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Advisory Board
Rev. Paul R. Crikelair
Pastor, Elverson, Pennsylvania
James C. Ellis, C.P.A.
Dothan, Alabama
Cindy Evans
Lifewatch Outreach Coordinator
Holts Summit, Missouri
Rev. James A. Gibson III
Pastor, Marshallville, Georgia
Dr. Michael J. Gorman
Dean, Ecumenical Institute of
Theology, Baltimore, Maryland
Dr. Stanley Hauerwas
Duke University
Myrna Howard
Alva, Florida
Rev. Bill Hughes
Wesley Foundation
University of Kentucky
Dr. John E. Juergensmeyer
Attorney-at-Law
Elgin, IIllinois
Rev. Harold Lewis
Pastor, Washington, DC
Priscilla Lynd, M.D.
Pediatrician
Lexington, Kentucky
Dr. Thomas C. Oden
Drew University
Rev. Marc Rogers
Pastor, Eastland, TX
Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth
Taskforce President
Editor, Lifewatch
Don and Carla Thompson
Somerville, Tennessee
Rev. Louis A. Timmons
Pastor, Atlantic, Virginia
Rev. Pat Tony
Pastor, Ridgeway, Virginia
Kim Turkington
Lexington, Kentucky
Dr. Geoffrey Wainwright
Duke University
Bishop William R. Cannon
(1916-1997)
Dr. Albert C Outler
(1908-1989)
Titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only. They do
not necessarily suggest Institutional involvement in the work of the
Taskforce.
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December 1, 2003
Dear Friend of Lifewatch:
Your Advent preparations, readying for the coming of Christ, are filled with repentance and hope, I trust.
Thank you for being a participant in the Lifewatch community within The United Methodist Church (and beyond). Your continuing prayers, labors, and gifts remain absolutely vital to our ministry for life.
In the midst of Christmas preparations, it is fitting and proper to renew ourselves in the cause of life, which is so directly linked to God's bodily presence in the womb of a poor, young woman.
Our preparations for the critical 2004 General Conference were noted in the September 2003 issue of Lifewatch. Each General Conference, from 1972 until 2000, has changed The United Methodist Church's paragraph on abortion; although remaining generally pro-choice, the language has become more protective of the unborn child and mother.
Also, evidence mounts that increasing numbers of Americans are becoming more protective of the unborn child and mother. Consider that:
*Government restrictions on abortion are now supported by 34% of adults over 26, while around 44% of youth and young adults support such restrictions (University of California, Berkeley, 09/24/02);
*Polls consistently show a majority of women are now pro-life (e.g., Los Angeles Times, June 2003);
*The total number of abortions in the U.S. is declining annually (Centers for Disease Control, May 2003); and
*58% of Americans now believe that human life begins at conception or when an embryo is implanted in the mother's uterus (Newsweek Poll, June 2003).
Clearly, times and opinions are changing. For that, thanks be to God!
Now, how can the Lifewatch community reinforce and deepen these changes in our church and our society? In general, we must continue to speak for the unborn child. We must stand with the pregnant woman who finds herself in need of Christ-like compassion. We must be an instrument of forgiveness to the one who regrets a previous abortion. All in all, Lifewatch must "not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9, RSV)
But to make specific preparations for 2004, we need your financial support.
Your monthly gifts of $5, $10, $25, or $50 -- or your one-time gift of any size, no matter how small or large -- will be of great
significance to Lifewatch's 2004 preparations.
We also need you to inform more United Methodists (and others) of our witness. We need you to support the publication and distribution of Lifewatch materials in preparation for General Conference 2004. We need you to serve as a Lifewatch "contact person" in your Annual Conference. We need you to become a "prayer warrior" for the Lifewatch ministry.
(To become a "contact person" or a "prayer warrior," please
communicate with Mrs. Cindy Evans/1564 Skyview Drive/Holts Summit, MO 65043/(573)896-9680.)
With the momentum swinging toward life in our church and our culture, Lifewatch must continue. We must persevere. We must not grow weary.
I'm sure you will help -- Lifewatch's pressing needs are opportunities for your good deeds.
As you prepare to do God's will during this season of Advent and beyond, our Lord will guide and bless you.
Be faithful in all things.
In Christ,
(The Rev.) Paul T. Stallsworth
Pastor, and President of Lifewatch |
