January 2010 – AFA President Tim Wildmon joined the ranks of people such as President George W. Bush, Senators John Cornyn and Sam Brownback, and the producers of the movie Bella when he received the Defender of Life Award at the Justice Foundation’s October 2 awards event. About 700 people attended the banquet in San Antonio, Texas.
The award recognizes those who have worked long and hard to defend the lives of unborn children. The award was given to Wildmon and AFA specifically for their help in distributing the television series Faces of Abortion and the documentary Beyond the Dark Valley, and sending e-mails supporting the Justice Foundation’s project Operation Outcry.
“I am grateful and pleased to receive this award on behalf of AFA and our constituents who stand with us to support life for the unborn,” Wildmon said.
Operation Outcry is a ministry focusing on women whose lives have been hurt by abortion. It has collected more than 1,000 declarations from abortion victims, and it has a toll-free help line – 1-866-482-LIFE (5433) – for abortion recovery. On the help line, women who have themselves experienced abortion are on call to counsel those in spiritual, emotional or physical pain.
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Bella, the movie, spawns pro-life ministry
Bella, an independent pro-life movie (See AFA Journal, 1/09), led to the 2008 founding of Bella Hero, a ministry that is saving babies’ lives by its presence in pregnancy resource centers across the nation. The work is done primarily by people who were involved with the movie itself. The story centers around a man with a tragic past who befriends a pregnant woman who has made up her mind to have an abortion. Through their journey together all three lives are saved.
Bella is now present in over 200 pregnancy resource centers where it is shown to women who come to the centers for help. By the end of 2010 it hopes to be in 500. This time last year there were 11 Bella Hero babies, i.e., babies whose mothers watched Bella, then decided not to have an abortion. Now there are over 80 Bella Hero babies.
“There are probably more,” said Tracy Reynolds, a spokesperson for Bella. “Many of the mothers may not go back to the pregnancy center, or some centers may just forget to tell us.” The ministry only counts a Bella Hero baby if it is specifically told the movie impacted the expectant mother.
While Bella is expanding into more pregnancy resource centers, the film is not confined within those walls. It is also moving into prison cells and college campuses. The prison ministry is named José’s Second Chance. José, one of Bella’s main characters, gets a second chance at life after serving time in prison for manslaughter. Eduardo Verástegui, who played José, accompanies Bella Hero founder and president Jason Jones to minister in prisons.
“Jason had a vision,” Reynolds said. “In the movie, José goes to prison for manslaughter. Jason’s vision was to go to prisons with the actor to say that even though you have done something awful, like José, you can have many chances with God. We started in a prison in Texas, and Jason and Eduardo shared their personal testimonies. One woman who had been in prison for 27 years came to us afterward to say that night was the best of her life.”
Reynolds said Bella Hero is having an impact but needs support from the Christian community. “We need money to buy the DVDs and to pay for the screening fees,” she said. “Lionsgate owns the rights to the movie, so we have to pay for them. We want to give these movies to pregnancy resource centers for free. Every penny donated goes to buying DVDs and to pay for screening fees in the prisons and on college campuses. It also goes into training counselors for these women. Jason and I do not get paid, we are volunteers.”
Bella Hero knows how to stretch a dollar. Just $20 will supply a starter kit for a pregnancy resource center, and $100 will supply the ministry for a month. To make a tax-deductible donation send a check to HERO, 2950 Los Feliz, Suite 204, Los Angeles, CA 90039.
