Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.
— Deuteronomy 5:33 NLT
In November 2024, Summit Medical Center opened for abortion services in Vinton, just outside Roanoke, Virginia. Despite prayer vigils and petitions at town hall meetings, the doors still opened, just minutes from the home of Roanoke Love Life Director, Abby Rock.
“This is in my backyard, the closest abortion center to me,” Abby said. “I had such a burden to fight its presence, to shut it down.”
That burden had come from witnessing God move before. After forty weeks of prayer walks at the Roanoke Planned Parenthood, the facility closed on Saturdays, its busiest day. Abby attributes that miracle to the persistent prayer of the church.
But with the center now closed on Saturdays, visiting churches could not see abortions happening. “We wondered whether we should do a prayer walk in Vinton,” Abby said.
She was not alone in discerning the next step. Jenna Woomer, Sidewalk Outreach coordinator, had been a vital leader since the city’s beginning and helped weigh the decision. Pastor Jay Richards of Lighthouse Bible Church, whose church had adopted the October prayer walk, urged Abby to consider moving it to Vinton.
The idea made sense, but presented major obstacles. With a small Sidewalk Outreach team already serving two other abortion centers, they could only cover Vinton one day a week, on Saturdays. The environment there was hostile.
“We have never faced opposition like that at the other clinics,” Abby said. “Clinic escorts were aggressively relentless in trying to silence us. It was so discouraging.”
Yet Abby was reminded that intense opposition often signals impact. The enemy does not fight what he does not fear.
Moving a prayer walk there still felt risky. They needed amplification, power, and a place to gather. After praying, they discovered a large field next to the center was owned by the town, and they received permission to gather there.
Despite the logistical nightmare, Abby and her team believed God was calling them to take new ground.
When the day arrived, 83 people showed up, including Pastor Richards and members of his congregation. Three additional pastors joined in solidarity. The group walked up the field, positioned where they could clearly see women entering the clinic. Escorts attempted to drown out the Sidewalk Outreach team’s efforts to reach those going in.
“We prayed as each woman walked in,” Abby said. “It was so powerful for people to see what was really happening there. We used the microphone, and workers came out of the building to watch us. That was so encouraging because it was clear they could hear us inside.”
The week prior, 10 women went in for abortions. On the day the church showed up to pray, there were only 4.
“That was a victory,” Abby said.
More encouragement followed. Though they could not hire security, police officers showed up twice that day, not to remove them, but to ensure their safety. They even thanked the team for being there.
Following the prayer walk, four people signed up to volunteer on the sidewalk.
Earlier this year, Abby received the Love Life Mobilizer Award. Out of 25 Love Life cities nationwide, her city saw the highest number of prayer walk attendees who not only filled out connection cards but followed through with training in mentorship, sidewalk outreach, or financial partnership.
“Sometimes I get down because I always feel we need so many more people,” Abby shared. “But what we really need are a faithful few, and I am surrounded by that.”
Her team is small, but deeply committed. Most wear multiple hats. “We ask them to do more and more, and they do it with a smile,” Abby said. “They are so on fire for the Lord and want to do whatever He asks of them.”
Today, Abby continues praying for wisdom, whether to keep prayer walks in Vinton or return to Roanoke, where Saturday closures remain a testament to the power of united prayer. Either way, she stands ready.And once again, in Vinton, it already has.
Whatever ground God calls them to next, Abby and her team are ready. They have seen firsthand that when the church shows up in faith, heaven moves on earth. Vinton is already a testimony of that truth.