Right To Life Banquet HeldWINONA LAKE - A record number of people were on hand Monday night for the annual Kosciusko County Right To Life Banquet at Grace College's Orthopaedic Capital Center.
Congressman Mark Souder addressed the crowd about some of the hurdles facing the pro-life contingent in Washington, D.C. Souder also said that the fight to end abortions in America will rely on grassroots activism."If you educate and change people's hearts, eventually you'll win the battle," said Souder. "We should win this one heart at a time."
First Christian Church of Warsaw and Sacred Heart Church were presented with the Mary Louise Lowe Award for their pro-life efforts. Both churches held cross displays with each cross representing four abortions by Kosciusko County residents. The numbers came from the state's department of health, though Planned Parenthood in Warsaw doesn't perform abortions.
Dave Koontz told the crowd that when the banquet started in 1997 at Rodeheaver Auditorium its beginnings were humble. Koontz said that this year was a record year for the event.
He also showed a new advertisement that will be showing before movies at North Pointe Cinema.
Heartline Pregnancy Center's Angie Wood gave a report to the audience.
The featured speaker of the evening was Shawn Carney. Carney, 27, is the co-founder of the 40 Days For Life Campaign. Warsaw is one of the more than 240 communities that is participating in the campaign.
For more information on the event that is running through Nov. 1, visit www.40daysforlife.com/warsaw or call 574-267-3481.
There will be prayer vigils in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Warsaw. For more information on the prayer vigils, visit:
www.vigilcalendar.com/warsaw
Carney echoed Souder's call for local action.
"It's rooms like this and people like you who will end abortion in this country," said Carney.
Carney is from Texas, and he said the first 40 Days For Life campaign he held in his hometown helped drop the abortion rate by 28 percent.
"Abortion is the second most controversial word in the English language and the most common procedure," said Carney. "It's because we have not fooled ourselves."
According to Carney, 215,000 people have participated in the 40 Days Campaign.
"Abortion survives on moral relativism and irrational tolerance," said Carney. "This is a local problem and has a local solution and you can be the solution here in Warsaw."
Carney said 30 abortions a month take place with women from Kosciusko County.
Jefferson Elementary Principal Denny Duncan served as the emcee for the event.
Father Phil DeVolder, from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, performed the invocation while Pastor Ronnie Sams, from First Christian Church of Warsaw, gave the closing prayer.
Along with Souder, State Rep. Dave Wolkins, State Senators Ryan Mishler and Marlin Stutzman, County Commissioner Bob Conley, City Councilmen Kyle Babcock and George Clemens and former state representative and current Warsaw school board member Kent Adams were some of the political figures on hand.
