The Pregnancy Care Center has the best supporters! They never fail to step up and provide for a need; whatever it may be. I wish we could adequately express the work that is accomplished to advance the kingdom through our faithful ministry partners because I know they sometimes wonder if their contributions make that big of a difference. While dropping off a package of diapers or collecting pocket change for a few weeks and throwing it into a baby bottle may seem insignificant to the person doing it, these acts of loving kindness are having a LIFE CHANGING impact on our clients. Let me share one such instance that I personally was able to experience a couple of years ago.
My mother-in-law, Cheryl, works as a developmental therapist. One day, the mother of a client shared that she had received a free can of formula in the mail, but had no need for it. She was going to throw it away, but remembered how Cheryl’s daughter-in-law worked at the Pregnancy Care Center and wondered if PCC could use it. Cheryl thanked her and promised to pass it along to me.
Cheryl gave it to me one weekend when we were visiting and I tossed it in the back of my car. It literally stayed there for weeks! I only noticed it when I was getting into the car; by the time I got to work, I forgot about it. Then when I was leaving at the end of the day I would see it once again as I got in the car, but never had time to take it into the building since I had other places to get to.
One day I was leaving on my lunch hour. I saw the can as I was getting into the car and thought I’d take it in once I got back. I started the car and began to pull out when I changed my mind and decided I’d better take it in right then before I forgot for another several weeks.
So I took it into the center and as I came back out a girl was walking away from the door (the Center was closed at the time). I asked if I could help her and she said she had missed her ultrasound appointment the previous day and wondered if she could reschedule. I invited her inside and asked her to wait just a moment. After talking with Linda Long, our nurse manager, I learned this girl had indicated she was abortion-minded at her previous appointment. I returned to the waiting room with Linda and we invited her to have an ultrasound right then. She agreed and saw her precious baby on the ultrasound screen. Her eyes were opened to the reality of life within her. When she left that day, she shared she had changed her mind and was choosing life for her child.
All because of a can of formula! Well, maybe not all because of a can of formula, but it sure was an integral piece of the puzzle!
We so often think we have little to offer, but God will take our offering, no matter how big or small it is in our eyes, and combine it with His awesome power and perfect timing to work miracles for His glory and fame.
You can be a part of this! Right now several of our centers are facing a shortage of material items that we distribute at no cost to our clients such as diapers, wipes, baby wash and shampoo, formula, bottles and various other layette items. Contact the Center nearest you to find out the specific needs in your county. You’ll never know the full scope of difference your gift will make in the life of someone in need!
Teresa Russell, Director of Marketing
By: Melinda Delahoyde
Two days after President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, the nation commemorated the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. As expected, the new President, seeking not to be too divisive too soon, spoke in moderated tones and employed rhetoric about “reducing” or “reducing the need for” abortion.So, taking President Obama at his word that he truly wants to see this devastating procedure chosen less frequently, what policies and ideas should he promote to accomplish that goal?
As you can imagine, there are a host of voices on this topic. Abortion rights advocates generally want more funding for contraception and sex education. Pro-life activist groups call for funding abstinence education, promoting adoption, and protecting legislative restrictions, such as informed consent and waiting periods. Other groups want more support for anti-poverty programs.
These voices will debate over which policy is best, but there is another voice not being heard – mainly because those championing it are too busy actually reducing abortion! In 2008, news headlines pointed to a 25% decrease in abortions from 1.6 million in 1990 to 1.2 million in 2005. Commentators asked why this might be happening, and some pointed to the growth and effectiveness of the nation’s more than 2,300 pregnancy centers. With statistics showing fewer pregnancies ending in abortion than in years past, TIME magazine said, “That would seem to be evidence that the quiet campaign for women’s hearts and minds, conducted in thousands of crisis pregnancy centers around the country, on billboards, phone banks and websites, is having an effect.”So, if you missed TIME’s cover story in 2006, pregnancy centers are known as the “compassion wing of the pro-life movement,” and they work. After receiving the help of a pregnancy center, nine out of ten women served are empowered to carry their pregnancy to term, according to statistics gathered by Care Net, a network of 1,160 centers. The secret of their success is the compassionate, nonjudgmental support of volunteers who serve as mentors to women facing unplanned pregnancies – walking with them every step of the way. 30,000 such volunteers serve in Care Net pregnancy centers alone. Like the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity, pregnancy centers embody the great American tradition of volunteerism and care for the weak and forgotten ones in our society.Their effectiveness also stems from the fact that they are deeply rooted in the local community and well-connected in partnerships with a host of agencies caring for women and children. By working together to provide education, emotional support, and practical help to pregnant women in crisis, pregnancy centers and their community partners help moms welcome their children into a more stable and healthy environment. This in turn has a positive impact on extended families and the entire community.
Another feather in the proverbial pregnancy center “cap” is their financial independence. In order to keep the lights on as well as offer a wide variety of free services – from parenting classes and baby cribs to ultrasounds and STD testing, pregnancy centers rely almost entirely on private donations from local individuals who simply want to do something to help a neighbor in need (rather than expect Uncle Sam to do it).
So, with this notable background in mind, Care Net and our national network of pregnancy centers are after one thing from the new administration and Congress (and it’s not funding).
We’re simply asking for this, that those leading the “abortion reduction” discussion merely acknowledge the contribution of pregnancy centers in helping to achieve this goal and promote a national environment that allows us to do what we do best – help women in need in our local communities. Respecting the work of pregnancy centers may be “out-of-the box” thinking for an Obama administration, though it would be consistent with the bridge-building promises he made during his campaign. Though obliged to the abortion advocates who helped elect him, the new President should simply listen to the stories of women who were helped by a local pregnancy center and decided against abortion. Instead of rushing to judgment about who we are, let the women speak! By better understanding the work that we do, the President and those engaged in the abortion-reduction discussion will recognize, like TIME magazine, that our community based, volunteer-led work “is having an effect.”Melinda Delahoyde is president of Care Net, a national network of 1,160 pregnancy centers across North America.Reprinted with permission by Care Net: www.care-net.org
The Pregnancy Care Center of Decatur County and First Christian Church of Greensburg has partnered together to provide clothing to children in the community in need, at no cost.
God’s Little Lambs Clothing Ministry is open from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church. Located at 425 North Broadway in Greensburg, they provide clothing including onesies, tees, socks, shoes and coats for children sizes 18 months to 5T.
“This partnership has been such a blessing to the Pregnancy Care Center and our clients. We had been providing size newborn to 2T clothing to our clients, but lacked space to store it. In addition, clients were in need of even larger sizes than we could offer. Now we can serve those in need of clothing up to 12 months here at the center and refer those needing larger sizes to the church,” says Darla Goodman, Pregnancy Care Center Director.
“First Christian Church of Greensburg is pleased to be partnered with Pregnancy Care Center of Decatur County,” says Gary Buell, an elder at the church. “This clothing ministry is just one small way of helping to meet a need in our community. Psalm 127 tells us ‘children are a gift from the Lord’. Our desire is to help those in need, and serve Him, through this ministry.” For more information about God’s Little Lambs Clothing Ministry, contact the church at 812-663-8488.Teresa Russell, Director of Marketing
I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of parents recently. As a member of the Leadership Bartholomew County Class of ’09, I recently attended a class session focused on Education. We talked about public schools and what we as Americans want from our schools and the challenges the schools face in trying to meet those expectations.
We often tend to want the education system to teach our children everything they’ll need to know to be successful in life; however schools only account for 20 percent of a student’s achievement while their background accounts for 80 percent. I wonder how many parents fully grasp how important and vital their role is in the success of their children’s education.
Often at the Pregnancy Care Center you’ll hear Lisa Newton and Tracey Pike who oversee our abstinence programs say, “When you know better, you do better.” So often what seems like common sense and human nature to most isn’t even on the radar of others as being a standard truth. I honestly believe in the majority of situations, it’s not out of laziness or because of an “I-don’t-care-attitude” that parents aren’t involved in their child’s life. It’s because they have never been TAUGHT how to be parents. This leaves them repeating the cycle of what was modeled in their own home which more often than not wasn’t a healthy, stable, encouraging environment.
Praise God the Pregnancy Care Center is in our communities reaching men and women with education so they (and their children) can have a fresh start equipped with the tools and education necessary to have a successful life. We are teaching parents to “know better” so they can “do better”. Every day at our centers, we’re teaching men and women about a variety of subjects such as:
· The importance of not smoking during pregnancy
· The importance of going to the doctor and getting prenatal care
· How to effectively discipline your child
· How to make a budget and the importance of doing so
· How to manage anger issues in a healthy way
· How to care for your newborn infant
Thank you for the part you play in helping us get this education to those who need it most. We are so thankful for you, our prayer, volunteer and financial supporters. You make this work possible and are equipping our clients to know the significance of their role in parenting.Teresa Russell, Director of Marketing
For her book, Sex and the Soul, author Donna Freitas surveyed and interviewed students at seven different American colleges and universities representing Catholic, Evangelical, nonreligious private and public institutions. She provides a tremendous body of statistical information about the sexual activities of American college students—statistics which include information about religious identification and religious practice. One finding that is particularly unsettling and surprising is the number of students who see little connection between sex and religion:
“Both Catholic and mainline Protestant students tended to perk up when our discussions turned to what their religious…traditions teach about sex, love and romance, though not in the way one might imagine. In interview after interview, students laughed out loud when asked what their faith tradition might have to say about these matters…at the idea that their faith had anything to say about sex…They laughed because they see religious views about sexuality (at least what they know of them, which is typically not very much) as outdated and irrelevant. And they laughed because they were confused about the prospect of their faith having anything useful to say about these things.”
The Pregnancy Care Center is committed to being proactive in helping both students and parents understand God has much to say about sex, love and romance. His plans, as revealed in Scripture, are far from being useless, outdated or irrelevant. On the contrary, God’s design for sexuality is always in our best interest. Our prayer is that we can assist families in seeing God’s truths as foundational to making healthy decisions regarding their sexuality. In the words of the psalmist, we ask God to, “Open our eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law…You made us; you created us. Now give us the sense to follow your commands….Your decrees are perfect; they are entirely worthy of our trust.” (Psalm 119:18, 73,138 New Living Translation)
At every stage, parents have the responsibility and privilege to challenge, encourage and equip their children to become the people God designed them to be. Much of this equipping involves communicating truth about sexuality so the presuppositions and mistruths of society do not mold their understanding; making sure what they know as they grow are facts based on truth. By their openness and willingness to dialogue, parents can establish themselves as the loving authority—the partner in truth.
Having effective, age-appropriate conversations about sex in loving and spiritually mature ways provides the foundation for students to make wise decisions—even when they are on their own. In fact, recent surveys of college students show that parents can influence their decisions about sex even more than their friends do. (Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children by Dr. Joe McIlhaney and Dr. Freda McKissic Bush). Teaching children about healthy sexuality is a continuing process—no matter at what age the dialogue is started. It is never too late to move closer to God’s best. The important thing is that parents seek to know and live out God’s design for themselves, and teach His design to their children.
“Love God with everything you are. Not with just by what you say, but love him desperately with every fiber of your being. God has given us commandments that we are to take so seriously that they become our character. Teach your children the importance of this Godly character. Talk about Godly character when you are just hanging out at home, when you watch T.V., even when you are in the car, up until the time you go to bed and starting again when the alarm goes off in the morning.” Deuteronomy 6: 5-7, Message Paraphrase.Lisa Newton, Director of Christian Education
My mother-in-law, Cheryl, works as a developmental therapist. One day, the mother of a client shared that she had received a free can of formula in the mail, but had no need for it. She was going to throw it away, but remembered how Cheryl’s daughter-in-law worked at the Pregnancy Care Center and wondered if PCC could use it. Cheryl thanked her and promised to pass it along to me.
