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By Dawn Slade
Mille Lacs County Times
Pro-life advocates will join together with people of faith in a “40 Days for Life” campaign, which will focus on prayer and fasting, vigils, and community outreach. The 40 Days for Life campaign begins Wednesday, Sept. 23.
“As people here in our community join with others from across the country to pray and fast and take courageous action for 40 days to end the tragic violence of abortion, we look forward to seeing what kind of transformation God will bring about in our city and throughout America,” said Vicki Gruba.
The 40 Days for Life is an intensive pro-life initiative that focuses on 40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peaceful vigil at abortion clinics, and 40 days of grass roots educational outreach. The reason for 40 days is to reflect Biblical examples where God brought about world-changing transformation in 40 day periods.
According to the 40 Days for Life campaign, prayer and fasting go hand-in-hand. The campaign flyer states that fasting is a sacrifice “that helps us reach beyond our own limitations with God’s help. Fasting is not a Christian diet; it is a form of physical prayer. You can fast from food, TV, alcohol...anything that separates you from God.”
Prayer vigils will be held outside abortion clinics, including the Planned Parenthood center in St. Cloud.
The brochure states they will be peaceful vigils. As the flyer states, “It is a prayerful witness to the clinic’s patients and employees, and to the entire community, that evil is in our midst and that with God’s help, it will be defeated.
“It also serves as a call to repentance for those who work at the abortion center and those who patronize the facility.”
The group hopes to maintain a 24/7 vigil during the 40 days.
Gruba said area churches would be participating in the campaign as material was presented at the Ministerial Association. Some churches are simply putting a notice in their bulletins regarding the campaign, others don’t feel they have enough information yet to determine any course of action.
Father James Remmerswaal of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and St. Louis Catholic Church said they will be participating, but added, “Basically, I leave it up to the people. We will promote it for sure. I think we will have special times of prayer for that purpose. We will suggest fasting, but it is up to the individual to do that.”
Remmerswaal also said he believes, “it is a wider issue.” He spoke of the need to address drugs, caring for the elderly, and gang issues. “Protection of life and respect for life is something that is very much needed.”
When asked if members of his congregations will be participating in vigils at abortion clinics, Remmerswaal said, “I don’t think we are that kind of people to go on the streets. I don’t think that’s our type of approach.”
Christian Reformed Church of Pease Pastor David Smit said they received a brochure, but no one spoke with him regarding the campaign. He added, “We’re a little puzzled as to what is expected and what we could or should be doing. As staff, we’re going to get more information and go from there. At this point there’s nothing planned.”
Pastor Woo Jae Im of the Milaca United Methodist Church said that while the church does not “officially” support pro-life, he will announce the 40 Days of Life campaign and ask for individual participation. “But I can’t make it as an official voice of the church,” he reiterated.
According to the website, there will be campaigns in more than 200 cities in 45 states, five Canadian provinces, and Denmark. The first campaign was held in the fall of 2007, with three campaigns since in the spring and fall of each year.
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