Conference Equips Pregnancy Centers and Churches
Care Net, a nonprofit ministry that supports one of the nation’s largest network of pregnancy centers, will kick off its 36th annual conference this morning at the Union Station Hotel. The conference is the nation’s largest yearly gathering of pregnancy center and church leaders.
The conference theme, “Planning for God’s Abundance,” is based on Jeremiah 31:14, which says, “‘I will refresh the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with bounty,’ declares the Lord.”
The theme was chosen to encourage and equip attendees in their work in accomplishing Care Net’s Pro Abundant Life vision — helping women and men facing pregnancy decisions choose life for their unborn children and abundant life for their families.
At a time when much of the emphasis in the abortion issue has been placed on the outcomes of various political battles at the state and local levels, Care Net and its partners have remained focused on providing the compassionate care that people need, regardless of what the laws about abortion say. Care Net’s unique approach to pro-life ministry emphasizes the central role the gospel of Jesus Christ plays in not just helping people choose life, but experiencing transformation that will allow them to form strong families, connect to local churches for long-term support, and, ultimately, break out of the cycles of behavior that lead to unplanned pregnancies.
“While pro-life advocates continue their important legislative and policy work, it is critical that those of us in Pro Abundant Life ministry are focused on the Kingdom work God has placed before us,” said Roland C. Warren, president and CEO of Care Net. “God has big plans for us and for our efforts to not only save the unborn from abortion, but to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and build strong families.”
The conference will draw over 1,300 pregnancy center, pro-life, church, and ministry leaders and will provide training and support to help attendees enhance their efforts to help women and men make life-affirming pregnancy decisions and to get the life support they need once they make their decisions.
According to Care Net’s “2019 Impact Report,” the organization, through its network of 1,100 affiliated pregnancy centers, has saved 748,784 lives in the last 11 years. Moreover, Care Net-affiliated pregnancy centers have provided more than 1.2 million no-cost ultrasound scans, more than 1.1 million clients have received parenting support and education, more than 1.7 million people have heard the Gospel, more than 1.7 million people received material resources, and more than 3 million no-cost pregnancy tests were given at the centers in those 11 years. These services, provided at no charge to pregnancy center clients, saved communities over $292 million between 2014 and 2018. This data is collected annually from Care Net’s affiliated pregnancy centers and Care Net’s Pregnancy Decision Line, the only national hotline providing immediate pregnancy decision coaching.
Moreover, Care Net has equipped hundreds of churches with its Making Life Disciples program and has launched a website, makinglifedisciples.com, that allows church leaders and lay volunteers to join the movement to bring Making Life Disciples to their own churches. To date, over 3,000 individuals have signed up.
This year’s conference keynote speakers will enhance the theme of planning for God’s abundance for the work of the Pro Abundant Life movement. They include Roland C. Warren, Bob Goff, Randy Newman, Jack Alexander, Angela Minter, and David Eaton.
The conference will also help leaders create more effective programming aimed at engaging men and fathers around their roles and responsibilities with parenting and marriage. Six years ago, less than half of Care Net-affiliated pregnancy centers provided fatherhood or men’s support. Today, that number has grown to nearly 2 of 3 centers.
Additionally, Care Net, through its long-standing partnership with Regent University, will award a full-ride tuition scholarship to Abi Zavala. Abi — a client of Caring Pregnancy Center, a Care Net affiliated-pregnancy center in Mason City, IA — will accept her award at the banquet dinner on Friday evening. A variety of other awards will be given to centers for diverse accomplishments in offering the highest level of compassionate care to their clients.
The conference begins today and concludes Friday evening with the dinner and awards banquet. A full schedule is listed on Care Net’s website.
Founded in 1975, Care Net supports one of the largest networks of pregnancy centers in North America and runs the nation’s only call center providing immediate, real-time pregnancy decision coaching. Learn more at care-net.org.
(SOURCE: Care Net via Christian Newswire)
