Ed Case is the Sidewalk Outreach Director for the Bay Area of California. He is a humble man who is employed as a window washer. He loves the flexibility of his job so that he can schedule his time on the sidewalk more easily. After four years in Sidewalk Outreach (SWO), Ed says that what keeps his spirit charged and able to do what God has called him to do is the joy of serving the Lord.
“The more I serve God, the more I draw my strength from that. I don’t really have any activity that recharges me more than that.”
Ed loves the Lord and has been active as an evangelist and street preacher. He says he would never have imagined he would be on the sidewalk of abortion centers one day.
Ed heard about Love Life when Sophia Martin (NW Regional Director) gave a presentation at his church. The moment she finished, Ed told his wife, “This is me. This is what God is calling me to do.” He began as a sidewalk volunteer, then became a volunteer coordinator, and then moved into his current position as SWO Director.
Ed was born-again in 2008 but said he veered off track. Way off track. He says he has a very hard past, filled with sin and struggle. Yet, he sees God’s hand in using even that awful past to draw him to the purpose of serving God in the abortion mission field.
“He who has been forgiven much, loves much,” Ed says. “I want to be a part of this. Helping those women find that love, that forgiveness. I want to be a part of God’s hand in this. I mean if God can use somebody like me, after all that I have done…He can use anyone. He can help anyone. I still cannot believe it.”
Ed has seen the transformative power of God firsthand. He finds that his compassion is born of God’s compassion for him and is eager to share that with the abortion-minded women and men he encounters. He most often has extended discussions with the men entering the abortion center.
He recalls one time years ago when a young couple was walking in. Ed tried to intercede. The woman ignored him, but the young man stopped to talk to Ed.
He told Ed the baby was conceived in a one-night stand. The young man had no desire to be with her. He was only 18-years-old, terrified of what his parents would say, and on a career path that would be destroyed by the needs of a baby! Yet, he was so convicted by what Ed shared with him, that he went in and successfully convinced the young lady to leave the abortion center.
Ed says now, years later, they are still together. The parents of the young man were delighted the couple had not killed the baby. That child is now a toddler, and the young man sends photos every now and then to Ed. He is almost done with the career training he had thought the baby would destroy. He thanks Ed for being there that day to be the voice that convinced him to save his child.
“When I was growing up, abortion was not considered a big deal,” Ed says. “Everyone I knew was doing drugs or having abortions…no one even gave those things a second thought. So for God to open my heart to this ministry…that is something I didn’t expect.
“I think of 2 Corinthians 10:14 when I think of my purpose in doing this. It says how will they know unless they hear…and how will they hear unless someone sends them? I am paraphrasing, but that helps strengthen me. I pray, I trust in Him, and I just want to be His vessel for His purpose.”
Our volunteers and leaders are the backbone of this ministry. It is stories like Ed’s that remind us how God moves through ordinary people who simply say yes to His call.
If you feel God stirring your heart, we invite you to take the next step. Get connected, get trained, and join us on the sidewalk or in another role where God can use your yes to bring hope and save lives. Visit lovelife.org/connect to get started.