APRIL 29, 2011 Trust In The Lord

Dear CWA of Washington Members and Friends,

When George Washington was leaving home to begin what would become a lifelong service for his country, he recorded the parting words of his mother, Mrs. Mary Washington, “Remember that God is our only sure trust. To Him, I commend youMy son, neglect not the duty of secret prayer.” (America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations by William J. Federer; 2000; pp. 635-636) What a great beginning to President Washington’s long career! Today we have the same privilege and, thanks to the First Amendment, also freedom of religion and public prayer. In a recent court decision the National Day of Prayer was declared constitutional and celebrates its sixtieth anniversary this year. As another President said, “The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal “ (Ibid., p. 528; Pres. Ronald Reagan, 1980) and “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under.” (Ibid., p. 530; Pres.Reagan, 1984).

HB 1267 clarifying and expanding the rights and obligations of state registered domestic partners and other couples related to parentage. This bill passed the Senate 27-21 and the House 57-40 the day before adjournment in a form that neutralizes all gender-related terms, thereby making all parenting laws apply equally to heterosexual and homosexual couples. Through a striking amendment, all language related to compensated surrogacy was removed. Although this was a partial victory for pro-family citizens, the surrogacy issue will likely reappear next year, so please pray that we will have stronger arguments that will totally defeat this issue in Washington State.

Gov. Gregoire has called for an extended legislative session due to the fact that the legislators failed to deal with the state’s budget crisis. One would have thought our representatives would have realized that their failure hurts both the state and family budgets, the latter being a major concern in a down economy. Nevertheless, on the first day of the session, there was a hearing on a bill (SB 5912 – 2011-12: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5912&year=2011#documents) to give more of your money to pro-abortion organizations in the state.

Pray hard for strength and courage for the Christian legislators in Olympia during this special session; pray that they would be influential in the process and faithful to the Lord.

National Day of Prayer (NDP) is scheduled for Thursday, May 5, this year. This year’s theme is “A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD” (Psalm 91:2). We praise God that NDP events are being held all around Washington state: Aberdeen, Anacortes, Auburn, Bothell, Bellevue, Bremerton, Centralia, Chelan, Coupeville, Edmonds, Everett, Farmington, Gig Harbor, Issaquah, Mt. Vernon, Oak Harbor, Poulsbo, Seattle, Sedro Wooley, Snohomish, Spokane, Springdale, Stanwood, Tacoma, Tukwila, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Yakima, Yelm, and White Swan. Please visit the NDP website for more details: http://nationaldayofprayer.org/.

CWA of Washington will be sponsoring a NDP gathering at the Costco amphitheater in Issaquah (1045 Lake Dr Issaquah, WA 98027; access is between Red Robin and Costco) at noon on Thursday, May 5th. If you live in the area, please come to pray for our nation, our state and our families. Pray that all those participating in NDP will be blessed and encouraged to continue their prayers.

If you have not yet done so, please renew your annual membership in Concerned Women for America with the attached form. Your support enables us to continue to promote and protect Biblical values in our state, first through prayer (consider joining a Prayer/Action Chapter or Home Team in your area; see the state website for locations or apply to start one in your home town: http://wa.cwfa.org), then by educating our members and other members of our communities, and finally by influencing the culture by taking action when necessary.