As I thought of this month’s theme, “Friends of Life,” my mind immediately went to Clear Creek alumnus Doug Cullen (2005) and his wife, Joli. Doug and Joli certainly are friends of life and are two of the greatest champions for life as they lead Choose Life Ministries, traveling the country sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the message of the sanctity of human life.

“I was reared in a Christian home, and every time the church doors were open, we were there,” said Cullen. “On June 8, 1968, at Vacation Bible School, I answered the invitation and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I felt God was calling me to speak/preach at 16, but being an extreme introvert, I ran as hard as I could. After a failed marriage and several years of alcohol and drugs, I rededicated my life and met the love of life — Joli.

“Joli was very pro-life, but I was not sure what I believed about life,” Cullen said. “I knew I was against abortion for me, but felt it was a decision for everyone to make. In 1993, I heard Gianna Jessen share her testimony of how she had survived an abortion. I immediately felt God telling me that He wanted me to speak for the pro-life cause. Once again, my fear of speaking in front of people reared its ugly head.

“My friend, Joel Young, told me he was going to Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. We visited the campus in February and signed up to attend Clear Creek in August 2001. The entire time at Clear Creek, God continued to draw me to a pro-life ministry.

“I needed biblical training and Clear Creek had, in my opinion, some of the best professors with vast biblical knowledge,” said Cullen. “Clear Creek got me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to meet some great friends who helped us get started in the ministry. When I graduated in 2005, we started Choose Life Ministries. We stayed in a house in the area for a few months, then we decided to travel full time in the ministry without a home.

“Choose Life Ministries continues to share a biblical worldview of life,” said Cullen. “We are a ministry of restoration, not condemnation. We share at churches primarily, but have had the opportunity to share at some non-church events. At the end of 2020, we have shared at over 1,300 churches in 34 states in 15 years. God has allowed us to cross the nation three times, see hundreds at the altar and over 200 come to know Jesus. We will continue to travel sharing the message of life as long as we are able.”

For more information about Choose Life Ministries, visit its website at www.chooselifeusa.org.

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Donnie Fox is president of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College.