Pray for Nation & March for Life!
Angie’s Prayer: Please go to the bottom of this update for a New Year’s prayer that Angie Williams offered for us one year ago. It captures the concerns we have for our nation and also our commitment to help restore the Judeo-Christian values and Constitutional principles on which America was founded.
VA General Assembly Prepares to Convene
“We live in perilous times when men will be lovers of selves … (and) lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.” — II Timothy 3:1-6
“Wherefore, take on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and,having done all, to stand.” — Ephesians 6:4
“You are the salt of the earth and the light of world. Let your light so shine before menthat they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. — Mt. 5:13-16
Wednesday, Jan. 14: VA General Assembly Convenes
Please be prepared to encourage and support our Valley legislators as they take the point in Richmond for the next two months – often against strong opposition – for a range of “Values” issues. These will include protecting religious liberty, expanding school choice, and considering a Convention of States initiative to limit the growth and power of the federal government. Stay tuned for details.
They will also resist efforts to expand the Medicaid program in VA, to repeal the VA marriage amendment, to weaken VA abortion clinic standards, and to add “sexual orientation” to the list of other groups that enjoy special protection under VA law.
— Prayer Walk at the Capitol: On the same day that the GA convenes, The Family Foundation is holding its 3rd Annual Prayer Walk on Capitol Square in Richmond beginning at 9:00 a.m., immediately following the Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast. Click here for more details and to sign up.
Sunday, Jan. 19: Sanctity of Life Services
Churches throughout the Valley and across America will be observing “Sanctity of Life Sunday” to pray and to call for an end to abortion in America. Please let us know if your church is participating so we can help spread the word. I will be speaking at the Providence Baptist Church in Harrisonburg at 10:45 a.m. if you would like to join us. Also, please pass the word about the March for Life to DC (see next item).
Thursday, Jan. 22: March for Life
Sign up now for the 41st annual March for Life on Washington, calling on the President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court to take a stand for life and reverse the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America. Buses will leave the Blessed Sacrament Church in Harrisonburg at 8:00 a.m. with stops in New Market and Luray, and return around 9:00 p.m. The cost is $20/person. For reservations, contact the Forum at (540) 438¬-8966 or write to family@valleyfamilyforum.org.
Tuesday, Jan. 27: Family Foundation Day at the Capitol
You are invited to join hundreds of other grassroots activists for the Family Foundation’s annual Day at the Capitol at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The afternoon program will feature Stella Morabito , a senior contributor at The Federalist. She will be speaking on “Living Faithfully in a Culture of Fear: How to Understand Political Correctness and Resist the Rush to Conform”. It will also include a legislative update from TFF’s policy team. Registration begins at 1:30.
At registration, you will also receive an invitation to attend a Town Hall meeting at 7:00 p.m. with Mike Huckabee , who served as governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007, was a presidential candidate in 2008, and then hosted a weekly “Huckabee” program on the Fox News Network. There is very limited seating for this event, and tickets are available only to those attending the afternoon program.
Sign up here to reserve your spot for the Day at the Capitol or go to www.familyfoundation.org/events/. For more information, contact Jackee Gonzalez at (804) 343¬-0010 or at jackee@familyfoundation.org.
Friday, May 15: Salute to the Family
Looking Ahead! Please save the date for the Forum’s 14th annual God and Country Celebration dinner on the JMU Campus. Past speakers have included Ten Commandments Judge Roy Moore and Wallbuilders’ Founder and President David Barton. Another great speaker is already confirmed. Stay tuned for details.
Working together, we can make a difference!
For God and Country,
Dean
* * * *
Angie’s New Year’s Prayer for an America in Crisis
Father God, we come to You in worship and thanksgiving, but also in confession. Your Word says that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
We confess that we are a nation in crisis, and our sins are many. We have called good evil and called evil good. We have declared war on the wombs of many American women, destroying our precious babies by the millions.
We have mocked, ridiculed and marginalized the institution of marriage as You established it. We have tried to eliminate You from much of public life. As a nation, we have declared war on all that is good and holy.
But You, O Lord, are the only true God, and Your Word is still our standard for righteous living.
We ask that You forgive our national sins. Raise up many who will be bold and courageous in the face of ridicule; steadfast in an unsteady world, and purveyors of Your truth in a society where lies are applauded and truth is mocked. Thank You for Your forgiveness.
We invoke Your Divine blessing upon us. May the light of Jesus shine brightly through each of us, and help us to stand boldly for righteousness.
Help us to persist in faith and not to:
Give up in despair!
Give in to doubt and desperation!
Give out before our deliverance comes!
Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name.
Dean Welty serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Christian Alliance and is Director of the Valley Family Forum, a network of families in the Shenandoah Valley that helps build Faith, Family, and Freedom in the culture and in the public square. He also hosts a weekly television program entitled “Valley Faith in Action“.
Valley Faith in Action airs at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on WAZT-TV, which is Comcast Cable Channel 13 in the Harrisonburg area. It will air again at Wednesday midnight. You can also access it and other recent programs by clicking HERE.
