Anglicans for Life

Our Local Chapter

St. Paul’s Anglicans for Life Zoe Chapter is committed to defending and celebrating life from conception to natural death.

The abortion debate remains at the forefront, since the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. In that light, we would like to emphasize that the Saint Paul’s Zoe chapter of Anglicans For Life is supporting pro-life efforts that will lead to an end to abortions in SC and it’s traumatic after effects. On average, there are over 5,000 abortions annually in SC, the majority of which occur after the baby’s heartbeat can be detected. With God’s guidance, our foremost goal is to offer help and hope to the mother, father and baby. We want to change hearts and minds by focusing on life affirming initiatives, educating ourselves and others by understanding how abortion affects us all, separating fact from fiction and being advocates for life in our everyday walk.

Embracing a Life Affirming Culture

We hear the phrase “life affirming” often these days. What exactly does it mean?  “Life affirming” means that life, in and of itself, has value and dignity. It is a natural right, i.e., one that is given by our Creator.  Genesis tells us that God created male and female in his own image, blessed them and gave them his first commandment, go forth and multiply.  Go; spread this wondrous gift of life that has been given to you.  America’s Declaration of Independence avows “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”  We have a right to life simply by being human, given to us by God, not given by government, but to be protected by government.

Our Christian beliefs and the accepted science of embryology agree that the human embryo is fully human at the moment of conception.  It is a whole, distinct, living organism capable of functioning in a coordinated way to achieve its own development.  It is the natural outcome of sex between male and female as God intended and as science confirms.  The embryo is exactly what it is supposed to be (a human), where it is supposed to be (in the mother’s womb), doing what it is supposed to be doing (growing and developing).  The baby in the womb is fully human.  It is not a cyst or an impacted tooth to be extracted, not a random glob of nonspecific misplaced cells, not a part of the mother’s body. The mother doesn’t suddenly have 4 arms or two heads.  The baby is only being nurtured by the mother, as it will be after birth. The baby is only 9 months and a short eight inch birth canal away from being held in its mother’s arms.

None of us are any more valuable than our neighbor. Certainly, we have different talents, skills, abilities/disabilities, different shapes and sizes, different color of skin, hair, eyes.  What of it?  Do any of these attributes make us any less human?  Of course not.  Then, why would some have us believe that just because the human embryo is small, still developing, in a different environment and dependent on another that he/she isn’t human?  When external attributes are used to determine the value of a life, history shows us it can lead rapidly to genocide, forced sterilization, selective breeding, discrimination and a culture of death. Who then decides who is valuable and who is not?

Our role in securing a life-affirming culture is to educate ourselves on the facts, be articulate in the defense of the unborn, ensure our laws reflect a respect for life and give protection to the defenseless, innocent babies – born and unborn.  Most of all, we must act with empathy, love and compassion in finding creative ways to help people choose life. This is work God has given us to do.

Jill Ferguson

(Reference material:  The Case for Life, by Scott Klusendorf; Tearing Us Apart, by Ryan Anderson and Alexandra DeSanctis)

Caring Not Killing

Anglicans For Life is hosting “Caring Not Killing,” a free, two-part webinar on February 13 and March 13 at 7 to 8 pm EST via Zoom that focuses on the growing acceptance of hastening death through euthanasia and assisted suicide. Register at AnglicanForLife.org/CaringNotKilling.

Abortion/After Abortion Care

  • Abortion is an elective medical procedure that intentionally ends a pregnancy before the baby is born alive.
  • In the U.S. today, approximately 25% of all pregnancies end in abortion, which equals 1.1 million abortions every year. Worldwide approximately 42 million abortions occur annually.
  • US Supreme Court cases Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton ruled that it’s legal in 1973, and can be performed any time during pregnancy, right up until the baby is delivered.

End of Life Care

  • “End of Life” issues involve the terminally ill, elderly, or disabled and address the methods to hasten death, including euthanasia and assisted suicide.
  • As much as most of us would rather not think about it, aging and dying are not only normal but universal. Not only will all of us die one day, but many of us will care for parents, family, and friends going through the aging and dying process.
  • With medical advances older people are living longer. In the United States there are almost 40 million people aged 65 years or older and 5.5 million people over the age of 85.

Adoption

  • Adoption is the formal and legal process of adopting a child.
  • Adoption can take many different forms—it can be adopting a child from a previous marriage or from another family member into your immediate family. It could be adopting a child from another country or legalizing the adoption of a foster child. It could be adopting a teenager, young child, baby, or even a frozen embryo.
  • 3 out of 5 people in the United States have been touched by adoption in some way.

Interest-Free Loans

The Anglicans for Life Zoe Chapter, at St. Paul’s Summerville, is happy to announce that interest-free loans are available for Christian families seeking to adopt children through the Ebenezer Scrooge Fund.

The funds can be used to help cover adoption application fees, home studies, court costs, and/or unexpected expenses that may come along during the adoption process.

Please let us know if you are seeking to adopt and would like to apply for an interest-free loan. Our AFL president is Dr. Mark Greenslit and can be reached at: twinoaks@knology.net

    Post-abortion Bible Studies for Women and Men

    Offered by Life Resources – For More information, click here.

    Forgiven & Set Free – A Post-Abortion Bible Study for Women
    Led by Cindy Gaskins
    Forgiven and Set Free is a Bible study designed to provide freedom from the bondage of guilt and grief that follow abortion. It guides suffering and hurting women to bring their emotional scars from abortion “out of the dark past and into His holy light”, where true and lasting healing can take place. The location, dates and details of the class are strictly confidential and there is no cost to attend. The next class begins in September 2022. Contact Cindy for more information at cgaskins@myliferesources.org.

    Healing a Father’s Heart – A Post-Abortion Bible Study for Men
    Zoom only – Led by Rashad Gibson and Mark Lundberg
    Healing A Father’s Heart is a Bible study designed to provide freedom for men who have experienced the effects of abortion. Abortion inflicts pain on men as well as women. These fathers may be suffering from fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, and depression without understanding why. Men who have lost a child to abortion need a safe place to grieve the loss. This 10-week study helps men acknowledge their grief and move toward acceptance, forgiveness, freedom and healing. It provides a unique opportunity to connect with other men who have walked this road. Men will learn about God’s unchanging, loving character and His desire to forgive them and heal their father-hearts. The class is offered in person and virtually. The location and details of the class are strictly confidential and there is no cost to attend. The next class will begin in September 2022. Contact Cindy for more information at cgaskins@myliferesources.org.