It is hard to believe that we are just over a year removed from the Dobbs’ decision and the overturning of Roe! We have spent decades speaking up for life and longing for this day, and, at times, I find myself in shock that June 24, 2022, actually happened. We have celebrated this decision and made great strides in the stance for life across our country. You helped make this happen with your prayers, your service, and your intentional efforts to see that moms, dads, and babies would be given a chance at life.
We are months away from January 21, 2024, and Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHL). I understand that a lot of preparation goes into this Sunday and, ultimately, the entire month of January every year as we seek to spread the Pro Abundant Life message to millions across the country. This can be a daunting task, but I hope we at Care Net can assist you and take some of that weight of preparation off your shoulders.
I have spent the past eight years serving inside of a pregnancy center and connecting with the local church. I know, firsthand, how difficult this can be. How are we to connect and serve well together? How can the local church engage relationally with pregnancy centers and their clients? What is the best mechanism to achieve this and more as we connect with our partners in our communities?
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but what I can do for you today is hopefully point you in the right direction and provide you with some resources that will assist you as you look to 2024. Care Net has historically provided a SOHL toolkit for affiliates and churches. We have greatly appreciated your feedback on this over the years, and we pray that this year’s toolkit continues to bring fruit and assist you as you navigate SOHL in 2024.
Care Net’s 2024 toolkit is designed to be a resource for you to better connect, steward, and foster relationships with the local church and the pregnancy center in your community. We understand that, at times, information can be overwhelming. This is not the desired goal of this toolkit. Instead, we simply want to offer you a resource page that you can browse and use as a framework or template to craft your SOHL message for your specific context.
This year’s toolkit is themed around three booklets written by Care Net’s President and CEO, Roland Warren. These booklets highlight the importance of discipleship, the Pro Abundant Life mindset, and clarity when it comes to conversations with pro-choice Christians. We believe that this framework is aligned with our belief on life, our desire to see a robust discipleship movement in conjunction with a revival movement, and a need for intentional theological questions on the issue of life and abortion.
We have an incredible moment in front of us as we share the good news of a good God. This toolkit, coupled with Making Life Disciples and, our recently updated, Abortion Recovery and Care curriculum, is critical in such a time as this”¦especially, in a post-Roe United States.
I pray that this toolkit is a fruitful resource for you as you map out the coming months. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Church Engagement team with any questions you may have. We are praying for you as you make these connections, serve your community, and provide a Pro Abundant Life model for clients, partners, and those filling your seats on Sunday mornings!