A Letter to Rev. Flip Benham

19 October 1998

Dear Pastor Flip,

It has been several months since I spoke with you on the phone regarding my involvement in pro-life activities. To refresh your memory, I was the youth pastor who in college (1987-1991) was very active in pro-life activities. After developing a relationship with Seth Spangle and discussing his involvement I asked the Lord to speak to me and I invited the Holy Spirit to once again place the Lord's burden on my heart. We talked briefly on your "theology of the gates" as well as the need for men to stand up for Christ and the unborn on the sidewalks outside the abortion clinics.

I had promised you that I would write you to share my testimony of a great "save" the Lord orchestrated on my first day at the gate of hell in Chicago. Yet, I wanted to wait before I sent my account to you so as to test my resolve for this new burden to once again go to the gates. Now several months later, my wife Lyndee and baby Silas have been to the clinic several times and my burden has only grown. I can now say that my recruitment as a frontline soldier of mercy is not a passing fancy.

It has been over ten years since I have been involved in pro-life activities. After speaking with a couple of friends who have participated in sidewalk counseling, I entreated the Lord as to where I may fit into the battle for the unborn. I simply asked the Holy Spirit for a burden again. For the past ten years my area of service has been in reaching America's teens, from middle class suburbia to inner city gang bangers. I have worked for several YMCA's before leaving that career to enter the ministry at my local church in the South Suburbs of Chicago.

Friends of ours (Spangles) invited my wife and I and our 8 month old baby Silas, to accompany them to an abortion clinic in downtown Chicago. Not quite knowing how to conduct "sidewalk counseling", I just made myself available to pray. Only after 10 minutes of being on the scene, I turned down the alley of the clinic and I recognized a teen who had been in my previous youth group. After some questions, it was apparent that he had brought his girlfriend to the clinic for an abortion. Now, I don't believe in fate. I know that our Omniscient God arranges situations for His perfect plan and glory. After talking to this young man, I encouraged him to go back into the clinic and get his girlfriend. He asked me to accompany him and I willingly obliged.

In the reception area, we both approached the check-in window. Separated by a thick piece of glass, the young man inquired if his girl friend had the abortion done yet. The worker said no. He asked if he could speak to her. The worker again replied no. Shock and anger set in at the refusal and my young friend began to scream loudly that he was going to see his girlfriend in the reception area or he was going to break down the glass partition and see her by force. At this time, the dozen plus men in the waiting area had clearly taken notice. The worker finally relented and told him to calm down and that she was going to get her. Because I was wearing my clergy collar, the worker hissed at me and told me that I couldn't be in the clinic. I calmly replied that I was this young man's pastor and that he requested that I accompany him.

Five minutes later his girlfriend came out and we escorted her out to the hallway to talk. Confused and scared, she told us that she didn't want to go through with the abortion, but was desperately seeking her boyfriend's support. At this point I was replaced by my wife and Seth's wife, who while still in the clinic, persuaded this young lady not to go back in. All of the sudden, a worker dressed in hospital scrubs came out and for several minutes was completely silent. While she was silent, my wife and her friend continued counseling behind the enemy's lines. After a few minutes, the worker became irate and even grabbed the young lady's arm and told her to come back into the clinic, while sticking her finger in my wife's face and threatening to call the police.

At the sight of this worker grabbing his girlfriend's arms, her boyfriend who had been outside with Seth and I, ran back into the hallway and proceeded to confront the worker with much intensity and a few inappropriate phrases. At the heat of the commotion, another clinic worker and a guard came into the hallway and told all of us to get off the clinic's property.

The end result of the day's conflict was that the Holy Spirit, strategically intervened in the lives of many people. We later learned that the young lady was on the abortionist's table, with an IV already started. Her baby was scheduled for murder in minutes when God intervened!

For me, this first adventure to the gates of hell in over ten years proved to be an incredibly dramatic answer to prayer. Since then, my wife and baby have returned to this clinic several times to pray and counsel. As a graduate student at Moody Bible Institute the Lord is beginning to open doors for me to speak to entire floors of students about getting into the battle. Moreover, my new youth group is very interested in accompanying me to the clinic. As a foot soldier in this life and death battle, I sincerely request that the Lord continue to use me at the gates.

Well Pastor Flip, there you have it! You have my permission to do whatever you see fit with this awesome testimony. I hope to meet you soon. I'd love to help organize a "Push back Chicago". The invitation is open my friend.

Turned to the children
Malachi 4:6

Pastor Brad Gelman