Women in crisis in Alabama are learning of God’s love and compassion through more resources than ever, thanks to an affiliation between the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and Care Net pregnancy centers.
The arrangement, begun in September 2005 and nearing the end of its two-year duration, involves a sharing of ideas and resources between the two organizations.
Care Net was founded in 1975 to encourage practical and compassionate solutions to reduce abortions in the United States and Canada. It is the largest pregnancy center affiliation organization in North America with a network of 1,050 Christian pregnancy centers, according to Kristin Hansen, Care Net vice president of communications and center innovations.
The approximately 200 NAMB-affiliated pregnancy care centers in the United States — including those in Athens, Birmingham, Dothan, Eufaula, Gadsden, Huntsville, Ozark and Wetumpka — have become affiliates of Care Net with a waived affiliation fee for two years.
“We feel as though the arrangement has benefitted the centers over this two-year period. It is up to them now to decide on an individual basis if they want to continue the affiliation,” said Elaine Ham, pregnancy care ministry associate at NAMB.
As a Care Net affiliate, Choose Life of North Alabama Inc. (the Huntsville NAMB affiliate) has taken advantage of membership benefits such as the Option Line, which provides referrals 24 hours a day through the Internet and a toll-free number; yearly conferences; and pamphlets and brochures at a reduced cost.
In return, NAMB has helped train Care Net affiliates on effectively sharing the gospel, provided educational material such as tracts and DVDs and led workshops for Care Net pregnancy center leaders.
“The pregnancy center movement has enjoyed a greater sense of Christian unity in recent years,” Hansen said. “The sharing of resources between NAMB and Care Net is reflective of that unity and Care Net’s desire to have a greater impact by working together with like-minded Christian organizations.”
Ham seconded the need for that impact.
“The issue of abortion needs to be addressed by all Southern Baptists in order to provide women in crisis pregnancies a place to go where they will hear the truth of God’s Word, receive assistance with the resources they need to carry their babies to term and receive healing and forgiveness for past abortions,” she said.
Ham said some Christians are unaware of the extent to which abortion affects the church.
“One out of three pregnancies ends in abortion, and there is no difference in that number whether (the women are) churched or unchurched,” she said.
Ham said NAMB’s goal is to reach pastors with the need for educating and equipping church members so they understand how to help prevent abortions by volunteering in pregnancy care centers, giving financially to them and serving as church liaisons to the centers.
She said the training provided by NAMB equips volunteers to share God’s Word with women struggling with unplanned pregnancies.
Barbara Glenn, resource development director of Choose Life of North Alabama, said the center never misses a chance to witness to mothers who may not know God.
“Basically we share the gospel with every client that comes in,” said Glenn, a member of Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville, in Madison Baptist Association.
According to her, the Huntsville center was No. 3 among Care Net affiliates last year in commitments for Christ with 291, following a Corpus Christi, Texas, center with 443 and a Pittsburgh center with 326.
Pointing to the difference Baptists make, Glenn said the majority of the Huntsville center’s volunteers are from area Baptist churches.
For more information about the NAMB-affiliated pregnancy care center nearest you, visit http://sub.namb.net/evangelism/mev/pregnancy_care_centers.asp and click on the state of Alabama on the map.
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