Day 24: An Important Reminder

Prayer

As you may know, 40 Days for Life is a Christian project and unlimited by denominational boundaries. As National Director David Bereit has stated, although we may not see eye-to-eye on all religious matters we can stand arm-in-arm on the sidewalk for the unborn. Today I'd like to clarify some questions that have arisen regarding the inter-denominational aspect of our efforts here in Alexandria.

From its beginning, 40 Days for Life has provided Christians of all denominations an opportunity to work together to save the lives of unborn babies in danger of being killed by abortion and to show the love of Christ to women facing crisis pregnancies. The keystone of our mission is unity of purpose and reliance on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Many parts ... one Body

In order for the prayer vigil to succeed, it is essential that Christians from different churches and traditions work together to accomplish the task that the Lord has given us. This means that we must set aside our differences and endeavor to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

To that end, please keep the following guidelines in mind whenever you are at a prayer vigil:

1. The vigil is predominately a time of prayer. Do not use the time trying to persuade other participants to your religious or political point of view.
   
2. Be mindful that other volunteers may not share your church’s traditions or forms of worship. If you pray or converse with other volunteers, try to avoid contentious language and practices. For example, whenever Protestants are known to be present, Catholics should direct all spoken common prayers only to God the Father or to Jesus Christ.
   

   

   One God ... One Lord of All!
   

3. Do not find fault with the religious expressions of other vigil participants. For example, if a spoken prayer offends you, quietly move to a different location, out of hearing range.
   
4. If you pray out loud, either individually or as a small group, pray softly so that others who do not share your traditions will be able to move out of hearing range.

Each one of you is vitally important in the fight for life! We appreciate the dedication and commitment of every vigil volunteer. Thank you for reading and for respecting these guidelines as we continue to work together on behalf of the unborn children in our city of Alexandria, VA. 

We Stand Together for Life!

Outreach this Saturday will be led by Jonathan Darnel in Old Town from 1-3pm (St. Patrick's Day!). Meet up at St. Mary's Church (310 Duke Street), and distribute literature and answer questions about our campaign with Alexandria residents and visitors.  For more information contact Paul at paul.40days@gmail.com.

Please remember the vigil calendar for upcoming hours that are still needed. We're up to 294 reports of babies saved in this campaign -- thanks so much for your ongoing prayer and support!