This powerfully testimony was originally published on May 1, 1983. All throughout IFA’s history, the Lord has been answering the prayers of intercessors!

The Lord was gracious in the recent passage of an ordinance regulating abortions in Elyria, Ohio, hometown for the Intercessors For America headquarters’ staff.

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For several years, IFA has been focusing on the abortion issue at the national level. But, last November, the problem came closer to home. Our local newspaper announced intentions of a Mr. Harris (not his real name) of suburban Cleveland to open an abortion clinic in our area. Already full schedules don’t seem like an adequate excuse for inaction. We couldn’t let this threat on our own doorstep go unchallenged.

What transpired has been a tremendous testimony to God’s goodness, and to the effectiveness of Christians joined in a righteous cause.

An Emphasis on Prayer

Within days of the announcement, community leaders gathered to pray and seek God’s wisdom for a plan of action. Represented were evangelical ministers, Catholic priests, businessmen, educators, Right-To-Life representatives, and two outstanding attorneys who are affiliated with Lawyers for Life, a Cleveland-based organization that has been active in the “Akron Ordinance,” now before the Supreme Court.

Our attorneys, serving on a no-cost basis, gave us counsel we did not want to hear: There is no way to legally prevent the opening of an abortion clinic. They normally don’t need permits or licenses, only zoning suitable for medical clinics. “Our fight will not be a legal one,” they said, but rather an effort to shape public opinion. They reminded us of the financial motivation to clinic operators: $200 per abortion minimum; clinics perform 80 to 90 percent of all abortions nationally; 1.5 million abortions per year, in other words a $250 million business, at least, in this the most frequently performed operation in the U.S.

With amazing speed and unity, a strategy developed:

• Educate the community on the abortion issue, especially elected officials and educators. (IFA’s “When You Were Formed in Secret” was of great help.)
• Understanding our legal options and strengthening local codes and ordinances.
• Develop a prayer network.
• Develop an intelligence gathering network, to learn about the motivation and strategy of clinic-backers.
• Encourage alternatives to abortion.
• Build strong relationships among pro-life leaders.
• Establish a leadership structure, with people responsible for each functional area, and a communications network among leaders.

At two-to-three-week intervals, our group gathered, and new people were added. We purposely kept a low-profile as a group to avoid premature publicity. We kept organizational structure to a minimum, although we settled on a name for our group: “Coalition for Life.”

We all seemed to sense a total dependence on God, especially as we realized how fully clinic operators have the law on their side. We were helpless in our own strength. Each meeting began with a time of seeking the Lord, and even though most of us did not know each other previously, the Spirit began knitting us in a beautiful way. Several area churches established prayer groups to focus on this threat to our community. A frequent emphasis in our times of prayer was that we might know more of the character of Mr. Harris, the man who wanted to establish the clinic, and that God would lead him to repentance and salvation.

By our third meeting, significant momentum was developing. People were writing “Letters to the Editor.” Billboard space was reserved for use with the IFA poster: “All Human Life is Precious, Including the Unborn.” To add emphasis to our local concern, the words “NO ABORTION CLINICS HERE” were emblazoned across the bottom of the poster. We agreed to show “Assignment of Life,” an excellent pro-life documentary, on a local cable TV station. But in the course of that third meeting, a most remarkable event occurred.

God Sovereignly Intervenes

A Christian businessman felt the Lord wanted him to join us and share what happened three weeks earlier. He said, “I’m not proud of this, but several years ago, I was a close personal friend of Harris, close enough to be best man at his wedding. We did a lot of partying and other things that weren’t very nice as I look back on them.

Then I met the Lord, and He required me to break off several ‘friendships,’ including Harris. I hadn’t heard from the man in over two years until three weeks ago. When Harris called, it was to talk about a real-estate deal, but without prompting on my part, he began to tell me about his plans for an abortion clinic in your area.”

Fascinated with what we were hearing, our thoughts kept flashing back to our prayer emphasis. How quickly God was intervening!

Our visitor went on to tell us in amazing detail not only Harris’ plans, but what he is like. He said,” Harris has set up clinics all over the country and has made a fortune from them. He uses outside money, sets up the doctors, uses professional managers, buys the equipment and will get a clinic operating in less than a week to avoid controversy and publicity. He is well organized. He wants a good-looking building, well-groomed in a secure, safe location. He wants it to look respectable and professional.

To add emphasis our friend said,” Harris is a lonely sad person who doesn’t like publicity such as letters and billboards. He will avoid coming into an area if there is ‘smoke.’ He doesn’t like paying money, especially to attorneys. Make him know he will have to spend money before he comes in and it will discourage him. He’ll go somewhere else to stay out of court. Once he is set up, he will stay and fight and make his money before you can get him out.”

A Platform for Action

This information gave us great incentive. Not only were we given clear direction to be bold and make this an open, public issue, but we were overwhelmed with the dramatic way in which God answered our prayer. We sensed we were truly in the right place at the right time, and He was leading us!

Activity intensified in several ways:

• Mailings of pro-life material were made to pastors, high school principal, teachers (approximately 200) and school counsellors.
• More churches committed to prayer, bringing the total to fifteen.
• A local Lutheran Church began a pregnancy counseling ministry, including the provision of temporary housing with a Christian family for unmarried pregnant women.
• A full-page ad was run in local newspapers, sponsored by over five hundred local citizens, with appeals to parents, teens, educators, legislators and clergy to get involved in protecting unborn life. A revenue of $3000 was generated from this project.
• We wrote to Harris, sending copies of news clippings, telling him of our resolute opposition, and that we were praying regularly for him.
• A slide show and talk on the need to regulate abortion clinics was prepared and presented to local city councils and council committees.
• A computerized mailing list with names of nearly eight hundred supporters was developed.

The Council Vote

Without doubt, our greatest triumph in the six-month old drama came in April when the City of Elyria decided to enact legislation regulating abortion clinics. An ordinance was drafted by Lawyers for Life, based on the Akron ordinance, but modified to eliminate provisions that had been ruled unconstitutional in the courts. It was the strongest ordinance that we felt couth withstand a legal challenge. The City Solicitor presented the ordinance, practically verbatim to the Council.

The air was electric in Council chambers that night. We will never forget the sight of an overflow crowd of 200 pro-lifers under the spotlights of NBC’s TV crew from Cleveland. (Highlights were aired in the news that night and during the “Today” Show the next morning.) Even two women who came to oppose the ordinance were caught up in the inspired testimony of those who spoke in support of the legislation and ended up siding with us. The momentum was heightened further as one member after another of Council, and then the Mayor, spoke of their opposition to abortion, and in support of the ordinance.

The unanimous affirmative vote brought us all to our feet in applause and gratitude for the Council which acted with great conviction and courage. It indeed was a night to remember.

Especially precious was our Coalition for Life meeting later in the week, as our diverse little band of citizens bowed their heads and hearts for at least 20 minutes, giving thanks and praise to a wonderful God who blessed so richly, and to pray again for Mr. Harris, and others like him who are caught in such deception.

We know the battle isn’t won. Even the ordinance is but a small step toward the paramount need in America today-to stop the shedding of innocent blood. But it reaffirmed how much God wants to lead us, and how He will act supernaturally on our behalf if we let Him. To Him, be all the praise!

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