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MEET OUR SPEAKERS
CHRIS WILLIAMS
Senior Pastor, Fellowship Church
President, Missouri Baptist Convention
Pastor Chris is living his dream as the Pastor of Fellowship Church. His desire is to help men and women lean into their mission on purpose and for great purpose. He’s served his local church since 2014. Under his leadership, Fellowship Church has grown from a fledgling replant to a thriving spiritual family of well over 1000.
Pastor Chris has shepherded Fellowship Church to embrace healthy body life of active discipleship living out the one another statements of scripture, applying the gospel to learn to flourish in a fallen worl. To be a church on mission on purpose to expand the Kingdom through replanting dying churches and planting new ones. Since 2018, Fellowship Church has seen 65 churches live for the first time or live again.
Pastor Chris has earned a Bachelors in Theology, a Masters in Theology, and a Masters of Divinity. He is the current President of the Missouri Baptist Convention, a network of 1721 churches with over 400,000 members.
He is the proud husband to Kate, and dad to Max, Cooper, Jack, Judson, Lincoln, Lottie Kate and Jude.
William Federer
Host of the AMERICAN MINUTE
Radio Feature
WILLIAM FEDERER is a nationally known public speaker, a best-selling author and the president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America’s noble heritage. His American Minute radio feature is broadcast daily across America and on the Internet. His Faith in History television series airs on the TCT Network and via DirectTV. A former U.S. Congressional Candidate, Bill has appeared on numerous major media outlets and has been quoted in many national publications. His first book, America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations, has sold more than a half million copies. Learn more about Bill by visiting his website, americanminute.com.
Tony Perkins
President, Family Research Council
TONY PERKINS is Family Research Council's fourth and longest-serving president, joining the organization in August of 2003. Described as a legislative pioneer by the national media, Tony has established himself as an innovative pro-life and pro-family policy and political leader since first being elected to office in 1996.
Tony, who is an ordained minister, remains active in Christian ministries and frequently fills pulpits across the country. He is a board member of Caring to Love Ministries, one of Louisiana's largest pregnancy resource centers. Tony is the immediate past president of the Council for National Policy.
An effective communicator, Tony is the host of a daily, nationally syndicated radio show, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins. He frequently appears as a guest on national news programs and talk shows. In addition, he has been a guest speaker for respected organizations across the country. He is the author of No Fear: Real Stories of a Courageous New Generation Standing for Truth.
A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a former police officer, Tony brings a unique perspective to the public policy process. In addition to domestic law enforcement, he oversaw the training of hundreds of international police officers as the general manager for a Washington, D.C.-based firm contracted by the U.S. Department of State to provide the training and services in anti-terrorism.
Tony holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University, a Master of Public Administration degree from Louisiana State University, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity from Liberty University.
He and his wife Lawana have been married since 1986 and have five children.
Seth Gruber
Founder & CEO, The White Rose Resistance
The son of a pregnancy resource center director, Seth Gruber was raised in the pro-life movement and has been speaking publicly on behalf of unborn children since the age of 19.
First gaining exposure during his college years, Seth founded and directed the Students for Life Club at Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts institution. While there, he conducted educational displays on campus to challenge the institution for their refusal to take a formal position on abortion. During the summer, Seth interned with a pro-life organization in Southern California, where he helped coordinate and conduct educational displays at over 10 universities and engaged with thousands of students on the topic of abortion. Upon graduation, Seth joined Life Training Institute as a pro-life speaker. He is now a nationally renowned speaker for life, the founder and president of The White Rose Resistance, and the host of the popular podcast “UnAborted.”
A compelling and passionate voice for the unborn, Seth Gruber is reaching all generations and is helping change the way that our country thinks about and responds to the evil of abortion.
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Lisa McIntire
Executive Director,
Springfield Pregnancy Care Center
Pregnancy Care Center (PCC) is a nonprofit organization that provides vital services to seven counties in Southwest Missouri and is primarily funded by contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations and churches within the community. Since opening in 2000, PCC has served more than 225,000 young people with healthy pregnancy and relationship education services, at no cost to the individuals served. PCC is one of the fastest growing organizations of its type in the United States.
After a successful career as a CPA with a national firm, Lisa felt God calling her to use her business acumen, personal experience with unplanned pregnancy, and her heart for the vulnerable to serve Pregnancy Care Center’s mission to save lives and strengthen families more than eight years ago.
Under her leadership, PCC was named 2019 Nonprofit of the Year at the Southwest Missouri Nonprofit Excellence Awards and Springfield Business Journal’s 2022 Nonprofit of the Year.
Lisa has been married to Steve for 30 years. They have five adult children and eight grandchildren, who keep their home busy and their hearts happy.
Jodi Hammond Widhalm
Founder, Jodi Grace Ministries
Jodi Widhalm was a stay at home mom in her Jefferson City kitchen when God called her to the Capitol. Although she never had been involved in politics God was faithful to equip her and open doors to strategic relationships both within office holders and grassroots leaders across Missouri. Since then she is inspiring and activating Missouri citizens through her podcast, blog and FB group She is a frequent visitor to the policy makers in the Capitol.
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Kathy Forck
Representative,
40 Days For Life
Kathy Forck is a veteran pro-life advocate and sidewalk counselor who organizes the Midwest March for Life in Jefferson City yearly. Kathy, named 2021 Pro-Life Woman of the Year, was also party to a recent court case challenging the abortion industry's attempts to overturn Missouri's pro-life status. In July 2024, Kathy received the 40 Days for Life Leader of the Year award in recognition of her 15 years of leading the prayer vigil at the Columbia Planned Parenthood, which finally ceased abortions in October 2018 after a stunning court decision denying the abortion facility its license to operate. The story of her vigilance is one of the chapters written in the best seller, "The Beginning of the End of Abortion," by Shawn D. Carney. Kathy was also featured in the HBO documentary "Abortion Stories Women Tell." Kathy is a wife to Michael Forck, mother of four children, and grandmother of 13 grandchildren. They live on 65 acres of tranquil woods in New Bloomfield, Mo.
Jason Rapert
President, National Association
of Christian Lawmakers
Sen. Jason Rapert was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 2010 - He was the first Republican elected to the state senate in his original district since Reconstruction at the end of the Civil War. He was elected four times to the Senate by Arkansas voters and served a total of 12 years.
Senator Rapert passed the nations very first heartbeat bill in 2013. On March 6, 2013 he led the Arkansas legislature in overriding a veto of the bill by Gov. Mike Beebe memorializing Arkansas as the first state in the country to pass a heartbeat bill. Approximately 15 states went on to pass similar bills and this made a huge difference in the ProLife debate in our country.
In August 2020, Sen. Rapert led elected officials from around the country in forming the first National Association of Christian Lawmakers in history. The association now has members and supporters in all 50 states and has elected officials serving as state chairs in 35 states.
He has previously received national recognition for his commitment to abolishing abortion being awarded a Hero For Life by Faith2Action in Ohio in 2013 and was recently designated a ProLife Champion by Students For Life at a meeting in Washington, D.C. in June 2022 after the Dobbs decision.
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