In January 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated the third Sunday of January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. Since then, pastors, churches and prolife organizations across the United States have been using this day to bring awareness to the ongoing battle against abortion. This year, Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS) falls on Jan. 19. SOHLS, along with Rose Day, places an urgent focus on promoting the sanctity of human life, protecting unborn children with the goal to bring legalized abortion to an end.
Each year, Oklahoma Baptists partner with Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC) to create helpful and impactful resources that churches can use to spread awareness and observe SOHLS. These resources include an updated 2025 Pastor’s Preaching Guide and Information Resource, a new bulletin insert and promotional videos that can be shown during worship services.
Included in front of the guide is a letter from Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher and OBHC President James Swain that asks churches and pastors to set aside time to recognize SHOLS.
“We are living in times in which Biblical principles are under attack,” the letter says. “One of those principles is the Biblical teaching of the Sanctity of Human Life, that life is valuable from the womb to the end of life. That is why we are asking you, once again, to set aside Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, January 19, 2025, as a key time to lead your church in standing for life.”
This year’s preaching guide and information resource contains sermons from pastors across the state that emphasize the value of life and God’s workmanship that is human life. The sermons included are as follows:
—“God’s Wonderful Workmanship” by Michael Butler, Pastor at Chickasha, First
—“A Gift Realized” by Tristan Martin, Pastor at Norman
—“Defining Life and Love” by Kenny Mossman, Pastor at Carnegie, First
—“A Baby’s Cry that was Never Heard” by Walter Wilson, Pastor at Lawton, Friendship
—“Valuing Life Like God Does” by Heath Tucker, Pastor at Edmond, Waterloo Road
The testimony of Mandi Parkhurst, Director of Hope Pregnancy Center Edmond, is also included in the guide. Additionally, Falls Creek Program Director Todd Sanders created a Sunday School or Small Group lesson plan titled “Imago Dei.” This lesson emphasizes that everyone is made in God’s image and how we can live out the image of God.
In 2022, a major victory was won in the battle against abortion with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This overturning made abortion a states’ rights issue rather than a federal constitutional right. In the same year on May 25, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed HB 4327 into law which prohibited “the performance of abortion except under certain conditions” (HB 4327). Yet, the fight against abortion nationwide is raging. SHOLS is important because it shows the unity of churches, pastors and congregations across the nation against abortion and for life.
For more information about SOHLS, to access the Oklahoma Baptists SHOLS resources and to view the promotional videos, visit https://www.oklahomabaptists.org/erlc/life/.
