Memorial to the Missing

Lead Story from the November 13, 2008, Baptist Record
“Memorial to Missing declared filled”

50 MILLION REMEMBERED — The Memorial to the Missing at the Baptist Building stands in mute testimony to the 50 million lives that have been lost to legalized abortion since 1973. Each penny in the Memorial represents one of the 50 million babies that has been killed since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state abortion laws and opened the door to abortion nationwide during the entire nine months of pregnancy. (Photos by William H. Perkins Jr.)
By William H. Perkins Jr.Editor

Mississippi Baptists have finished filling the Memorial to the Missing with 50 million pennies, but no one is celebrating the milestone.

That’s because each penny inside the Memorial, located on the grounds of the Baptist Building in Jackson, represents a child that has been killed since the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 legalized abortion nationwide during the entire nine months of pregnancy.

Jimmy Porter, executive director of the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission, announced at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Baptist Convention October 28-29 at First Church, Jackson, that the two-and-a-half year campaign to memorialize all the lives that have been lost to legalized abortion in America has been completed.

“The sad part is, the abortion toll in this country has gone well over 50 million since we began the Memorial. While the Memorial cannot hold any more pennies, the abortions continue,” Porter said.

“I want to thank the churches for their involvement and for bringing their pennies to the Memorial. They were faithful to see this project through to completion. I don’t think there is anything that has caught the attention of Mississippi Baptists like this one project. Wherever I go, people ask me about the Memorial. It is a joy to tell them, ‘Yes, it’s filled,’” Porter said.
Jim Futral, executive director of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, said, “It is encouraging to live in the state that is recognized as the most pro-life in the country. We are grateful to all the people, many of them Mississippi Baptists, who have made that statement possible.

“We have only one abortion clinic left in the entire state, and we pray that it will go out of existence due to non-use. Thank you, Mississippi Baptists, for the prayer and care and resources that you poured into the Memorial. You have made a significant statement to America and the world.”

The Memorial opened on Mother’s Day weekend of 2006 with a statewide rally to dedicate the campaign to the glory of God and place the first pennies in the container, located on the northwest corner of the Baptist Building property in downtown Jackson facing the State Capitol.
About 20 million pennies were brought to the Memorial that day. Since then, a steady stream of pennies from Mississippi Baptist churches and individuals has been placed in the Memorial until the 50 millionth penny was deposited a few weeks ago.

FOR THE BABIES — A plaque resting in front of the Memorial to the Missing at the Baptist Building in downtown Jackson explains the true meaning of the just-completed Mississippi Baptist campaign to memorialize the 50 million children lost to legalized abortion in America.










The massive, 13’ x 7’ container that holds the pennies is constructed of heavy tubular steel and polycarbonate sheeting – commonly known as bullet-proof glass. Reinforced concrete pilings 14 feet deep support the 140 tons of pennies now in the Memorial. Laws Construction Company of Jackson provided the construction labor free of charge.

“Every year, millions of people visit Washington, D.C., and see the Vietnam Memorial. On that black slab are 58,249 names of young men and women who gave their lives in Vietnam, but that doesn’t begin to compare to the millions of children in America who have lost their lives silently, in sterile environments as they have died, day after day,” Futral said on the day the Memorial opened.

Porter said the Memorial will stay in place for a period of time, its towering wall of pennies standing in mute testimony to the lives lost to legalized abortion in America.
“The focus is on the babies, as it should be, and not the pennies,” Futral said.
When the Memorial is finally emptied, the totality of donations to the campaign will be placed in a special account with the Mississippi Baptist Foundation to be used for pro-life programs and causes.

Contributions are still being accepted for the Memorial, Porter added. “We have reached the design limits of the Memorial with the 50 million pennies inside, but we will continue to remember the babies in this special way. Churches and individuals can continue to contribute. We will still be accepting pennies, but it would be better now if donations were in the form of checks designated to the Memorial to the Missing.”

For more information on the Memorial to the Missing, contact the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission at P.O. Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205-0530. Telephone: (601) 292-3329 or toll-free outside Jackson (800) 748-1651, ext. 329. E-mail: rmccollum@christianaction.com. Web site: http://www.mbcb.org/leaving.aspx?url=http://www.christianaction.com, or http://www.mbcb.org/missing.aspx.