6/10/2008
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much to those of you who made a stand with us today at the steps of Parliament. And thank you too for those who couldn’t be there, but who stood with us in prayer anyway, many of you from far away (even Townsville I hear).
We had such an awesome meeting at the steps of Parliament this afternoon. People were already arriving up to an hour early (well done Mildura!), and it was so moving to see so many people congregated on mass all around us. Crowd estimates ranged from 3000 – 5000 people. (The channel 9 cameraman was so surprised, and kept saying he should have brought more cameras!) What blessed me was the fact that just prior to our meeting, about the same number of people were praying at St Patrick’s cathedral with the Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart. I believe we made a powerful statement to the MPs, that not only do LOTS of Catholics care about this issue, but so does the rest of the church as well!!! God obviously planned the day as a day of prayer, and he planned for the whole body of Christ to be represented in making a stand. It was truly a privilege to be part of this significant occasion and we are so overwhelmed by the amazing support shown, especially by many people who have never expressed their stand publicly before. And God is incredible – all this was organised and advertised in a week and a half!!!
Channel 7, 9 and 10 all showed footage of the prayer rally, although they misunderstood the event to be a continuation of the Catholic service at St Patrick’s cathedral. I trust the four MPs who were present, will give the message to their fellow MPs, that it is not just the Catholics who oppose this abortion bill, but Christians from EVERY denomination!
We were blessed to have so many great speakers. Matt Prince was first to share, and emotionally conveyed his heart as a father. He was shown on channel 10 news saying that "this bill ignores the rights of the father and the unborn child." Dale Stephenson (Senior Pastor, Crossway Baptist) and his 14 year-old daughter Courtney spoke next against the bill, and led us in prayer for repentance of our previous apathy and prayer for God’s mercy. They were also both shown on channel 9 news. Pastor Dale also gave honour to the Catholic Church for their continued strong stand for life! Jared Grant (Creative Pastor, Hope Generation Church) then led us in singing the great hymn ‘Amazing Grace’.
Several MPs spoke with conviction about their commitment to voting prolife: Thank you to Bernie Finn (MLC), Jan Kronberg (MLC) and Peter Kavanagh (MLC) for their well-thought speeches. Neale Burgess (MLA) was also there standing with us in support, and Peter Ryan (MLA & Leader of the Nationals) conveyed his sincere apologies for not being able to attend. We really are so blessed to have such MPs standing up so strongly for the unborn in Parliament!
Rob Ward from the Australian Christian Lobby spoke and prayed, that the bill would be defeated and for fathers & mothers to have courage to choose life when facing an unplanned pregnancy. Jenny Stokes from Salt Shakers prayed for our MPs and also for those in the medical profession. Lauren Grant (‘The Cause, Australia’) focussed on prayer for unity amongst the church and the prolife movement – this is so key to our success! Anne Lastman prayed for those hurt by abortion. (She founded ‘Victims of Abortion’, a ministry to help those hurt by abortion). Rhonda Fiddes (who has cerebral palsy) shared her convictions about the value of the disabled. Her friend Val read her speech on her behalf, while Rhonda sat beside her in a wheelchair. I was MC and was happy to look the part – I’m 31 weeks pregnant today!
Lastly we focussed on prayer for protection of the unborn, which the crowd prayed for in small groups, followed by a minute of silence – silent prayer for the bill to be defeated. (According to TV news, the earlier Catholic service also had a minute silence for the defeat of the bill).
We ended the rally with a heartfelt rendition of ‘How Great is Our God’ and ‘How Great Thou Art’, followed by everyone in unison praying the Lord’s Prayer. The enthusiasm and heartfelt prayer and praise from the crowd was inspiring!
For a news report of the prayer rally and the earlier Catholic service see
Once again, bless you all for spreading the word so rapidly and faithfully. And please continue to pray. This is crunch week. Let’s pray this bill is defeated!
Regards,
Kirsten Jack
P.S. Don’t forget to visit Matt’s website:
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/10/05/Thousands_rally_against_abortion_ www.mattsprotest.com and leave comments on his blog. He’s still protesting at the Parliament, every day until the vote is made.
25/9/2008
This email is firing through the email networks. Please copy and fire on to all your contacts:
It's Time To Make A Stand - 1 Hour - United Prayer & Protest Re. Abortion Bill
Dear Friends,
My brother Matt is currently protesting on the steps of Parliament. He is a successful businessman with 15 employees and has cancelled his New York business trip to protest every day, from early until late, until the Legislative Council votes on the Abortion Law Reform Bill. His professional 2 metre sign reads: “I just don’t get why unborn kids don’t have rights. I beg you, don’t legalise abortion of 9 month babies.” You can see his picture at: www.mattsprotest.com We are alerting the media as to this protest.
I don’t know about you, but this stirs something inside me! In just over 2 weeks our politicians will be voting whether to make abortion legal for any reason up to 24 weeks, and legal with 2 doctors’ approval up to 9 months. This bill has gone way too far!! I’m a mother of 3 small children and 29 weeks pregnant with our 4th child – I can’t sit by and just let this happen. Enough is enough!
So on Sunday 5th October, from 1:45 – 2:45pm, on the steps of Parliament (Spring St, Melbourne), we’re calling on every Christian (Catholic and Protestant) to unite for 1 hour of Prayer and Protest. Prayer for the protection of unborn children and a protest against the current abortion bill. The politicians start their debate on Tuesday October 7 and so this is the last Sunday to make our voice heard.
Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart has already declared October 5 as a day for Catholic intercession regarding this bill. This is so serious an issue, that it is time for the WHOLE church to make a stand.
I am stirred by the statement of one politician: Unless I see 10,000 or more Christians on the steps of Parliament, then I’m not listening, because they obviously don’t care.
We do care! And we need to show this with our actions. My church is coming on October 5! And my vision is for every pastor or priest to bring their entire congregation or parish. This is an unprecedented call, but then this is an unprecedented occasion.
We are also calling all of you who are stirred about this to take your place as heralds. There is little time to spread the word, but many of you can run fast. Let’s get this call out to every church leader, every Christian and everyone who wants to see unborn babies protected. Use whatever means are at your disposal – personal invitations are particularly effective. We will be doing advertising / interviews on radio. Bring your church, bring a busload, bring your kids, bring yourself.
If my brother can take 3 weeks off work to protest, surely we as the Church can take 1 hour on Sunday 5 October, to make our voice heard for such a time as this.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Jack
kirstenjack1@gmail.com
Supported by:
Australian Christian Lobby
Australian Family Association
Australian Institute For Christian Values
Bernie Finn MP, Member for Western Metropolitan Region, Parliament of Victoria
Bill Muehlenberg, Culture Watch
Bound4LIFE Melbourne
Bridge Builders Youth Organization
Catch The Fire Ministries
Catholic Women's League of Victoria & Wagga Wagga Inc
The Cause Australia
Charles Francis, AM, QC
Diamond Pregnancy Support Inc.
Door of Hope Australia Inc.
Endeavour Forum Inc.
Family Life International
Fatherhood Foundation
Helpers of God’s Precious Infants
Hope Generation Inc
Human Life International
Knights of the Southern Cross (Vic) Inc.
Options Plus Care
ProLife Media Inc. (Brisb)
ProLife Victoria
Resource Christian Music
Salt Shakers
Transforming Melbourne
Young Victorians For Life
P.S. For information on the current abortion bill, and its many problems, read Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart’s pastoral letter at http://www.cam.org.au/abortion/pastoral-letter-and-day-of-intercession.html
P.P.S. Please note, that it is the desire of my brother and I to be respectful and sincere in this protest. And so I encourage you to come with your own banners, with phrases such as “Protect Unborn Children”. We want the community, media and politicians to know we are sincere and respectful people, who care deeply about this issue.
P.P.S. Please also note that daylight saving starts on October 5th, so make sure you update your clocks before turning up for 1:45pm.
