Chapter Ideas: Project SOUL Church Liaisons Bringing Churches Into Your Chapter's Fold.(Save Our Unborn Lives or Sustainers of Unborn Life)

The best ideas are always the simplest. Several years ago, the Arkansas Right to Life Board of Directors was searching for new and better ways of enlisting financial and other support for its programs. I had long felt that direct pro-life support from churches was weak and unorganized.

As we brainstormed about how to change that, board member Carol Thomas said, "I've got a name for the program we're about to organize, and it'll help us sell our concept to churches; let's call it SOUL, which can stand for `Save Our Unborn Lives' or `Sustainers of Unborn Life.'"

We were immediately energized by this dual focus: they are trying to save souls; we are trying to save lives.

Unfortunately, the project never got off the ground statewide. But, in 2001, when I retired and moved to Northwest Arkansas, I found the perfect opportunity to implement it through our strong and proud local chapter -- Washington County Right to Life (WCRTL). Our leadership team of four agreed we could make the project work, and each committed to contact their own church, visit with their pastor or priest and get their commitment for prayer and financial and physical support of our chapter.

We reported back to each other regularly and found that our churches were ready and willing to support our efforts--which represented their beliefs in action--and were able to support us at varying levels. When we received our first SOUL check for $250, we rejoiced! We added a few more churches when our chapter members were exposed to the concept in a monthly meeting and approached their pastors. And we continued to add other churches as more individuals expressed a desire to get involved in a meaningful way.

Each new "liaison" was asked to join leadership team members at a get-acquainted luncheon where they were given a packet of information. Among the items included are those you would expect, like a precious feet pin, ARTL Directory, and "We Vote Pro-Life" bumper sticker. We also included three items we considered critical: a guideline for political action by churches and pastors brochure, the NRLC booklet "Building a Pro-Life Group Within Your Church," and a column from the NRL News January 2002 issue titled "Why Pastors Avoid ...