Council for Life is blessed and proud to have an affiliate in Central Texas.
CFL Central Texas is based in Waco and includes Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Limestone, and McLennan Counties. CFL Central Texas has formed an outstanding Board of Directors consisting of well-respected Waco community leaders and hosted several events.
Email CFL Central Texas at centraltexas@councilforlife.org or mail: 208 Hewitt Drive, Suite 103, No. 147, Waco, Texas 76712.
We continue to grieve the loss of our beloved CFL Central Texas Board member Liz Holley Anderson who passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, July 1. Liz faithfully served for the past three years as Communications Chair on the CFL Central Texas Board, sharing her exceptional gifts as a beautiful writer and communicator. Liz drew from her vast prior experience as a broadcast journalist and as founder of Waco-based full-service communications firm E.H. Anderson Public Relations.
The lovely recap below of the CFL Central Texas Celebrating Life Luncheon in May was her last piece of work that Liz lovingly and expertly put together for us. We thank God for guiding Liz to CFL and for her kind and faithful service for His glory.
Our prayers continue to be with Liz’s precious children, Holley and Jackson, who she loved more than anyone in the world.
God bless our Liz and the Anderson and Holley Families.
CFL Central Texas Board
CFL North Texas Board
Blessings continue to flow from the Council for Life Central Texas 2023 Celebrating Life Luncheon held on May 17th at the Baylor Club. A crowd of more than 520 filled the club to hear Council for Life’s powerful life-affirming message.
Waco’s own Holly Tucker opened with an angelic rendition of the National Anthem. First Woodway Baptist Church Senior Pastor, Dr. Paul Sands, provided a moving opening prayer.
Luncheon speaker and “factivist” Ryan Bomberger captivated the audience with his personal story and multimedia presentation. Ryan shared his young birth mother’s courageous decision to choose life for him after he had been conceived in rape. As a tribute to her, he wrote a beautiful song entitled Meant to Be noting, “We often don’t think about the power of one decision, yet her single decision will have reverberations for generations.” Watch Ryan’s speech here.
“When we have conversations about abortion, inevitably the question gets asked: what about rape?” Ryan continued: “I am that 1% that’s used 100% of the time to justify abortion. But thankfully the circumstances of our conception never change the condition of our worth.”
Ryan’s life defies the myth of the “unwanted” child. He was adopted by loving Christian parents who raised 10 adopted and three biological children, each with varying ethnicities and abilities. “I personally believe there’s no such thing as unwanted. Some of us may have been unwanted by a biological parent, but we’re all wanted by someone,” he said.
Ryan and his wife founded the Radiance Foundation in 2009 to illuminate the truth that every human life has purpose, educate about abortion, racism and fatherlessness, and motivate faith into action.
Ryan emphasized, “Texas is leading the nation on what it means to be pro-life. What CFL is doing today for the Beneficiaries demonstrates how to lead in a post-Roe America.” In closing, he tasked the audience with I Corinthians 16: 13-14, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”
CFL Central Texas joyfully announced our six 2023 Beneficiaries receiving funding: Care Net Pregnancy Center of Central Texas, Hope Pregnancy Centers, Community Doulas of Waco, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, 40 Days for Life Waco, and Youth Equipped to Succeed (YES).
We are filled with gratitude for our Luncheon Co-Chairs Gretchen McCormick and Alice Ogden. We also thank our other CFL Central Texas Board members and volunteers who helped make this outstanding event possible.
We appreciate the generous financial support of all our donors and the many newcomers who attended the Luncheon. We are excited and honored that the Waco community is embracing Council for Life’s mission.
Please join Council for Life Central Texas by supporting our heroic 2023 Beneficiaries.
What a difference a year makes. So is the case for Council for Life Central Texas’ 2021 and 2022 Education Events, which occur every November.
Our 2021 event happened to be on the eve of the U.S. Supreme Court’s hearing of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. That night and many days and years before, we prayed fervently that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade.
Fast forward to our November 3, 2022, event, set in the same glorious lake-view home as in 2021. God answered our prayer. Individual states now have the full power to regulate abortion, making abortion illegal in the Great State of Texas except in rare instances.
To educate Central Texans on what overturning Roe means to Texas women, Council for Life Central Texas convened a panel moderated by Harris Creek Baptist Church Lead Pastor Johnathan Pokluda (JP).
JP asked Dr. Zachery Pettis what circumstances a Texas physician can perform an abortion. Dr. Pettis read from House Bill 1280, “The patient has a life-threatening condition and may be at risk of death or poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function.”
Dr. Pettis said a severe uterine infection or severe uterine bleeding are considered life-threatening conditions. He also said the new law has not changed how ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages are treated.
JP asked Care Net Pregnancy Center of Central Texas CEO Deborah McGregor Caperton how the new law impacted her work and what changes she has seen in clients, donors, and volunteers. Caperton said there were 1,200 abortions in Waco in 2021 and the years prior. She said, “Now, the babies are coming. The babies are coming!” Caperton says Waco will see many more babies born, with only a short window to figure out how to care for them and get the moms and dads ready, so the babies are born into a safe and stable home.
She suggests a return to “neighbor helping neighbor” rather than depending on the government because the current generation of moms feels isolated because they are coming out of COVID-19 and dealing with inflation.
“Roe is gone, but the work to build a culture of life in this country is far from finished, and the needs for women, men, and babies in Texas have skyrocketed,” said Lisa Chenot, president of the Council for Life Central Texas Board of Directors. “We pray our discussions will help educate and motivate us.”
Vincent Carpenter, Elder and Director of Pastoral Care at Antioch Church, led the group in prayer.
Approximately 75 people attended the event, many of whom brought baby essentials and gift cards donated to Care Net.
TFNB Your Bank for Life provided audio/visuals.
In November 2019, more than 100 Waco residents braved the rainy weather to learn about Council for Life at the home of Betsy and Clifton Robinson. Forty-three event host couples, as well as others, generously contributed seed money to launch the Waco affiliate, all of which will aid Waco area efforts and agencies as they relate to unplanned pregnancies.
The Waco gathering ended beautifully when Chairwomen Lisa Chenot and Sally Bledsoe and TFNB Your Bank for Life CEO and President, David Littlewood, presented checks to Care Net Pregnancy Center of Central Texas and Nightlight Christian Adoptions.
Attendees were inspired by Council for Life Founder Emeritus Ann Carruth’s introductory remarks about Council for Life’s founding 18 years ago in Dallas by a small group of Christian women who were deeply disturbed and grieved by the devastation of abortion.
Attendees were further inspired by two poignant stories from Claudia Jones and her husband, Philip, an attorney turned minister, and Le’yandria Ratomski.
Listen to Founder Emeritus Ann Carruth’s introductory remarks about Council for Life’s start, and two poignant stories that brought to life our mission and why our presence in Waco is so very needed.
