2017—It is almost unimaginable. Equally unimaginable are the things God has done in and through our pregnancy center. If there is one thing I would wish for every pregnancy center in this nation, it would be to believe in the unimaginable.
Because our God? He loves to surprise us with things we would never expect or imagine.
Faith and vision are two of my gifts. I look expectantly to my Daddy, because He wants only the best for not only me but the organization I lead.
I look back, and I see so many miracles. I remember when I started here over 15 years ago, the annual budget was only $20,000.
There was no copier. No fax machine. No computer.
And all the donor files were on a volunteer’s home computer, where they’d been for many years. The board took a big step of faith when I told them I needed $1,250 per month to take the job—as the only employee.
I asked the board at my interview in 2001, “How many abortion-minded women are you seeing?” One of the board members responded, “There aren’t any women in Grants Pass having abortions.” Instead of turning around and leaving, I took a deep breath and took the job. I knew women were having abortions. I knew women and men in our community were hurting from past abortions. I also knew my Daddy would give me what I needed along the way.
I immediately saw myself in a little rowboat trying to turn the Titanic around. I was initially all by myself in that little boat, but over time, more people joined me in the boat, and the vision for the organization increased. As the boat got bigger, we began to turn that “Titanic” ship around. Step by step. New donor by new donor. New patient by new patient. New staff members, new volunteers, new board members.
We are now an accredited medical clinic (by AAAHC) operating with a full staff and an annual budget over $500,000. Our entire county has only 75,000 people, so this has been quite a feat. We have four areas where we fulfill our mission, with all areas thriving: 1) abstinence programs to encourage our students to choose abstinence (presenting to over 2,750 students each year); 2) medical services including pregnancy testing and ultrasound (over 400 annual patients); 3) education and support services for pregnant women throughout pregnancy and beyond (over 100 women and men each year); 4) care for women and men after abortion (over 160 women and men have gone through this program since 1999).
We designed, built, moved into, and then paid off completely a building during the worst economic time in recent years, in 2009-2010.
What are the primary reasons I see for our success?
I would say, first of all, I see healing of those hurting from abortion one of the most critical things we can do. Many of my most dedicated staff, board, and volunteers came directly from this program. We also require everyone working within the ministry to successfully complete our 14-week Bible study, which we call “Journey,” if there is an abortion in their past.
Second, we take our Conflict Resolution policy seriously. No backbiting. No secretive “hush” talk in the background. The first quality I seek in all candidates who are involved here is humility. I am painfully aware, from past experience, of how pride can seep into our ministry and wreak havoc. If any staff or board member seems to have a personal agenda, I prayerfully seek God’s assistance and address it immediately.
Third, the entire organization, from the board and to every program, continually keeps vision in front of us. Strategic Planning has become part of our internal vocabulary and is evident in our monthly board meetings. Each program is dreaming, planning, and looking to the future.
In 2017 we have plans to expand our in-classroom abstinence encouragement program into our neighboring county. We also are planning to offer a faith-based program to address infant loss and miscarriage for our community. I am anticipating what God will do in 2017, and I look expectantly to all He will provide.
Look to your Daddy expectantly. He has so much more for you personally and for your organization.
Robin Fuller
Consultant, Sparrow Solutions Group
You must be logged in to post a comment.