When our nation celebrated the life of evangelist Billy Graham recently, we heard over and over about his life of love and integrity. Some also pointed out that over many decades, his message remained the same — that God loves all people. Mr. Graham preached this message in stadiums, on the radio, and in print, despite the extremely varied political and social settings he encountered. Clearly, many people’s lives were changed for the better. I don’t know about you, but I find it inspiring to see this example of a life of faithfulness to one true message told with love and integrity.
With Mr. Graham’s legacy freshly in mind as I prepared to write this column, a similarity between his ministry and Oregon Right to Life’s mission dawned on me. Like Mr. Graham, the Oregon Right to Life family of organizations, including you, our pro-life partners, and volunteers, has one true underlying message — that human life is precious from conception to natural death, regardless of age, ability, or disability. We too have been faithful over the decades, seeking to function with love and integrity, and have seen many lives changed for the better.
Our journey is, however, not finished. Despite legal, political, and cultural challenges, all of us need to continue this important work. I am convinced that if pro-lifers continue to spread this message, Oregon could become a state where most of the people make life-affirming choices, despite laws which promote the opposite.
The Education Foundation intends to continue playing our part in providing accurate, updated literature and multimedia communications online and at fairs and conferences. It is encouraging that hundreds of you have attended our annual conference and Camp Joshua, which ORTLEF provides to help inform, train, and empower you to take the message to your community. Hopefully, some of you will also volunteer at our informational booths at county or state fairs this summer.
As chair of Oregon Right to Life’s Education Foundation Board, I want to thank all the staff and volunteers who work on these outreaches and events. I also want to invite readers to share with us which of our resources or programs you have found most helpful. As always, contact us for materials and to ask questions if there is a life issue you wrestle with.
Mr. Graham left us all a positive legacy of what it looks like to offer a consistent message with love, commitment, and integrity over the long haul. Let’s resolve to continue in his footsteps. We look forward to hearing from you.
Dr. Joan.
