RALEIGH, N.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was at the center of many church services on Sunday. One pastor in Raleigh included the topic in his sermon and called on his congregation to put their faith into action.

What You Need To Know

  • Roe v. Wade was at the center of many church services on Sunday

  • One Raleigh pastor spoke about his support of the Supreme Court’s ruling during a church service

  • Meanwhile, another church in Raleigh described the ruling as an “immoral decision”

During Sunday’s service at Summit Church in Raleigh, J.D. Greear said, “This past Friday was a day I thought I might not see in my lifetime.”

Greear is the lead pastor and has been with Summit Church since 2001. Every Sunday, thousands of people attend at locations across the Triangle.

The Supreme Court’s decision was at the forefront of Greear’s sermon.

“The conversations that I’ve had, people are grateful. They’re grateful that the Supreme Court recognizes the mistake in 1973 of saying that this was included in the Constitution. They’re grateful on one level that this has been turned over back to the people to decide,” Greear said.

While he disagrees with abortion, he acknowledges that it's a part of many people’s journeys.

“We also recognize that for many women in our congregation and in our community, [abortion] is part of their story, and it’s very difficult to talk about. We want them to know this is a safe place for them to be able to tell their story here,” Greear said.

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He’s happy about the court’s ruling, but he still wants to see North Carolina’s abortion laws change. In the meantime, Greear believes this ruling requires everyone to do more than ever to support children and women.

“We also want to work in the societal factors that create the situation where some women feel that’s their only alternative. We’ve been involved here for a number of years in crisis pregnancy centers and assisting unwed mothers and we have several hundred families that are involved in fostering and adoption,” Greear said.

He also doesn’t necessarily want the topic of abortion to feel like a fight led by religion.

“My hope is that we can get beyond the shrill partisan kind of labeling and actually understand and listen to each other,” Greear said.

He says he has friends who disagree with his beliefs, but hopes this moment can help people find common ground.

“At the end of the day, I believe we both want to see women protected. We both want to see life flourish. This is a good discussion for us to be in, in some ways the most important discussion,” Greear said.

Not every church is applauding the Supreme Court’s decision.

Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh is hosting a service on Monday night to “grieve and to mobilize.”

In a social media post, that church describes the ruling as an “immoral decision” and says, “we won’t stay silent in the face of injustice.”