10-year-old and Pastor Arrested for Bringing Water to Terri Schiavo Appeal to Schindler Family

BURNET, Tex. – A glass of water landed Gabriel Keyes, 10, in jail last week when he went to Pinellas Park, Fla. and tried to bring water to Terri Schiavo.

Now Keyes and Pastor Steve Hopkins have returned home but they have issued an appeal to Schiavo’s family and to other concerned Christians.

Keyes, Hopkins, and others from their congregation traveled to Fla. last week to protest court-ordered removal of Schiavo’s feeding tube. They attempted to personally carry a glass of water to Schiavo and were arrested.

Young Keyes was not alone. His sister, Josie, 14, his brother, Cameron, 12, and his father, Chris Keys were all arrested for attempting to bring water to Schiavo.

Now they are appealing to the Schindler family to give water to Schiavo, and they want Christians in large numbers to show up and repeat their efforts to keep the woman alive.

"The hours are ticking away. Soon there will be no hope of recovery for Terri Schiavo. Unless she receives water in the short hours to come her body will shut down and she will die," said Hopkins.

Although there are been at least 38 men, women, and children who have been arrested for doing what Keyes attempted to do, Hopkins said that is not enough.

"It is good to hold signs in favor of life. It is good to protest this grand injustice in the streets. But Jesus does not command us to hold signs or to protest, He commands us to have mercy; to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty; to rescue the perishing," said Hopkins.

He said he hopes that the Schindlers will find a way to provide water to their dying daughter, and he has issued an appeal to every Christian family in the nation to help.

"We adjure every Christian family who names the name of Christ Go to Pinellas Park and offer a cup of cool water to a dying woman. If the people of God were to obey His commands from scripture, the jail cells of Florida could not hold them all," said Hopkins.

Hopkins said it is the role of government to protect it’s citizens, and particularly the weak and the infirm.

"The church and the home must not fail to offer protection when government fails to do so," he said.

He said the church and the Schindler family are the Schiavo’s last line of defense.

Photo:
A previously released photo shows 10-year-old Gabriel Keys being led away by police in handcuffs outside the hospice where he tried to bring a glass of water to Terri Schiavo.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050323/ids_photos_ts/r4209066064.jpg

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Contact:
Interviews by phone or at the Burnet Bible Church
Pastor Steve Hopkins
Burnet Bible Church
of: 512-756-0024
cel: 512-689-0981
pastorstevehopkins@juno.com

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