May 26, 2003
by Emett Barfield

DENVER - The Rev. Donald A. Elliott, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, of Corinth, MS, and president of Presbyterians Pro-Life (PPL), welcomed friends and supporters to the organizations annual General Assembly dinner Sunday night.

After briefly updating the diners on PPLs activities over the past year, Elliott said, We have an imperative, a call of God, to be at each General Assembly.

Elliot said the organization is creating a new position, associate director, whose responsibilities will include building contacts with churches and helping plant pastoral ministries related to life in our congregations, giving leadership in PPL publications, giving leadership in good use of our Presbyterian polity to carry out the mission of PPL, and providing leadership in management and development.

Executive Director Terry Schlossberg spoke about some of what she called her heroes of the faith. Among those she also called the honorably vilified is William Wilberforce of England, who fought for the abolition of slavery in the face of intense pro-slavery feeling in his homeland. By the end of his life, she observed, slavery had ended, and Wilberforce was known as The conscience of England.

Dr. J. Budziszewski, the keynote speaker, focused his address on the effect of abortion on the conscience of the woman who has it, exegeting the phrase, deliberately taking innocent human life. Budziszewski, who has a Yale University doctorate, is a professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas in Austin. As an Episcopal layman, he is active in support of pro-life causes.

PCUSA News Service