Times are changing—and fast! Less than a month ago, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) made a historic ruling that resulted in overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, a case that led to nearly 50 years of more than 60 million deaths of preborn children.

Kirk Walden has more than 30 years of leading a pregnancy center. He will be the keynote speaker Aug. 12 at the Pregnancy Resource Network Conference.

News reports are continuous of responses from both sides of the abortion issue to this SCOTUS ruling, and Oklahoma Baptist pastors and church leaders need to be informed and equipped while facing the next chapter of how to promote and protect the Sanctity of Human Life.

On Aug. 12, Oklahoma City, Southern Hills will host the Pregnancy Resource Network Conference (PRNC). From 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., this event will provide resources on how Oklahoma Baptist churches can effectively be involved in the new day of supporting pro-life causes.

“All praise to our God for abortion being illegal in Oklahoma and for the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade!” said Gayla White, state director of Hope Pregnancy Ministries. “What an honor for God to choose us to be part of this remarkable time in history.”

White recently wrote a guest editorial for the Baptist Messenger that was published a few days before the historic SCOTUS ruling. She listed how Oklahoma Baptists could partner with the 40 evangelical pregnancy centers in Oklahoma, and the list is summarized as “pray, serve and give.” White ended her article with a promotion of the PRNC.

“Be informed on Oklahoma laws, the needs of the pregnancy center in your community and how women will obtain abortions,” White wrote. “Speak openly in your church about the hope and help your church and local pregnancy center can provide.

“An opportunity to obtain resources on these topics and tips for sharing them with the church is at the Oklahoma Pregnancy Resource Network’s conference on Aug. 12 at Oklahoma City, Southern Hills.”

Kirk Walden will be the keynote speaker at the conference. He has more than 30 years of pregnancy center experience and will share the impact pregnancy centers are having across the country.

A special invitation is offered to pastors, as the conference will feature a lunch with a panel of pastors who will discuss how to “talk to the church about abortion and what to expect as abortion laws change” across the state and nation.

The panel will feature Mike Keahbone, pastor of Lawton, First; Tobin Jackson, pastor of Oklahoma City, Trinity; Daniel Snow, pastor of discipleship and young adults at Oklahoma City, Southern Hills; and Rob Lindley, pastor of Oklahoma City, Northwest.

Three main tensions for Christians surrounding the abortion conversation include: “We don’t know how to talk about abortion;” “We feel lost in the polarization around abortion;” “We feel confusion around the role of the church when it comes to abortion.” This panel of pastors will address these concerns.

“Sadly, making abortion illegal in our state does not make it unthinkable, and there is still much work to do,” White said. “We each have a role to play in restoring a culture of life in our land, but how? Let’s talk about it.”

Afternoon sessions will feature breakouts covering topics such as “Medical Track—Abortion Pill Reversal,” “Fatherhood Roundtable” and “Compassion Fatigue—Processing Grief.”

For complete details of the conference and to register, visit pregnancynet.org/conference.