The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WIIITBY'FRE'E PRESS, WEDNESDAY APRI L 20,1983, PAGE1 The Church Spealks Sponsored by the WHITBY MINISTERIAL ASSlOCIATION By REV. KEITHf A. ELFORD Whltby Free Methodlst Church "If You Love This Planet." It came Up for some awards recently in the annual tropby taking time for film producers. It's a movie that draws atten- tion to the frightening threat of a global nuclear holocaust if cool mlnds don't prevail at the bigher levels of international military pSturing. The film has made an impact ail the way to the top in the United States and its message is being absorbed locaily as weil as in screenmngs at some churches. The print is clear. Human life is sacred. We can, if we unclench our fists, exist and, if necessary, co- exist on this planet God bas entrusted to us. We don't need to kil eacb other. But what about the present holocaust? The U.N. Yearbook reports that there is a "war" that dlaims 55,000,000 lives in the world eacb year. 0f these, 60,000 are Canadians. If you're guessing that I'm writing about some social disease, you're botb right and wrong. I am talking about the war on the un- born - abortion. It's not a social disease that modemn medicine can treat wlth antibioMcs like some of the tragic epidemies of. the past.- Ironicaily, it is the medical practitioners themselves who are the carriers of the fatal "iliness". Tbey authorize the treatments and wield the instruments that snuff out another 1 'human mistake". For the elimination of one more " potential social problem ", (it is referred to in very neutral* terms as a "fetus", putting it in the same emotional class as an abscess or tumour) there is a tidy fee submitted te the Ontario government. The account is settled and everybody walks away bap- py. But the- account is not settled and no one who hears regularly fromn their head and beart on this issue can even fake being happy about it. Here's three questions for you to pontier. Do you really tbink that a woman who bas con- sented to an abortion can actually be happy about it if she dares to acknowledge that ber "aborted fetus" was not a tumour but a hwnan beîng? Do you really tbink that a medical profession wbicb judges it practical to eliminate unwanted un- born cbildren will not move logicaily along the path to eutbanasia (mercy-kiiling) if lef t unchecked. Do you really tbink that a childless couple anxiously waiting to adopt a newborn (and there are lots of tbem) can really be very happy about the "llittle one" that tbey would love and nurture being snatched and pitched? The first day of May bas been declared "Respect for Life"l Sunday in Durham Region. If you believe the Biblical message about creation and the san- ctity of human life, or if you believe that if we love this planet, we must go to great lengtbs to ward off needless nuclear slaugbter, tben this too is an issue tbat needs your attention. Come and stand bebind your convictions at the "Rally for Life" that begins at Oshawa City Hall at 2 p.m. on May 1. Historic.al Society Over $14,800 was pledged by Witby and surrounding communi- ties during the annual Kinsmen Skate-a-thon beld on February 19., Final totals reveal 450 students including four teachers from 12 schools participated according to Skate-a-thon Chair- man Colin Pring. "Tbis year's top stu- dent in terms of total pledges is Stephen Par- sons," said Pring. "Ste- phen raised $705 as a representative of Hut- cbison Scbool. " "Overail, tbe largest participation came from West Lynde Public Scbool - 69 skaters and they raised over $1,900."' Top teacher was Robyn Ekstein from Fairman with total pledges of $232. Pring said the support by the community was a pleasant surprise for the Kinsmen Club. With the current economic situa- tion, the club wasn't sure wbat to expect, be added. Return of pledges generally runs in the order of 60 to 65 per cent, and the club bopes this trend wil bold again tbis year and pledges continue to come in. Pring said ail revenues will be retur- ned directly back into the community. Past skate-a-thon revenues bave gone toward sucb programs as a car for the Victorian Order of Nurses, senior citizens programa, maintaiming the Kinsmen Park, minor. sports, the library and organiza- tions sucb as the YMCA. liq FRýEE' INTERLOC WALKWAY LANDSCÀAPING DESIGN UP TO 100 SO. FTý ($500.00 VALUE) Price $1095.00 S495.00 Down S600.00 Interest Free Over 6 Months This Includes all Taxes. Labor, & Nqateriais LANDSCAPE DIVISION MAY 1501 20% OFF RETAINING WALLS 20% OFF INTER LOC WALKWAYS ry WITH LANDSCAPING fleff'LAWN FERTILIZING' WITH LANDSCAPE ORDER ME GIFT WITH ORDERS OVER $50.00 ProfessionàI estimates without obligations ýw, MAKEAPP0fNTMENTEAýLY 5 76-2239 Member LANÙ5CApf GPRDEn c£nTREtTp. -J.1 «L 11EI= F:4.EICOR. TAUNTON r-i--,r-THORNTONRDS. ,-OSHAWÀ ~w z2KwC/~~ I