UM family helps declare Greenville County as ‘sanctuary for life’

One United Methodist family is among four other Christian families who have placed granite cornerstones at the four “corners” of Greenville County recently to declare the county a sanctuary for life.

Patrick King and his wife, Brenda—members of Mauldin United Methodist Church, Mauldin—were inspired after they heard Kelly Ross, chief executive officer of Piedmont Women’s Center, set a goal of reducing abortions in Greenville County by 10 percent year on year. The reduction on abortions is part of the center’s 10-year strategic vision plan.

They placed a 30-pound stone marker engraved in bold letters with the word “life” on each of the four corners of Greenville County, as the four cornerstones marking a virtual cathedral. They recited Psalm 34 aloud in declaring Greenville County as a spirit-protected sanctuary for celebrating life.

“Very correctly, much of what we do daily to save unborn life involves physical human action,” Patrick King said. “Be it volunteering, marching, voting, working in any support way, actively helping the needs of the expecting mother, etc., the needs are great. These measures are truly critical and exhausting. While prayer is both physical and spiritual, often there are included human-physical details and specifics to prayer.”

However, King said, Psalm 34 reminds people about aid in the form of angels and Ephesians 6:12 reminds people of the core root of Christians’ battle: “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world—rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The Kings encourage other counties in South Carolina to do something similar.