Prayer Campaign Launched as Wife of Missouri Pro-Life Leader Still Missing

State   |   Joe Ortwerth   |   Jul 14, 2014   |   4:12PM   |   Jefferson City, MO

The pro-life and pro-family community in Missouri remains deeply saddened over the mysterious disappearance of Lynn Messer, the wife of longtime Christian leader Kerry Messer. Lynn has been missing since early last Tuesday morning from the family’s farm in Ste. Genevieve County.

Kerry awoke at 4AM that day to find his wife gone.  Her purse and cell phone were still in the house, as was a walking boot she was wearing after suffering a broken toe.  Local law enforcement authorities and regional search and rescue teams have scoured the family’s 300-acre farm and adjacent properties several times over the last several days, and have turned up no clues as to Lynn’s whereabouts.

messer3Kerry has served for many years as the President of Missouri Family Network, a pro-family group with a very strong presence in the Missouri Capitol during each legislative session.  Kerry has been a passionate advocate for the right to life, parental rights, and religious freedom.  He has served as the leading spokesman for the homeschool community in Missouri.  Kerry also serves as the official lobbyist for the Missouri Baptist Convention, the association of Southern Baptist churches in our state.

Kerry and his son, Abram, who works with him, are highly respected in the halls of the Capitol as sincere and credible voices of the Christian community.  Like the Missouri Family Policy Council, their focus is not only on the advancement of Biblical values in public policy, but also on the spiritual welfare of the members of the General Assembly and their staff.

Lynn has been a dedicated partner to Kerry in the ministry work of Missouri Family Network over the years.  She has worked side by side with him in numerous endeavors and has been a regular presence at pro-family functions and events.  She has tended to the family farm while Kerry has been actively walking the halls in the State Capitol.  Lynn is a gentle and kind-hearted person, and the thought that any harm could have come to her is extremely unsettling.

Kerry and Lynn are a couple with genuine devotion and absolute trust in Jesus Christ.  Those values are reflected in a message Kerry has shared online during the past week.  In that posting, Kerry stated:  “May we be deserving to call ourselves Christians in a season of distress, trial, and tribulation…May we walk the walk we so easily talk about– even when we do not understand, even if the Lord does not give us the answers we want, or in the timeframe we expect.”

messer2Yesterday Kerry shared a further message with his church family at First Baptist Church of Festus-Crystal City.   In it, he said:  “I ask that each of you pray that God be glorified in the midst of this perplexing mystery, and upon its conclusion.  My head is not in the sand as we brace for the reality of where our search may lead…Faith in the Lord is what has sustained me in the past and only faith can sustain me now.  As I pray for the safety and restoration of my wife, I trust in God to prove Himself just as He always has.”

Over the years I have developed a kinship with Kerry as we have both responded to a similar call to be ambassadors of the Gospel in the workings of state government.  While we have both been lifelong laborers in the political arena, we have both felt a primary commitment to helping state lawmakers stay centered on the counsel and wisdom of Christ Jesus.

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I am heartbroken that Kerry has been separated from his wife and partner in the faith.  Please be praying earnestly that Lynn may be found unharmed and unwounded.  Please be praying for Kerry and his immediate and extended family as they deal with the anxiety and heartache of these days and hours.  Please be praying God’s blessings on the hundreds of people who have assisted in the search and provided material and emotional support to the family.

For those on Facebook, there is a page dedicated to the search effort entitled “Find Lynn Messer.”  You can access it by using this link: Find Lynn Messer

LifeNews.com Note:  Joe Oertwerth writes for the Missouri Family Policy Council.