Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award

On Tuesday, April 15^th we held our annual meeting, PCC Impact: The stories behind the numbers. At this event we not only revealed our 2013 Annual Report, but also presented the Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award.

Volunteers are the cornerstone of the Pregnancy Care Center ministry and vital to accomplishing our mission to compassionately engage, educate and inspire our communities with the truth regarding sexual integrity and the value of human life.  We have been blessed with countless volunteers whom give of themselves sacrificially on a regular basis.

Tracey Pike, Director of Abstinence Education,
presented the Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of
the Year Award to Brandy Ecker (on right). 

Sharon C. Leavitt served three terms on the board of PCC-SCI, worked as a volunteer in a program to mentor young mothers, served on the annual PCC Golf Challenge committee and was a great advocate for the ministry with everyone she came into contact. She was so deeply dedicated to this work that her passion for helping people through it seemed to grow stronger with every year she served. It is in Sharon’s honor and legacy of service that this award was created.

This year, Brandy Ecker was nominated for the Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award by Lisa Newton and our Abstinence Education team.

“Brandy lives out our mission by faithfully allowing the Holy Spirit to use both her strengths and ‘grace covered scars’ to bring healing to the broken places in students’ lives and hope for their future,” Newton said. “They overwhelmingly give positive and impactful statements on their feedback forms regarding her presentations.” 

Because of her heart to serve and dedication to our I Decide For Me program, Brandy was chosen as 2013 Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award Winner. Congratulations Brandy!

Sex Changes Things, Changes You - STIs

We can all agree that sex changes things. Parents, teachers and professionals spend a lot of time warning teens about pregnancy, a physical consequence of sex. However, one of the least discussed consequences of sex is sexually transmitted infections or diseases (STIs or STDs), among other emotional, social, mental and spiritual effects.

Many sexually active people don’t think they could be at risk for an STI, reasoning that their partner "looks clean" or they haven’t had that many sexual partners. However, the facts tell us otherwise. Take a look at some of the recent numbers published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

•  1 in 2 sexually active people will contract an STI by age 25
• 19 million new STIs occur in the U.S. each year; 50% of these are among people under age 25
• Less than half of adults ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested for an STI, other than Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Most STIs are curable, and all STIs are treatable. However, some STIs if left untreated can have lifelong effects such as infertility or organ damage. What is even more alarming is that many STIs do not present symptoms and therefore go undiagnosed.

The CDC notes that America’s young people bear much of the burden of these infections, including physical suffering, emotional pain, mental anguish, social embarrassment and spiritual shame.  Having sex is not a quick, simple decision; it could impact young people for the rest of their lives.

Addressing this social issue with awareness is only the first step in combatting this epidemic. Eliminating the risk is a vital, second step. We need to encourage the delay of sexual activity until a person enters into a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner, such as marriage. Need a plan? Keep sex within the boundaries of marriage. Even the U.S. government agrees as stated on the CDC’s website: “The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have sex.”

If you are sexually active, get tested. LifeCare Testing Clinic, located in Columbus, provides testing and treatment of STIs. Their mission is to compassionately engage and educate our community with the truth regarding sexual integrity. Call LifeCare Testing Clinic at 812-418-3230 or visit lifecaretestingclinic.com to schedule your appointment.

Everyone has a bright future ahead of you. Don’t let an STI ruin that.

#STDAwareness

The Source of Truth

by Cynthia Workman, Abstinence Education Administrative Assistant

While processing surveys recently gathered during one of our Abstinence Education Classes presented to 6^th graders, I was looking over students responses to the question, “List a person you can ALWAYS trust to give you the truth about sexual activity.”  A typical response to this question is a parent, sibling, trusted best friend or extended family member.  I was surprised to see an 11 year old young lady had responded to this query with the answer, “the internet”.

The internet has become a source of fast answers with a quick hit of the enter tab.  We can get trivia answered, dates recalled and the latest news and happenings from around the entire planet in less than a second.  It is not surprising that a young person would view the internet as a quick and ready resource to her questions.  What is sad is that she may view a response from a quick topical search related to sexual activity as “truth”.  I shudder to think what may even pop onto her screen in response to any query related to topics on sexuality.  It would be like jumping into a shark tank and hoping to find a friendly dolphin to swim with.  Chances are slim she will discover truth and that her purity of mind will come out unscathed.

What is truth and where can we find it?  God is truth.  There is no duplicity, no changing with the seasons or the times, no falsehood…only truth, unchanging, foundational truth.  He cannot lie.  He is truth in His person.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6.   Therefore, His Word is true. “Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth.” John 17:17.  It can be relied upon for factual, consistent truth that is unswayed by the current cultures pleasure-oriented, consumer-oriented, self-centered society. As followers of Almighty God, we should be relied upon to speak truth for Him.  So those of you with a young person in your life, a child, grandchild, sibling, neighbor, etc. speak the timeless, unchanging truth to those you have the opportunity to have in your life.  “Speak the truth in love.” Ephesians 4:15.  God’s truth is not changed by current social norms.

My hope would be that any young person with questions related to sexual purity and sexual activity would be able to find an honest, truthful, factual response from a trusted adult rather than an impersonal search engine on the world-wide web.  Believing parent and grandparent wade in unafraid to these topics, seeking truth and answers from the source of truth and relevant guidelines-our Unchanging God and His timeless Word! If you’d like help in parenting and answers to difficult questions young people may have, please call our office (866-510-5067) to see about when and where one of our My Best For You or Transformed presentations for parents and students is taking place near you. There is also the option to schedule one in your local church. 

My Best For You

My Best for You (MBFY) is just one of the abstinence programs that explores God’s plan for sexuality offered by the Pregnancy Care Centers of South Central Indiana. A Workshop for upper elementary students and their parents, the MBFY program reached more than 77 parents and 101 students from 11 different churches in the month of March alone. Below are just a few of the comments received after the program.

• “The programs were absolutely incredible. I heard nothing but great things from the parents that attended with their child as well as the students themselves. The program was well put together and presented in a way all the students could understand. It is a fine program and am looking forward to having you all here again in 2 years. Thank you so much for your love of Christ and his young children.” ---host Church Pastor
• “It was very informative and answered so many questions I had.”—female student
• “I thought it would be a little strange, but it turned out to be something fun….I loved the excitement and joy the presenters brought. I liked how they were clear on what they said.”—female student
• “It helped me understand lots of things I hadn’t earlier….I will know what to do and how to say things.”—female student
• “So Awesome—thank you for answering those tough questions so I know how to talk to my kids about his stuff….I really got it through discussion, examples, etc….So empowering.”—female adult
• “This was very wonderful to open the door and communication. I’ve been stressed and anxious and unsure how to start this topic. The scripture is wonderful and useful to keep everything centered around God. The presenters relieved the anxiety of the issue and made it feel normal to discuss rather than stressful and awkward.”—female adult

For more information about the My Best for You program or other abstinence programs offered by the Pregnancy Care Center visit our website at www.affirminglifeonline.org or contact Lisa Newton, Abstinence Education Director at lisan@pregcarecenter.org. You can also watch this short video about the MBFY program by clicking the following link http://vimeo.com/33748564.

Using Video to Catch an Audience

Pregnancy Care Center staff and volunteers have been presenting the Transformed and My Best For You programs for years. But recently, we created a video promotion for each program to continue catching an audience. Simply click the logo's above to watch the video's. For more information about these programs, please contact Lisa Newton, Abstinence Education Director at lisan@pregcarecenter.org.

Is a Sexual Integrity Program for 6th Graders REALLY Necessary?

Perhaps the answer to this question can best be found among the anonymous feedback forms collected from the 8^th grade Choose to Wait program last year:

• 13 year old, Bartholomew County Student: “She answered every question that I was thinking about.”
• 14 year old, Brown County Student: “I might have had sex before, but me and my b.f. talked and we want to wait…”
• Unidentified Jennings County Student: “I wish I would have had a chance to hear all this a long time ago.”
• Unidentified Jennings County Middle School student: “I am glad she said what she said before I would have messed up.”

Our culture and media has bombarded children with a great deal of sexual imagery and dysfunctional ideas about relationships and romantic expectations. For the past 18 years, the Pregnancy Care Center’s Choose to Wait (CTW) program has teamed with educators to expose the misinformation students believe, and reveal and empower the precious truth of their inherent value and worth when it comes to their sexuality.

The Pregnancy Care Center recently designed a CTW program for 6^th graders. Some question whether it is necessary to talk with this age-group about such topics. CTW 6^th grade is a preventative program with a goal of reaching adolescents prior to them engaging in relationships so they have a foundation of truth to build upon. It is essential that young students receive engaging, factual information to address the issue of living a life of sexual integrity and are given permission to buck the social trends and value them-selves. The CTW 6^th grade program gives students factual, age-appropriate information and tools to identify trusted adults in their lives that can assist them in maneuvering through a time filled with innocent confusion and many questions.

We are proud to be a positive voice offering factual information and preventative tools for young students to address their health in not only a physical perspective; but a mental, emotional, social and ethical perspective as well.

It isn’t just necessary, it is healthy, good and right to take back territory on a topic the world has exploited for far too long! We owe it to our children to guide them through puberty with truth, dignity, respect, and encouragement that there is beauty and excitement on the other side of this unique time in their lives.

Tracey Pike, Choose to Wait Educator

Making Wise Media Choices in a World of Teenage Dreams

While at the National Youth Worker’s Convention in Nashville, Tennessee recently, I attended a session by Walt Muller from the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding (CPYU) on teaching students to integrate their faith into their media lives by processing media from a Christian perspective.

Walt talked about what our role as parents and educators should look like in helping with that process:

When our kids are young, we think for them.
As they grow older, we think with them.
When they are older, they will think for themselves.

Unfortunately for a lot of us, we never move past step one. When it comes to media choices, we want to yell at our kids for what they’re watching or listening to and tell them to turn it off when the message is less than positive. This does not prepare kids to learn to think for themselves.

In the session, we were able to practice thinking through a media choice with a teen. We watched the music video for the Billboard Chart topping song “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry. For those of you who haven’t heard the song it starts, “You think I'm pretty without any make-up on, you think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong, I know you get me, so I'll let my walls come down.”

Is there anything wrong with the feelings portrayed with these lyrics? I don’t think so. She’s sharing that her significant other likes her for her. That’s a good thing. It’s the expression of these feelings where things go wrong in the lyrics. “Let's go all the way tonight, no regrets, just love” and “We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach. Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets. I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece. I'm complete.”

What an opportunity this song provides to talk about what healthy relationships look like compared to what happens when we live out relationships like they’re portrayed in this song.

CYPU has put out a great resource entitled “How to Use your Head to Guard your Heart: A 3(D) Guide to Making Responsible Media Choices.” In it, Walt suggests a three step process of Discover, Discern and Decide when evaluating your media choices.

Here are just a few of the questions he encourages us to work through during the Discover phase:

• How is the media piece intended to make listeners/viewers feel? How does it make me feel? Does it manipulate listener emotions in any way?
• Does the piece make any overt or covert suggestions on how to think, talk, act, or live?
• Where are human value and worth found?
• What is the source of happiness and satisfaction in life?
• What does it say about sexuality?
• What does it say about the nature of love? What does it say about how to express that love?

In the Discern phase, examine what Scripture has to say in light of what the media piece is presenting.

Finally, Decide the following:

• Should I watch/listen?
• Will I watch/listen?
• Should I support this artist and media message with my money and attention?
• Will I support this artist and media message with my money and attention?
• How does this help me see and understand the worldview and needs of my culture and my friends?
• How would Jesus share His story and message with people who think and live this worldview?
• What biblical examples of Jesus and God’s people can shape my response to these needs?

Don’t pass on the opportunity to have open, honest discussion with the kids in your life when it comes to the media. Help them to think things through rather than just telling them what to think. Then you can trust they will be able to make God-honoring choices when you’re not looking.

Teresa Russell
Director of Development

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