More on the March!
Posted by Matt Yonke on Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Well, sorry for the delay, but after Blogs for Life, the rest of Tuesday was a whirlwind!
Earlier, Eric, Joe and Ann had breakfast with a group of pro-lifers at the White House and received an address from the President! They got to see the room where FDR delivered his "fireside chats".
That's where Eric is sitting flipping through a volume of H.L. Mencken.
The March for life was amazing. The air on the Mall was absolutely electric. Hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers gathered on the streets of the Capital with signs, all there to let the world know that they stand for life.
As we gathered to hear some inspiring speakers, including Senator Sam Brownback once again, we met other pro-lifers from across the country. People were chanting, singing, laughing, and all the while proclaiming their love for life (the year’s new hot chant seemed to be We love babies/yes we do!/We love babies/how about you?) The weather was definitely brisk, but having come from our -5 degree weather it was felt balmy.
We met a group of teens from Omaha, Nebraska, where Eric had just been last week, along with two priests from their parish. They were might have been the most excited people I have ever seen! These kids had some great chants going and they were so excited they were literally bouncing up and down. We called it the “bounce for life”, and it was contagious!
Perhaps one of the most striking things was the age of the crowd, which was largely 25 or younger. This bodes very well for the future of the movement. Young people, almost regardless of religion, seem to be moving to the pro-life side in droves, and as cliche as it sounds, children are the future of any movement. To have such great conviction for life among these young folks is cause for great optimism.
We marched past the National Archives, the National Gallery, the Department of Labor, the Capitol Building, and ended up at the Supreme Court building, which is a strikingly beautiful example of architecture that reflects the gravity of the work done there.
Two pro-choicers showed up (from what I hear they are the same and only pro-choice supporters that always show up) and will likely garner all the media attention. It’s pretty typical for the media to put up the picture of the two pro-choicers and say something like “Supporters from both sides of the abortion issue came to Capital Hill today”.
After the march there was much rejoicing and fellowship amongst the pro-life forces and I got to sit in on an interview Eric did with Drew Mariani of Relevant Radio, whose show I greatly enjoy. The interview was a roundtable discussion with Eric and several other pro-life leaders and I got to meet Drew in person. What a treat that was!
So what’s the bottom line? I can tell you after a couple days of sharing meals and hearing talks with the top brass of the pro-life movement, that the movement is alive, excited, and winning!
People are being mobilized all around the country, even all around the globe, and a big part of what making people stand up and take notice is the events surrounding the Planned Parenthood facility in Aurora, IL. The effort right in our back yards, the effort that regular people like us have undertaken one hour of prayer at a time, is making people all over the world stand up and take notice.
So next time you consider whether or not to spend an hour on the sidewalk praying or counseling, the next time you consider whether or not to attend that pro-life event, the next time you consider if it’s worth it or if you can really have an impact, you must know that you should, it is, and you can. The world is watching.
P.S. More pix on our flickr page here.
Glad to hear everything is going well.
I myself confronted the Methodist Bishop of Northern Illinois on the subject of Abortion. I told him in order to reach out to our community they would have to deal with the dark cloud over our community, ABORTION. That we have had questions and the church doesn't seem to take a firm position. Methodist doctrine says that it is always evil, unless you are under derress of any kind. Do we teach that it is a sin to steal, unless you are under derress, then it is OK?
I made my point, got a beat around the bush answer, and was appreceated by many for bringing it up.
I did not want to make a scene, only let them know, we are here and I for one am not going away.
Travel SAFE!!! IT IS COLD HERE
January 24th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to let you know Eric was on the latest lifetalk radio. You can listen at http://www.lifedynamics.com.
Joe
January 26th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Dan the Methodist,
You GO!!! I know how difficult it can be since I'm Presbyterian and go to a PCUSA church. Do you have an National Methodist Denomination Pro-Life Group? We have one and it's called Presbyterians Pro-Life. We work at the national level of the denomination to bring our church back to it's historic roots of being pro-life. We took a bad turn in 1983.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I do not know of one on a national level, but I could be ignorant to that group at this time.
I want to be a source of strength for others who have not had opportunity, confidence or ability to speak to the Methodist Church from my position, meek at best.
There are many in the Methodist Church where I go and at the multi-congressional get togethers as I described who come to me and thank me for bringing the subject up and the manor in which I did so.
I believe everyones faith is their own. Our faiths are as diverse and unique as we are, but there has to be a "netting" that holds us together as Christians and right to life should at least be a common strand.
God bless us in our struggle and God Bless the United States of America!!!
January 27th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
On second thought, I do remember something about a group that was not allowed to speak at the convention and that might be the group you are illuding to?
It has to start from the bottom to drive an awakening in the whole UMC. Church is not a marketing scheme it is a set of beliefs and values that should not shift with polls or revenue.
January 27th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Dan the Methodist,
You are right. We must educate our congregations first. When my pastor preached on the Sancity of Life, she had adults that told her they had never thought of abortion as a moral or Christian issue. It was just political. They never thought that God hurt for each life that was lost, and hurt for the girls/women who suffer bc of abortion.
PC leaders have successfully taken away the humanity of the unborn. Yet technology. science, movies like Bella nad Juno and PLers perserverence to educate the public has begun to change the country's understanding. More and more young people are pro-life. That is a good trend.
So maybe if there is a group of you from your church, you could think about starting a PL Methodist group. Keep the pressure on your church leadership. We have a responsibility to rebuke the Church and to call her into repentence when she goes astray.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Science Undermines Abortion Activists.
Mike
January 29th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Sorry, it looks like the link above did not work. To read the article "Science Undermines Abortion Activists" go to ….
http://www.catholicleague.org/
Double click on "Catalyst Online", then "2008", then "January-Febuary" and then the article.
Mike
January 29th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
VIDEO: What They're Not Telling You About The March
VIDEO: What They're Not Telling You About The March.
—–
To see more video on the March For Life, go to …
http://www.youtube.com
and type in "March For Life" in the search engine. There are over 3,500 video's posted in the site for the March For Life!
Mike
January 29th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Sorry, my links are not working well. Here it is again…
VIDEO: What They're Not Telling You About The March
http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2008/01/march_for_life.html#comments
—–
To see more video on the March For Life, go to …
http://www.youtube.com
and type in "March For Life" in the search engine. There are over 3,500 video's posted in the site for the March For Life!
Mike
January 29th, 2008 at 6:01 pm