Can one resident of a town of 1,800 people reach thousands every day for a cause he loves? I discovered that the answer is yes while driving through Clarendon, Texas on Highway 287 in June of 2026. His name is Jimmie Griffin. He turned an idea for Christian evangelization into a lasting public witness.
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In 2012, Jimmie Griffin wanted to share his Christian faith in a big way following a near-death experience. Jimmie saw an opportunity with Highway 287 merging with Clarendon’s Main Street through the city. I call this travel arrangement “Mainstreet-Highway Fusion.” Ten to eleven thousand vehicles pass through Clarendon each day.
Jimmie built ten-foot-high white crosses with PVC pipe. He installed the crosses at no charge for Clarendon property owners, with priority on locations next to Highway 287.
Jimmie’s campaign was the talk of Clarendon. He eventually installed fifty crosses. Clarendon locals and Highway 287 travelers still see Jimmie’s legacy. His 2019 obituary described Jimmie as a man who “was never afraid to stand up for the Lord.”
Driving east from Clarendon on Highway 287 for 50 miles, I reached Childress, a town of 5,700. I was happy to see a pro-life billboard in downtown Childress. The “Choose Life” billboard has stood for over two years. This confirmed my conviction on the value of billboards in small cities. Mainstreet-Highway Fusion multiplies a town’s billboard audience far beyond county and state lines. My travel that day began in Colorado.
Thousands of American towns have an impact multiplier from a major highway. The pro-life movement should capitalize on this traffic flow with billboards and yard signs. Though these signs are common in our movement, the opportunities in small-town America are largely untapped.
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My nonprofit, Pro-Life Waco, launched a national initiative in 2024 named Pro-Life in the Public Square. One of PLPS’s core missions is promoting pro-life signage nationwide. We prioritize small cities.
Like Childress, Texas, a multitude of small cities can display billboards, with a turbocharged impact of Mainstreet-Highway Fusion. PLPS’s billboard support initiative is Billboards in Small-Town America. We provide our billboard graphics at no charge, strategic guidance, and technical assistance.
Our yard sign initiative is Pro-Life Yard Signs Across America. We distribute eight different yard signs with subsidized pricing. Signs are $4 each when purchased in lots of 10. A campaign featuring a billboard plus yard signs would be a fitting tribute to Jimmie Griffin.
The post-Dobbs era has exposed strengths and weaknesses of the pro-life movement. We have won significant victories, such as federal legislation defunding Planned Parenthood. We have also suffered major setbacks, such as losing 14 of 17 statewide ballots on abortion. Clear gains for the culture of life will require bold expansion of the pro-life playbook. If one man’s initiative in a town of 1,800 can reach thousands every day, imagine what thousands of small hometowns could accomplish.