President Harry Truman is quoted as saying, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
Sidewalk advocates John Lewis and Brandon Hamman live by this maxim every day. Their strategy for pro-life work is focused on serving the Lord, offering hope through the Gospel, and maximizing resources for clients by tapping other pro-life ministries for referral.
The two men had a recent milestone in their pro-life work with ministering to a pregnant mom who is carrying triplets.
Mom Alex was leaving Planned Parenthood in Carbondale, Ill., with a friend driving recently when Hamman called out from the sidewalk to them to see if he could be of service. Alex said she was keeping her babies after it had been revealed she was pregnant with triplets due to arrive in the spring of 2026.
Lewis and Hamman insist it’s a team effort that makes such saves possible.
Lewis, founder of Beyond the Pews for Life, is from the Memphis area and often travels to connect with others who are advocating for life at abortion centers. He ministers regularly outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Memphis that mostly provides abortion referrals.
Hamman had met Lewis at a Carbondale gathering. He shared that Lewis inspired him to establish Gospel for Life Ministries, which has become full time missionary work for Hamman and his wife supported by local churches and individuals.
Hamman ministers at the Carbondale Planned Parenthood or Choices abortion facility Tuesdays through Saturdays. Some days he is alone, others may join him in being present to pray and distribute Gospel tracts.
Hamman’s wife Brittney organizes baby showers for the moms in need. She regularly works with these moms for their ongoing needs to connect them with resources.
The Hammans will travel out of state to deliver resources to these women and even organize a baby shower in their location whether it is Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, or wherever needed. Finding churches or pregnancy help organizations in each location is the goal, to have resources available for women and families in need.
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Hamman first encountered Alex on the day following Charlie Kirk's assassination. He recalled being reticent about going out that morning.
“It seems like the days that you don’t want to go to the sidewalk are the days that God really gives you something,” he said.
“It’s not what we do,” Hamman said. “We’re out there as a tool for the Lord, serving the Lord and letting Him do what He’s gonna do.”
“This is one of those cases that God did it without us,” he said regarding Alex. “But the cool thing is He had us there to help her after the fact.”
“Alex came out of the parking lot, and they stopped,” he recalled, “and we said, ‘you keeping your baby?’ She said, yeah. We got talking and she said she’s having triplets.”
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The news of the triplets prompted Alex to decide against having an abortion that day. Hamman accompanied them to the nearby gas station and paid for them to fill their tank. Alex did not live locally at that time. Hamman let her know about Lewis so a connection could be made.
“We’ll stick with you,” Hamman told Alex. “And we have a friend in your area who would like to help you as well.”
The Hammans hope to organize a baby shower for Alex in the next few months. Other help has already been given through Lewis’ organization Beyond the Pews For Life.
Lewis’ organization recently joined with Memphis Coalition for Life with Lewis as the new executive director of the organization, which organizes the 40 Days for Life outreach in Memphis. Partners of the Memphis Coalition include various local pregnancy help organizations.
The goal of the Memphis Coalition for Life is to be present on the sidewalk outside the local Planned Parenthood during all hours of operation.
After Hammans connected Alex with Lewis, Lewis was able to secure an ultrasound appointment for her. That appointment was Lewis’s first meeting with the expectant mom, and they remain in contact as his organization continues to help meet her needs, which has included help with rent and groceries.
Lewis reaches out to local churches to encourage individuals to give even one hour a month with them on the sidewalk, to pray and eventually learn to engage in sidewalk advocacy.
The Memphis group distributes gift bags with personal items for the women along with brochures from their partner pregnancy help organizations.
“Some people thought that with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, especially in Tennessee, that it was a significant victory and they stopped giving, supporting and coming out,” Lewis said, adding he’s observed an increase in abortions since the Dobbs ruling.
“Our mission is to tell people; there’s no such thing as an abortion-free state as long as you have the abortion pill that they can order on the internet,” he said. “We still need your help, your advocacy, to help.”
Lewis got involved in sidewalk advocacy a decade ago. His focus is on bringing these women and men the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.
“Instead of cultural Christians, real Christians,” Lewis said. “Genuine, life-changing Christians. But also from a practical standpoint, it’s to get them to where they don’t need any help. It’s better for everybody like that.”
His passion to stay with these moms and help them work through the challenges that brought them to an abortion decision is evident. For this reason, he approaches sidewalk advocacy with the view of it as an entry point in the journey toward Christ.
Rescue of the unborn is not a singular moment but an ongoing effort of empowering women to choose life and know she has the support of people around her, Lewis said.
This is what led to the partnership between Lewis and Hamman. Both men encourage those who serve the Lord to similarly build such relationships to accomplish more together for the Kingdom.
“The real help comes from God through Jesus Christ,” Hamman said.
