future. In a state where you find church-state separation backsliding, Arkansas is almost a model of Christian nationalism for the rest of the country. For those who identify as secular, this is a good opportunity to make an impact. So I’m excited about our future.
We’ve really drawn the attention of people in this area. I’m excited by that. I get tickled every time I have someone from a media or a newspaper outlet reach out to me because our organization is now a de-facto secular resource in this community. I’m seeing people from Jonesboro across the state, even in the Mississippi Delta area, drawing a line in the sand. Enough is enough. I think our future is bright. I think being aware, being active, being present, and meeting the moment is going to continue to help our organization thrive.
Ozarks Freedom From Religion Foundation is an affiliate of the American Humanist Association. You can keep up with them, and learn more about their work, at ozarksffrf.org.