Community of Faith Church placed an ad in the USA Today. This ad featured the famous picture of "Little Samuel" taken by veteran photojournalist Michael Clancy from Nashville, Tennessee. Clancy was hired by USA Today newspaper to photograph a spina bifida corrective surgical procedure. It was to be performed on a twenty-one week old fetus in utero at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In 1999, twenty-one weeks in utero was the earliest that the surgical team would consider for surgery. The worst possible outcome would be that the surgery would cause premature delivery, and no child born earlier than twenty-three weeks had survived. "Suddenly, an entire arm thrust out of the opening, then pulled back until just a little hand was showing. The doctor reached over and lifted the hand, which reacted and squeezed the doctor's finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shook the tiny fist. Samuel held firm. I took the picture! Wow!" Clancy

The message in the USA Today emphasized that Samuel was a precious living baby inside his mother's womb. The word "fetus" literally means "unborn offspring." Today, many people think a fetus is nothing more than an unformed mass without shape or feelings. This type of thinking makes it easier for a mother with an unplanned pregnancy to consider abortion. The picture showed Samuel as a living human being with feelings, a heartbeat, and a future and with as much of a right to life as anyone!

We at Community of Faith strongly believe it is the responsibility of the church to "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute" Proverbs 31:8.

Proverbs 24:11,12 speaks to the atrocity of abortion! "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?"

We are joining with those who are already doing their part in this struggle for the life of the unborn. THIS IS A WINNABLE WAR! We encourage pastors, churches and other groups to stand together by God's grace to be bold and fearless in speaking up for the millions of babies who "cannot speak for themselves."

God cannot bless a nation that sheds innocent blood! Those of us who hold firmly to this belief WILL NOT SUPPORT ANY CANDIDATE WHO SUPPORTS "CHOICE" AND THE DEATH OF THE UNBORN.

The sacrificial giving of our congregation has been astonishing! National advertising is very expensive. This money could have been used for many other purposes at Community of Faith. However, we believe the Lord Jesus has led us to take this stand and make this sacrifice in the enormous struggle for the life of the unborn. Todd Greiner, pastor