IMPORTANT NOTICE to all volunteers and participants. On Monday, Aug 3rd, Mayor Sylvester Turner in Harris County issued a statement requiring that EVERYONE who is 10 years of age or older and in a public place MUST wear a mask or risk a penalty fine of $250. Exceptions to the mask requirement were not clear.
We realize a lot of people join us in prayer from outside of the county, outside of the State and sometimes from outside of the country.
Please be advised, you need to wear a mask when you volunteer with Houston Coalition for Life and when you pray outside of Houston abortion facilities. We are aware that GA 29 does have clear exceptions, however, while being outside of abortion facilities (were babies are actually being destroyed), we don't anticipate that abortion industry staff will have any concern about removing basic common sense human rights from others nor using what is at their disposal to deter a mission that has been effective in helping end abortion.
This is a good opportunity to take a look at WHY we, as pro-lifers, are out there in the Houston August heat and year round.
Stand & Pray consists of standing outside of an abortion facility and praying for an end to abortion. There are specifically trained sidewalk counselors who interact with people going into the abortion facility; they too must wear masks at this time. And we hope God will save the lives of the unborn and their mothers from the horror of abortion. Fortunately, in Houston, we have life-affirming assistance that we can quickly direct a pregnant woman to, so that she knows, even on a practical level, she is not alone. We realize that only the grace of God can touch her heart, and we pray that she will choose life and not abortion.
Since 2011, we have seen over 9,400 women choose life for their unborn child. You can see a chart of our success rate here!
Many women tell us that they had no idea there is help for her and her baby in the area until after they saw people present in prayer.
In order for us to continue to accomplish the prayerful, peaceful, legal mission that has seen so many women choose life, we would ask you to keep in mind some pointers:
If you plan to come out please email a Statement of Peace to Theresa@houstoncoalition.com
* Wear a mask
* Space yourselves 6+ feet apart
* If you are a group leader, please limit your group size (this number keeps changing). Consider having people come out in small groups each hour over the course of the day, rather than all at once.
* If you want to hold a sign please consider obtaining one through Houston Coalition for Life.
* Bring water to drink in your car, as the mask makes the prayer time even warmer.
* You can bring a chair and sit as long as you don't block the sidewalk; however it does look better to stand.
* If you bring an umbrella for shade, please do NOT use it near a high traffic area (like along I-10) if you also plan to use a sign.
* Please bring prayer booklets, rosaries, a Bible, or anything that will help you focus on prayer for that hour.
We will aim to keep you up to date as legalities and health guidelines change in response to Covid-19: http://houstoncoalition.org/stand-and-pray
