Three Palmerton churches came together Friday morning at Sacred Heart Church for an ecumenical prayer service to promote and deepen the respect for the sanctity of all human life.

The Rev. Jody Neifert, of St. John's Towamensing Lutheran Church, and the Rev. Michael Frost, of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, joined the Rev. William Campion, of Sacred Heart, and several lay speakers for the service. October is Respect Life Month, Campion said. About 50 people attended the service.Lay speakers read passages from the Bible about people who have yet to be born, those who are poor, those who are homeless, and those who are disabled. Each reading was followed by response.Neifert spoke on the topic of respecting the unborn life. He said there are four basic reasons why a woman would choose to have an abortion. The first is that abortion is convenient. The second is perceived to be an easy way to end an unwanted pregnancy - making the mistake go away."By doing it, we think we get rid of the consequences, but the consequences only multiply," he said.Then there are also those who discover their baby has a physical problem, and those facing a life threatening issue who choose to abort.Neifert said he had a friend when he was a child whose brother was born with a disabled body. His friend's mother spent every day caring for the boy and seemed to him like she was trapped, strapped to a burden she couldn't free herself from, an unwanted obligation.As a young adult, he and his friends got together again. The friend was there as was his mother, but the brother had passed away. Neifert said he saw his friend's mother crying."Why is she sad," he said he thought. She's free now, so he asked her what was wrong. Her response, "I lost my best friend.""I realized instead of a burden, this child was her whole life," he said. "The burden wasn't a burden at all."Frost spoke about caring for the poor, which he sees to being integral to be a Christian."We are privileged to be part of a community that does so much for others," he said. "Our congregations ban together to care for those in need."After Natalie Bojko, the director of Family Promise, did the reading for the protection of the homeless, Joellen Santana spoke to the gathering about her experiences as a homeless person. Santana, her five children and her boyfriend are receiving assistance from Family Promise. He has a job, but they are among the working poor."My family and I are grateful for the time they have given to us," she said about Family Promise.Santana said sometimes people just need a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen. She encouraged people to "be peaceful, gentle" - genuine."Bring them a meal, be a peacemaker, show mercy," she said.Sacred Heart parishioner Lisa Hawk spoke about the disabled and how she values being blind."I was fortunate enough to be born with a disability," she said.Her blindness is why she made the life choices she did, why she went to the college she chose and where she met the man she would marry, who also happens to be blind."Everyone has a disability," she said. "It's just some are not so obvious."Hawk said it is important to look past the obvious aspects of person."Don't see the boot (referring to the cast on Rev. Campion's foot and leg), see one of the most awesome priests I've ever met. Don't see our disabilities, see us."