by William H. Perkins Jr.
Editor
Covenant Church, a non-denominational church in Spokane, Wa., decided to plant a new campus to join its main facility and their one existing additional campus. It’s not all that unusual for a growing, avidly evangelistic church to open multiple campuses, but this campus is special. It’s called the Church at Planned Parenthood, and meets for worship once a month in front of the local baby exterminator’s building.
The church’s website states, “The Church at Planned Parenthood is NOT a protest. It’s a worship service at the gates of Hell. The Church at Planned Parenthood is a gathering of Christians for the worship of God and the corporate prayer for repentance for this nation, repentance for the apathetic church, and repentance of our blood guiltiness in this abortion holocaust.”
In a recent interview with Caleb Parke of Fox News, Covenant Church pastor Ken Peters said, “We are bringing attention to the fact that they are killing life for money. That’s what they don’t like. That’s what they’re suing us for. We are shining a light for the Lord and on their sin and that’s what they hate us.”
You read that right. Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho is suing through a group named Legal Voice to break up the worship services. The lawsuit names Covenant Church and five area pastors.
“It’s false accusations across the board,” Peters contended in the interview with Parke. “You have a billion-dollar industry suing local church pastors that aren’t wealthy at all, for singing and peaceable assembly. We’ve been running for two years. We’ve never been cited. We don’t cause destruction. We don’t loot. We don’t riot. We literally go to Planned Parenthood and we hold church once a month We do this after hours. We are not causing any harm. We want to get as close to Planned Parenthood as we can, because the closer we are, the bigger the statement that it makes. It makes a statement that we disagree with what they’re doing.”
Paul Dillon, vice president of public affairs with Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho, complained on the secular website crosscut.com that the noise from the worship services is so loud it’s damaging to the “health” of their clients. That’s an interesting statement, since Peters has been quoted as saying the worship services are conducted after hours. Nevertheless, Peters has offered to move the worship services even later to 7 p.m., but Planned Parenthood wants to completely crush the gatherings.
Thus, the First Amendment rights of a dedicated group of Christians expressing peaceful opposition on public property will be soon be on trial. It won’t be the first time. Pray for these incredible Believers in Spokane as they stand resolutely against the palpable forces of evil hovering all around them while they exercise their constitutional protection to worship as they please. Their opportunity to do so – and ultimately ours, too – is at stake.
There’s nothing to stop Christians from taking the same action here in relation to Mississippi’s sole abortion clinic, Jackson Women’s Health Organization on North State Street in our capital city. All that is needed is a determined band of Believers, and Mississippi Baptists can be the catalysts. Pray about that, and do as the Lord leads. We cannot do otherwise.
