Pastors, church staff and leaders in California Southern Baptist congregations are encouraged to attend statewide Pastors Strategic Protect Marriage Conference Calls scheduled September 24, October 8 and 22, and November 6.

The calls are hosted in more than 150 locations at 10 a.m. on each of those Wednesdays.

Chris Clark, pastor of East Clairemont Southern Baptist church in San Diego, said, “We desperately need California Southern Baptist pastors and churches to agree to be a host site for these conference calls.

“What we really need is for pastors to sign up their churches to be a host and at each conference call enlist at least one other person to host a site as well. This gets pastors and their local networks involved.”

What is needed to host a site?
It is hoped that two options will be available for hosting:

• Conference call
• Webinar, a seminar broadcast via the Internet using broadband (Cable, DSL, or T1) connection

The traditional conference call will be an audio transmission with a PowerPoint presentation to show while the audio plays, making the event more "informationally friendly." If hosting a conference call, there must be a person at the site who listens to a separate conference call with PowerPoint instructions and cues.

Those congregations hosting a conference call must have speaker-phone capability that can be adequately amplified, along with the ability to project a PowerPoint presentation.

For the Webinar format sites must be able to project the Internet-based presentation (audio and video) from a computer. Webinar participants will not need an on-site person to run the PowerPoint presentation since the presentation and audio will be transmitted via streaming video.

Be assured that the information shared will be extremely beneficial for the future of the cause of Christ in California, according to Jim Garlow, senior pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego. “Saying it another way, it is worth canceling all other appointments in order to be present at one of these locations,” he said.

Clark said the upcoming conference call is scheduled to feature Phillip Goudeaux, pastor of the Calvary Christian Center in Sacramento, on why he has cleared everything from his 12,000-member church’s calendar and is focused solely on working to pass Proposition 8.

Also slated for the call is:

• a "status check" as to where pastors should be in their efforts to turn out the vote on November 4
• information about making donations to the effort
• an e-mail/texting "Q & A" session related to issues relative to the effort

For the most current information about the monthly Protect Marriage Conferences – scheduled for September 24, October 8 and 22, and November 6 – visit www.protectmarriageca.com.

Those interested in attending one of the meetings is encouraged to register so enough materials will be available at each location.

Garlow said the conference call will cover the strategy for “preparing and winning the California Constitutional Marriage Amendment vote in November. This is a winnable war,” he said. He believes the freedom to proclaim the Gospel “hinges on the outcome of this election.”

For more information such as “Why It’s Needed,” “How to Help,” “Endorsements” “Resources” and “Contributions” concerning the Protect Marriage coalition, visit ProtectMarriage.com. 

Garlow said the goal of the activities is to have 8 million Californians to vote for marriage “as God ordained it.”