"Go into all the world and preach the good news..."

Sunday, January 23rd  This was Sanctity of Life Sunday. Part of our ministry went one way and the other half went the other way on this snowy, cold day. We were God's messengers to preach the Good News to the world. We were asked to speak on behalf of life and our ministry to two different churches this day.

            We prayed for guidance, wisdom, and to touch the hearts of all those in attendance at both churches. Threatening weather was in the forecast, but people still turned out, praise the Lord. Both pastors were very gracious in their introductions of our daily ministry and work in the streets of the City of Slaughter. Once in the pulpit, we “gave 'em heaven!” Daniel brought a lot of scripture in his opening remarks and then went into our work with the ultrasound van outside the Midwest’s largest late-term abortion mill. Angela gave her testimony and how the Lord was using her to do God's work; how this vital ministry began over 18 years ago from their home; how she volunteered at the local crisis pregnancy center; how they were not helping abortion-bound mothers. “Abortion minded women are not walking into pregnancy centers. They’re going into abortion mills. Jesus didn’t sit and wait for the lost to come to Him. He went out into the streets to meet them where they were at.”

Sitting in offices collecting money is not stopping abortion or saving babies; it’s building a financial ministry. Let's face it: there are a lot of “cash cows” in the pro-life arena. Go to Guidestar 990 and check out some of the tax forms of these pregnancy centers, if they are not buried under another name i.e.: Metro-East Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It's unbelievable the income they pay themselves and how they discriminate against pregnant girls. Hope Clinic is eager to help these discouraged and frustrated pregnant girls. That's what got our ministry onto the streets. There was a need in Granite City and it was not being met. We actually were catching pregnant girls being instructed to come to Hope Clinic from these cash cow centers. When a pregnancy center accepts government money they are required to inform them of their option of abortion and where the abortion mills are located. Unbelievable! That is why we have made so many enemies on both sides of the movement. When you stand for righteousness, you will be attacked, slandered, and persecuted.  

We spoke on the stats and babies saved through our vital ultrasound van where we are a window to the womb as well as on the conversions of many former employees and clients. We shared the beautiful testimonies of our recent saved and adopted babies in our large family and how they are a blessing to all. “When you do the talk, you have to do the walk. Our ministry has also helped other couples adopt over 39 saved babies from this abortion mill,” (applause). We shared how God continues to move through this ministry and all the victories we have won in the courts. We also informed about the underbelly of abortion: how this is the most unregulated and lucrative industry in our nation; how the world is telling the church to, “Shut up and sit down;” how we need to run to the battle and make a difference in the lives of others and our nation. What works in saving babies and touching mother's hearts is being Jesus to them, not screaming Jesus at them.

We both brought several picture boards displaying the “fruits of our labors” and saved babies from this deathcamp. Many in the audience were touched and weeping; hands went up to ask questions, even the pastors! We tried answering them all. One pastor exclaimed at the conclusion of our talk, “We really needed to get this all on audio tape. It was powerful.” Both churches took up a love offering for our ministry. We were very grateful. They were very generous to our mission. At both churches we had a long receiving line as good seed was sown and many were encouraged. Many agreed with us on the pregnancy centers’ “red flags” that we mentioned and had no idea of our work until now. They wanted to congratulate us and express their thanks. We are the pioneers and, “Only the pioneers get the arrows,” (laughter). We prayed for our pastors and shepherds to lead us into the battle and not wait for those once-a-year sermons. The sanctity of life must be heard everyday to turn from a culture of death into a culture of LIFE. As Pastor Flip says, “Abortion will come to an end in America when the Church of Jesus Christ says it will come to an end and not one second sooner.”