Shortly after the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe, Life Choices in Longmont, CO, fell victim to a devastating act of vandalism and arson on June 25th, 2022. As one of the first pregnancy centers targeted in response to the ruling, their ordeal was particularly severe. Now, nearly two years later, we had the opportunity to sit down with Kathy Roberts, the Executive Director of Life Choices, to discuss how they have coped since that fateful day.
The Fire
When talking about the events of that night, Kathy shared, “Up until that night, I thought the biggest battle I had was leading a pregnancy center during the pandemic from COVID-19. That was until the night the fire came. At 3:00 am on the night when Roe was overturned, homemade bombs were placed in the lobby of our Longmont location, and that’s what started the fire.” Thankfully, at this time, nobody was present within Life Choices.
Emergency response teams were immediately called to extinguish the fire. Even after the flames were doused, the lingering smoke made it unsafe to navigate through the building for some time.
Once the building was safe to go through to examine the extent of the damage done, Kathy stated, “You felt darkness and oppression when walking through the building. Threats were written inside on the walls and outside on the building.” One of the threats written on the building was, “If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you.” The Life Choices team was stunned by the devastation and damage done to their building. (An image of the inside of the building can be seen above to the right.)
God Reveals His Glory in the Battle
The damage from the fire had destroyed the Life Choices center in Longmont, CO. However, there was one thing that wasn’t damaged. It was a bible that was opened to Isaiah 68:1-4,
“May God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. May you blow them away like smoke “” as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.”
You can hear Kathy discuss the devastation of the center and how they found the bible in the video below.
Although the circumstances looked bleak at the moment, Kathy and her team had hope. She shared, “We know that there are adversaries against us. Scripture states that, but I have found that God does reveal His glory in the middle of these battles.” As the community rallied in prayer and support, people from all around the country lifted up Life Choices in their time of need. Generous donations poured in, providing the means to rebuild and secure a new building for the center.
Fighting Your Battles
Having your pregnancy center burn down is a lot on any Executive Director, but Kathy Roberts’ battle didn’t stop there. Six months later, she was in Washington D.C. to share about their center’s experience of arson and vandalism when a life-threatening health situation arose. Instead of flying back home, she ended up spending weeks in a hospital near the D.C. area where she was being treated.
If anyone knows what it’s like to go through a battle, it’s Kathy. Because of what she went through, she can look back now and say, “The Lord wants us to know how to battle in war. We must know how to stand strong, and when we have done everything we can do, we continue to stand.”
Now, Kathy isn’t surprised when battles come up. In fact, it shouldn’t surprise any of us as we are all in a battle for life. She urges all of us, “There will be an intensity in our battles because the enemy’s time is coming up. We have got to continue in this battle!”
The Aftermath
What could have destroyed the ministry of Life Choices only made it stronger. What could have killed Kathy, didn’t. When reflecting on the past couple of years, she shared,
“I came out of the battle — and I won! Life Choices had a rough year, and now this is a win for the Lord!”
Thanks to the overwhelming support and generosity of those who came together to pray and donate, Life Choices now stands in a beautiful new building. The donations surpassed expectations, allowing the center to not only cover the costs of the new facility but also to hire two additional nurses and kickstart the development of a fatherhood program for their clients.
When reflecting on the past two years, Kathy urges others, “If you want to grow your ministry, you need to grow your faith in Him. If you don’t have the foundation you need in Him, you won’t make it when the battles come.”
A Word of Encouragement
To those within pregnancy centers or other Pro Abundant Life ministries, Kathy wants to encourage them, “Let those who oppose the work we do dread us. Despite the limitations that Google and Yelp has placed on pregnancy centers, we are growing. The abortion industry has millions of dollars in donations, and even so, we are the ones who are multiplying.”
As Life Choices nears its 40th anniversary this September, Kathy is gearing up for a grand celebration to honor all that God has accomplished through their center. The festivities will be a testament to the resilience and faithfulness that have carried them through, marking a milestone in their impactful journey.
Life Choices is a Care Net-affiliated pregnancy center located in Longmont, CO.