As President of Anglicans For Life, I have the privilege of meeting a variety of people who call the office, or I encounter while traveling. It is a joy to make connections with folks interested in Life-Affirming ministry. Over the last few years, I have been blessed and encouraged to meet three awesome young women who are developing into wonderful leaders for life!
As God’s timing would have it, their leadership and love for life all blossomed recently and I realized we had a trifecta of terrific young women that everyone could benefit from meeting, so I took the liberty of interviewing them via email. They were all in the middle of finals and finishing school but took the time to answer my questions.
Evie Kline, from Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Owensboro, KY is sixteen and recently started an AFL Chapter at her church.
Lucy Tuttle (19), is from Emmaus Anglican Church in Castle Rock, CO. I originally met her at the 2023 Life SUMMIT in Washington, D.C. and was pleasantly surprised earlier this year to get an invitation from her to speak at the Students for Life Chapter at Grove City College in PA, where she serves as their Chapter Leader.
Priscilla Stata (16), and her family contacted me two years ago, wanting to know about AFL and how they could get involved. Even before officially establishing a Chapter, they recruited a team of folks from two Anglican churches to raise money for their local pregnancy center. While serving the Lord for life is a family affair that keeps everyone involved, Priscilla’s passion for the Sanctity of Life inspires her tenacity and drive in leading the new Regional Chapter created from the three churches coming together (Christ Church Anglican, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, International Anglican Church) in the Colorado Springs area. I hope their thoughts about the value and dignity of life inspire you as they have me.
Of all the topics that our church and culture face, why did you choose to address the Sanctity of Life topics?
E: I think this is one of the most important issues facing our world today. If our culture and churches don’t value human life, then how can we expect change regarding other important issues to occur?
L: The Sanctity of Life is the most urgent issue in our present time. Nothing presents as more immediately horrendous than the murder of a million people per year.
P: While there are many good causes, I believe that abortion in particular is the largest evil of our day and one that every Christian should address.
When did you first become interested in life topics?
E: I’ve been interested in life issues for as long as I can remember. When I was about 3 or 4 my parents told me about abortion, and I was in shock. I just couldn’t believe that something that evil was happening, and I’ve been strongly pro-life since.
L: I first learned about abortion when I was around the age of 11. Instantly, I was horrified. My interest slowly grew as I got older and understood the extent of the culture of death of our society.
P: I have been passionate about the issue of life since I was eight years old.
Do you see abortion and euthanasia as social justice issues or something else?
E: I definitely see them as social justice issues, and as I said previously, protecting the sanctity of life is the most important social justice issue we face. Millions of pre- born lives have been taken around the world by the atrocity of abortion, and in the US alone, more than 65 million legal abortions have been recorded since 1973. Unfortunately, we know these numbers are even higher due to a lack of reporting on abortion statistics, especially due to the widespread use of the chemical abortion pill. Additionally, the rates of and support for assisted suicide and euthanasia world- wide are only growing, even in the United States.
L: I see abortion as a social justice issue, and so much more. A particular group of human beings has been marginalized, and their mistreatment (to the point of death) has been normalized. This is the most pressing of social justice issues. But it is also the destruction of the Imago Dei, which all people, born or unborn, bear.
P: I see abortion as well as euthanasia as a biblical and moral sin against God and our neighbor.
Was there one thing that made the dignity of life become a key topic for you?
E: I wouldn’t say there was really one specific thing that made the dignity of life a key issue for me. Finding out about abortion, later learning about euthanasia and assisted suicide, as well as hearing the statistics for these issues and the heartbreaking stories of those who have personally dealt with these issues have really influenced me in fighting for life. I’m just constantly blown away by how accepting our world can be of such horrible things like abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.
L: Not that I recall.
P: Going back to when I was eight my mom was talking to us about some elections that were coming up, and it came up that one big issue was protecting life. Well, inquisitive eight-year-old me kept asking her questions about that, and she finally told me about abortion. That lighted in me a passion to protect life, and I began to grow into it.
Is there one element in serving as a leader that makes the job difficult?
E: It’s difficult when people don’t seem to care about the issues you care about, specifically life issues, and seeing all the opposition to protecting life from conception until natural death. It’s also very difficult to see those who know that abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide are wrong, stay silent. As Christians, we are called to protect those who are vulnerable, and that includes standing for life, even if it’s controversial or there are repercussions. As Jesus said, whatever we do for the “least of these” we do for Him (Matthew 25:40).
L: Running a college club is time-consuming. It can be hard to delegate responsibilities because everyone else in the club is also busy with school.
P: I would say that one of the biggest challenges is to pull people in and help them realize how big of an evil this really is and to treat it that way. It can also feel really hopeless when you live in a state that is the worst at protecting life in the country and just keeps making new bills going the wrong direction. Even though it can feel really difficult, it’s worth it and often when it feels like lots of things have gone wrong, it is when something encouraging happens like making a connection with someone or seeing the light overcoming the darkness in small ways.
Can you share your vision and goals for what you want to do in the future to impact the Sanctity of Life?
E: I want to continue serving my community by educating them on life issues, supporting and volunteering for organizations that support and protect life, and helping to create a community that values all human life from conception until natural death.
L: I am not sure where my life is taking me right now. I could see volunteering at a pregnancy center being the extent of my direct involvement in the pro-life movement. I could also see myself running for office with this issue as my top priority. My main passion is getting others interested in protecting life.
P: Ultimately, I want to help in making abortion unthinkable and illegal however the Lord calls. Whether that is by getting involved in the government and changing laws, getting more and more involved in a ministry like Anglicans For Life, praying outside abortion facilities, or something else that hasn’t even crossed my mind yet.
What do you hope to accomplish in year one and year three, in your leadership role?
E: I want to better serve my community by supporting life from conception until natural death and help those in my church and community get more involved in fighting for life. In about three years, I also hope to have finished my nursing degree so that I can work to promote life in the medical field.
L: In a year, I want to be one of the go-to volunteer group for our local pregnancy center, to be consistently volunteering there, and to increase club membership. In three years, I want to grow the club into one of the most vibrant clubs on campus, to make the issue of life one that is on everyone’s minds, to equip many club members with the skills needed to share the truth in love with people who are for abortion, and to forge strong relationships with pro-life clubs at nearby colleges.
P: Over the next year I hope to see the chapter I started with three churches (from different dioceses) to include all the Anglican churches in my city linking arms to work together for life. In three years, I hope to see that our chapter has been able to accomplish change in my state of Colorado with the Lord’s help.
Any advice for your peers who may be interested in taking on a leadership role for life?
E: I would strongly encourage those who are interested in life issues to get involved! This is such an important issue and we need more people, especially those of the next generations, to be fighting for life! I also think it’s incredibly important to emphasize that this is not just a women’s issue, and that we need strong men and women fighting to protect life. Additionally, those who are pro-life must educate themselves, so that they can effectively defend life.
L: Don’t do it alone. Ignite passion for life leadership in a few other people first and then launch together. Don’t reinvent the wheel. There are so many resources out there to help you with whatever you are doing. No matter what you do, remember to do it in love and fuel your efforts with prayer.
P: Take small steps; don’t try to do everything all at once. Try coordinating an event at your church to start. For example, in the past I have organized events such as getting our church involved in a local Walk For Life, hosted a Ladies tea taking collections for our local pregnancy center, and pulled together a meeting of like-minded people to talk about what we might be able to do in our church or community. Be creative in your context! Don’t be afraid to take up the unpopular stance and choose to fight for your unborn neighbor, or your elderly neighbor, or your disabled neighbor. You can be a voice for them!
We hope you have been inspired by their passion for life and AFL’s welcomes the opportunity to help you also get involved in Life-Affirming ministry along with these inspirational young women.
