“It's one of the most difficult things in the world to pick out a few individuals who are servant leaders in the midst of a roomful of servant leaders,” Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International, said to an overflow crowd at the organization’s 2023 “Breakthrough” conference.
Heartbeat is the largest network of pregnancy help organizations in the world. Its Annual Pregnancy Help Conference is likewise the largest such event in the movement, with the 52nd Conference taking place April 26-28 in Louisville, Ky. This year’s Conference theme referenced the pregnancy help community’s breakthrough to a new post-Roe era, invoking more breakthroughs to come.
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Ultimately, three individuals and one couple received this year’s Peggy Hartshorn Servant Leader Award for having “given of themselves sacrificially in the service of Life, as both servants of others and leaders in their own right,” according to the conference program.
The 2023 award recipients were Allan Parker, president of The Justice Foundation; Sandy Shoshani, National Director of Be’ad Chaim in Israel; Betty McDowell, former Vice President of Ministry Services at Heartbeat International; and Raul and Chris Reyes, leaders with Life Equip Global and Life Network.
Attorney Allan Parker’s life-affirming track record includes serving as legal counsel for Norma McCorvey (the “Roe” in Roe v. Wade) and Sandra Cano (the “Doe” of Doe v. Bolton) in their efforts to overturn Roe in the early 21st Century.
His project Operation Outcry gathered the world’s largest collection of written, legally admissible testimonies from women hurt by abortion, numbering at more than 5,000, with Parker hoping to collect 10,000, particularly those involving chemical abortion. In addition, his Center Against Forced Abortion provides free legal resources and training that have helped protect an estimated 1000-2000 mothers and babies annually from forced abortion.
Sandy Shoshoni to the stage for her Servant Leader Award/Lisa Bourne
Sandi Shoshani reluctantly began her pregnancy help career passing out pro-life pamphlets in 2005. The next year she launched Operation Moses, a program that provides new mothers with practical supplies and a year of monthly vouchers to buy diapers and formula. So far, the program has served over 3600 mothers and saved over 4700 children.
Today, she heads Be’ad Chaim, “a widespread network of PH leaders across the nation of Israel,” according to Ellen Foell, International Program Specialist at Heartbeat International.
“Because Sandy has yielded to the Lord, she is a force to be reckoned with,” Foell said.
presented the Servant Leader Award/Lisa Bourne
Betty McDowell joined Heartbeat International in 2004 and became VP of Ministry Services in 2014.
According to Peggy Hartshorn, Board Chairman of Heartbeat International, that role made McDowell responsible for “everything that Heartbeat provides for all of you. Everything.”
“That means OptionLine, NextLevel, Extend Web Services, Conference, the Institute, the Academy--all of our resources,” Hartshorn said.
McDowell’s organizational skills shaped every Heartbeat Annual Conference from the 15th to this year’s 52nd. Though no longer on staff, she served the 2023 international attendees as a volunteer.
Raul Reyes has helped establish a network of pregnancy centers, provided training for boards and staff, and presented the message of the sanctity of human life to pastors in 20 countries.
In 2019, he launched Life Equip Global, an international ministry that prayerfully responds to the issues of abortion with a Christ-focused strategy of multiplication by maximizing the use of technology.
Christine Reyes has served for the last three decades at pregnancy centers in Florida, Michigan, Arizona and in Colorado.
In her current role with Life Network, she leads the strategy and implementation of her organization’s development and operations.
According to Godsey, who presented their award, a colleague of the couple told him, "I cannot imagine two individuals anywhere in the entire world who have more to offer the Jesus-mandated, church-driven sanctity of life charge than this couple."
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News. Heartbeat Conference workshop recordings can be purchased HERE.
