40 Days for Life is a very effective prayerful pro-life witness that began in 2004 in Texas. By 2012, 306 locations in ten different countries participated in the Fall campaign, saving 476 babies, and their mothers, from abortion. Australian cities are now taking part, there has been a“40 Days of Prayer and Fasting” campaign run out of Waikato, and many NZ Christians have provided prayer support during the overseas campaigns. In 2014, a 40 Days for Life campaign will take place in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. The event is of course still many months away but a lot of work will need to be done. The Catholic pro-life group, Family Life International, has already benefitted from a week of training on how to organise and run these events, taught by Australian pro-life worker Paul Hanrahan. Ideally, the witness should be 24-7, with the opportunity for different church communities to "sign up" for one hour time slots. To maintain a continual witness over the 40 day period will require the commitment of a large number of people and the participation of as many of the Christian Churches in these cities as possible. It is also important to have prayer back-up for those involved in witnessing near abortion places and to have trained counsellors and support available for those women who choose life for their babies. There will be specific roles for everyone who desires to stand up against abortion and advance the culture of life. Church communities are invited to prayerfully consider taking part in the next year’s 40 Days for Life in New Zealand. For more info or to register your interest, visit fli.org.nz or ph.09 629 4361.
Leave a Reply