Articles by Gus Reyes

It is with both sadness and excitement that I write to let you know we are losing a valued employee of the past five years -- Kathryn Freeman.

Kathryn will be leaving our staff the end of July in order to pursue her Master of Divinity degree full time at Baylor University's Truett Seminary. She also will be working with Truett.

Kathryn has led our public policy efforts since joining us in August 2014. She came to us as a practicing attorney with legislative staff experience, and she used her experience and abilities to further Texas Baptists's work in Austin. Kathryn especially brought a Matthew 25 emphasis on caring for "the least of these" through her policy work. The CLC has seen great success in advancing policy initiatives and blocking ill-conceived policy proposals.

Two events on two successive weekends have encouraged me. In mid-January, I witnessed busloads of people streaming into Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life. One week later, I listened to thousands of people cheer during Austin’s Rally for Life.

Both events attracted large numbers of students and young adults. There’s an enormous concern evidenced by the thousands of students lifting up the importance and value of life.

A message can be gleaned from this -- pro-life supporters are not going away. And more and more pro-lifers understand that it is not just about abortion; we want to promote the value of human life from conception to natural death.

Children before birth are among the most vulnerable among us, but many women who are carrying these children are in vulnerable positions, as well. We need broad cultural understanding, support systems, and legal frameworks within which we promote the health of all children and their mothers.

In speaking at the Austin event, I noted that Texas Baptists believe every person is created in the image of God and, therefore, deserves our respect and honor from conception.

After reading Psalms 139:13-16 in both English and Spanish, I called for all Texans to work together in . . .