Anne Reed
AFA Journal staff writer
December 2015 – Joseph Parker, host of Urban Family Talk’s Hour of Intercession, has been serving as a bi-vocational pastor off and on for nearly 40 years. He was introduced to the American Family Radio audience in 1993 and literally spent the night at the Tupelo studios five days a week for nearly a decade as the beloved overnight radio personality.
In 2002, Parker began working for a Christian publishing house in Nashville, Tennessee, where he began to sense a shift in his calling. “I just felt heavily impressed by the Lord to get more involved in the pro-life cause,” he told AFA Journal.
Parker began by writing and starring in a life-affirming stage play, and in 2009, he coordinated the first Festival for Life, a comprehensive educational event to promote the message of life while exposing abortion industry secrets. Soon after, he returned to AFR to work in a different capacity. His new focus on intercessory prayer and pro-life ministry has opened the door for a wider geographical area and more frequent invitations to facilitate FFL events, now under the wing of AFA.
The FFL is a family friendly, high impact event designed to appeal to a short attention span with Scripture, brief clips from relevant movies, documentaries and music videos, along with testimonies from ministry leaders and post-abortive women. Representatives from local pregnancy resource centers and other life-affirming ministries are invited to provide resources for women and families in crisis pregnancy situations, hope for women suffering from post-abortion trauma, and opportunities for those who desire to help others.
By simply making information available through the local church, Parker believes that many will experience a shift in their worldview, and others will be inspired to put their beliefs into action.
“Pregnancy centers are already doing evangelism and discipleship for women in crisis,” said Parker. “The church is wise to put them in the budget and to send volunteers. There are people who are called to help with the local pregnancy centers, and they don’t even know what a pregnancy center is.”
Others become involved through prayer, social media communication, giving of their personal finances, onsite sidewalk counseling at abortion clinics, and post-abortion Bible study facilitation. In addition, multiple opportunities exist to provide for expectant mothers (clothing, baby supplies, temporary housing, transportation, prenatal care, emotional support, and discipleship).
Parker has noticed over the years that pro-life churches typically address the life issue at length once a year – in January.
“We see how the devil tries to kill babies 365 days a year,” he explained. “So if you put the church and the abortion industry side by side and ask who is more dedicated to their cause, clearly, it looks like the devil and his cohorts are more committed. When we fall short in this area, babies die. And most of us don’t have any idea how many abortions are taking place right under our noses.”
The specific design of each FFL depends on the culture of the congregation and the condition of the local community. As a bi-vocational pastor, Parker understands the predicament of pressing congregational needs and overall pastoral responsibilities. He works closely with church staff, serving as an encouragement with provision of resources and perspective. 
To bring a Festival for Life to your church, contact Joseph Parker at 662-844-8888, ext. 381 or [email protected]
