Illinois Baptist
Answers for growing anxiety
Michael Awbrey P. 13
Farewell
in focus
Exit interview P. 7 PLUS: MY GRATITUDE LIST P. 2
IllinoisBaptist.org
IB
Pro-life news
State abortion ban bill filed Unlikely passage has political impact
News journal of the Illinois Baptist State Association
MARCH 1, 2026
Vol. 120 No. 3
CHICAGOLAND Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Peoria, Illinois Permit No. 964
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES P . 10
Mongolian church Plants hope among UUPGs P. 11
SBC NEWS
ERLC ‘guardrails’ Trustees set course P. 4
MISSION
Who’s your one? Evangelism strategy returns P. 16
Springfield | An Illinois Republican state senator has filed a bill to outlaw abortion, but his measure is getting pushback from his own party. At issue is whether his abolitionist position would result in jail time for women who have abortions. Sen. Neil Anderson from Andalusia says it won’t. But gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey says it could and stated his opposition to SB 3572 which Anderson filed on Feb. 5. “We are outlawing abortion,” Anderson said from the podium at a news conference Feb. 17. “There’s nobody up here that wants to put women in jail. That’s nowhere in the bill. Gender is not listed in this bill. We’re asking for equal protection under the law for our unborn neighbors.” Anderson’s bill defines the unborn
as a person, making possible murder prosecutions for abortion providers. “The important part of the bill is deterrence,” he said. A second bill would reinstate the death penalty. Anderson was joined by several pastors who agree with his position, including a pastor from Arizona who is prominent in the abortion abolition movement. And the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) issued a statement in support of the legislation. “This is an opportunity for faithful Christians to speak with clarity and compassion, proclaiming the truth that every human life—born and preborn—is created by Almighty God in His image and for His purposes,” IFI Executive Director David Smith said in a news release. Southern Baptists have held firm in their support for pro-life positions, but at recent conventions, messengers Continued on P. 3