Two major annual pro-life emphases in Oklahoma Baptists life are drawing near. The 2022 Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (Jan. 16) and Rose Day Indoor Pro-Life Rally (Feb. 16) will place an urgent focus on promoting the sanctity of human life, protecting unborn children with the goal to bring legalized abortion to an end.
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
Oklahoma Baptists have partnered with Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC) to create resources for churches to observe the annual Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS). The groups have offered multiple church resources including a 2021-22 Pastor’s Preaching Guide/Information Resource, printable bulletin inserts, videos that can be shown during a worship service, testimonies, prayer points, action points, promotional resources and more.
Oklahoma Baptists’ Executive Director-Treasurer-Elect Todd Fisher and OBHC President Greg McNeece, in a joint letter to Oklahoma Baptists, urged pastors and churches to make defending life a priority.
The letter said, “As the 2022 Sanctity of Human Life Sunday nears, we find ourselves in as crucial of a time as ever in the fight against abortion and for the protection of unborn children.
“(We) know you share our biblical conviction that every person is created in the image of God—born and unborn (Gen. 1:27; Psalm 139). As we seek to stand for life in a culture that increasingly devalues life and promotes abortion-on-demand, churches must do all we can to oppose abortion and care for abortion-vulnerable people.
“We ask you to set aside Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, January 16, 2022, as a time to lead your church in standing for life by becoming informed, participating in opportunities to share their life-affirming views with others and in joining the work Oklahoma Baptists are engaged with in pregnancy resource centers and foster care ministry across our state.”
The free SOHLS resources are now online at oklahomabaptists.org/life and obhc.org/sanctity.
Rose Day meets Feb. 16 at Oklahoma State Capitol
Fisher and McNeece also encouraged churches to participate in the annual Rose Day event, which is set for Feb. 16 inside the Oklahoma State Capitol.
The event each year draws more than a thousand pro-life Oklahomans to the Capitol. Rose Day happens at the beginning of the new legislative session, in order to promote and support the lives of unborn babies. Participants will meet with their state senators and representatives and present them red roses, which represent the sanctity of the unborn. Attendees are encouraged to present roses to their representative, senator, Lieutenant Governor and Governor.
For more than 30 years, Oklahoma Baptists have had a leading role in the planning of Rose Day, which brings together various faith groups and pro-life organizations. For more information, visit roseday.life.
