The Sidewalk Advocates of Charlotte, North Carolina, didn’t have an easy time on the sidewalk from the moment they set foot in front of Family Reproductive Health in 2019.
“A lot of time was spent dealing with very aggressive (abortion facility) escorts,” says SAFL-Charlotte co-leader, Rev. Peter. “We had successfully started using (gift) bags, but then escorts caught on. They got very good at grabbing them out of the hands of people.”
“It was more a spiritual battle than anything,” adds co-leader Lily.
Nevertheless, they were faithful to their commitment to the sidewalk; to answer the call the Lord had put on their hearts to help save lives and end abortion.
And gradually, the team started to notice a change at the facility – this, despite the fact that they didn’t always have save numbers to report!
First, the abortion schedule went from three days a week down to two. Then, Sidewalk Advocates realized that there were fewer women coming to the facility on the days it was open. Then the facility schedule became erratic, sometimes closing on a Friday, sometimes on a Saturday.
“There was a sense of dwindling. There was less going on there,” says co-leader Julie.
Then, one weekend, Sidewalk Advocates took their posts—and the facility didn’t open. At all.
The next weekend, they returned—but again, the facility didn’t open.
For two months, the team continued to flock to the sidewalk every weekend, faithful to the call to serve mothers in crisis and help save lives. They simply couldn’t believe the facility might be closed!
In fact, facility escorts spread a rumor that the facility had closed temporarily due to problems with the air conditioning system.
They soon found out that the abortion facility had closed its doors for good: The escorts had all moved to a different abortion facility, the business owner is facing legal challenges, and the facility phone number has been disconnected …praise God!
For years, pro-life people had prayed outside this facility, working hard to reach abortion-minded women in the midst of verbal abuse and challenges on every side from aggressive abortion facility escorts.
Thanks to the prayers and persevering presence of Sidewalk Advocates and those who came before them, this abortion business declined over time—affirming the truth that quite often, behind the scenes, the victory story is in process.
“Many people have prayed there for years. We’re blessed enough to see the fruits,” says Rev. Peter. “But I believe some of the things about our approach made a difference. We focused on full coverage—covering all the abortion hours. We were staying the whole day, well past appointment times. It was the peaceful, prayerful Sidewalk Advocates (for Life) approach.”
“It really underscores the statistic about being there—being there regularly and praying,” says Julie, referring to Abby Johnson’s famed remark that abortion facility no-show rates can soar as high as 75% when there’s a pro-life presence on the sidewalk. “The fact that we didn’t even talk to a lot of women and it still ended up (closing) …
“It just underscores the power of prayer, presence, and commitment.”