Creating a Culture of Life in SWO

I often receive questions from volunteers about what to say, or whether even to engage, with passersby on the sidewalk or people driving by the Abortion center who are not going there. Should we put any time or effort into engaging with them, and if so, how?

One of the clear missions of Love Life is to create a culture of love and life. We face increasing evidence of a culture of death. One of the scary developments in the past few years is the astronomical increase of abortion by mail. In a recent article in The Guardian citing research by JAMA, a single Abortion provider dispensed 120,000 abortion pills by mail from 2023-24. 100,000 of those pills went to women who resided in states where no abortion was permitted, including abortion pills by mail. This disregard of the law shows the pervasiveness of the culture of death. If the women are not coming to the abortion centers but killing their unborn children at home, how do we impact this horrific evil? It is also important to mention that abortion pills by mail put the direct guilt of the child’s murder on the mother, not primarily on the abortionist at an abortion center. All abortion is horrific, but this shift to the “ease of abortion in the privacy of the home” is chilling.

I believe we can have a tremendous impact through the people we engage with on the very street where we are ministering. I’m not talking about only our intercession with the Abortion-determined women. I mean the effect we can have by interacting with the people passing by who have no intention of ever walking in that abortion center. Maybe they’re an elderly couple on their way to a pharmacy. Maybe they’re an Uber-eats driver. Maybe they’re just passing through because they live in the nearby neighborhood. Every one of these people can be influenced to embrace the culture of life and to share that knowledge with others in his or her sphere of influence.

Another benefit of engaging with every single person that we encounter while on the sidewalk is we can increase our effectiveness with ministering to abortion minded women. We will not be taking time to analyze whether we should talk to someone or not based on whether we think they are abortion minded. That analysis can take precious seconds from very limited time we have if it turns out she IS abortion minded. When we take time to analyze whether we should stop a car or not, we lose precious seconds when we could have instead been speaking to them and convicting them not to abort. Secondly, if we are prepared to speak to every single person we engage with, we can effectively begin to challenge this culture of death.

Practical advice in what to do and say:

• Attempt to stop everyone you see whether in a car, service provider like Uber, or pedestrian.
• As cars are passing by, keep your statements bold but brief: “Please stop; we have hope and help for you!”
• If they stop, instantly hand them our literature with our name and number on the back. Be prepared to give our info to everyone!
• Practice a one to two-minute introduction that gives a sense of our mission and why a culture/choice of life should be the answer rather than abortion.
• Example: Hi there, my name is Vicky and my name and number is on the back of this information. We are here offering hope and help to women in vulnerable pregnancies. We know that killing an innocent human being made in the image of a holy God is never the answer. Did you know that this is a place that kills innocent little babies for profit? Do you believe in God? What do you think God would think about a place like this? Our desire is to provide tangible help through the local church so that women do not feel the need to have an abortion. You may not be here for an abortion, but you probably know people in vulnerable pregnancies. I feel confident God will show you the person that you could give this literature to and possibly save a life. God has a divine appointment for you that could be life changing.
• If people want to argue, we should discern if they are headed for an abortion. If so, definitely stay engaged, using the three talking points.
• If they want to argue but are passersby and not abortion minded, give a minute or two of clear reasons why society should not embrace abortion and then get back to ministry focus of abortion determined women.
• Some of those clear reasons: the unborn child is human with human DNA and completely vulnerable, unable to protect him or herself. No society should prey upon the weak and the vulnerable. The taking of innocent human life is wrong, and clearly God who says thou shall not murder would never condone it. It is inconceivable that a parent killing their own child would not have severe consequences. There is hope and help available, people willing and eager to walk alongside these moms and offer tangible support to decrease the desperate situation they face. However, even if no help were offered, the killing of an innocent human being is never warranted. You may not agree this is a human life, but science does not support that view. Human DNA, heartbeat, brainwaves, separate body that is growing, doubling in size each week in the first trimester.
• Give examples of people who gave the literature to others and lives were saved. For example, in Charlotte, an uber driver took the literature and gave it to his cousin. She called us. She chose life and after hearing the Gospel, submitted her life to Jesus. She was so overwhelmed by the help offered that she told her friend who was considering abortion. The friend called us. She also chose life and also after hearing the Gospel, submitted her life to Jesus. That Uber driver’s obedience to God’s prompting to share our literature resulted in two babies and two souls saved.
• Scripturally, we are called to be ready to speak to any and all about the truth of Jesus and the reason for hope we have!
• “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

I Peter