Many of you over the years have gotten the chance to work alongside or in conjunction with Ronda Webber, who for nine years served at the helm of Assurance for Life in Lexington, KY. Ronda announced in July of this year that God was calling her away as He was simultaneously calling Assurance into a new season. I think I can speak for the entire staff and board of Assurance when I say that Ronda’s impression on Assurance is indelible, and she will always be greatly loved and missed! Assurance would not be where it is today without her leadership, dedication, and passion.
I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself to the world of Assurance. My name is Randall (Randy) Hardman and I am honored and humbled to move into the role Ronda has recently stepped out of. I live in Wilmore, Kentucky with my wife April and three children. My professional background includes work in pastoral ministry, education, organizational development, and social services. I have been an advocate and supporter of the work of Assurance for the past twelve years that I have lived in the Central Lexington area and believe that the organization serves light to the area and serves as an exemplary model to the world of pro-life pregnancy centers nationwide.
A boots-on-the-ground pregnancy center committed to life in and through Jesus is, in my opinion, one of the most important reflections of the Church’s role in society because it defines life by the measure of the Life, which is both within and defined by Jesus. When we look at life through Him, we recognize that life is not a matter of personal preference but of God’s special creation. Life is sacred, no matter what our situation and every interaction we have with a mother, a father, or a child (including the unborn) is an eternal interaction with Life. It says that part of our job is to promote human life at even the smallest of levels because by doing so we are honoring Life which is the source of its creation. As St. Paul put it when quoting the poet-philosophers in Athens, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Or as the mid-century theologian put it, “The true light of the world shines already in the darkness of the mother’s womb.”
My passion for Assurance for Life is, in the largest sense, a continuation of the passion and vision laid out by its original founders and envisioned by its directors, staff, volunteers, and board members since that time. To date Assurance has been a leading force in saving over 5,000 lives (but only God knows the ultimate number)! As the question of abortion continues to be both an individual and cultural question, we stand ready and prepared for how God will continue to use us in the central Kentucky area as a symbol for life and love.
My own story both as a son and a father stands as a testimony to what happens when life is chosen and that is a story I am excited and honored to share in time. Many of our staff have similar stories where life is chosen or when forgiveness and love are reconciled into one’s calling and vocation. At the end of the day, everyone here at Assurance is here because we felt God calling us to work for life—the life of the baby, the life of the mother and father, and the life of the world. While our job is often between the spaces of decision making, our hope is in the true Life that is available for all. That, most of all, is what we hope to leave people with.
– Randy
