Displaying items by tag: church engagement

by Amy Ford, Co-Founder and President of Embrace Grace

“Most of my clients would never walk into a church.” 

I’ve heard this phrase at times from staff at pregnancy help organizations (PHOs), and for some of their clients, it's true.

Unfortunately, the church has been a place that many unmarried, pregnant moms want to run away from instead of run towards. Whether it’s because of their own church hurt or because of the reputation of the church at large, they have formulated the opinion that the church isn’t a safe place for someone unexpectedly expecting.

The perspective of many of our moms is that the church is known to be a place focused on behavior modification instead of what many are actually focused on which is heart transformation. 

Yet, if we can find creative ways to help pregnant moms be brave and overcome their fear of walking into the doors of the church, the outcome could have a generational impact, lives changed because of Jesus, and them finding a place of belonging.

When Our Clients Visit Church

It’s amazing to see the heart change regarding their perspective of the church when moms find the courage to actually show up. When they are met with authentic and real church leaders who bravely share their own stories of how God met them where they were and turned their messes into miracles, their walls start coming down and they feel safe sharing their own stories. They realize that the church isn’t a place full of perfect people but a place where imperfect people come together to encourage and support one another while pursuing the heart of God.

I tell so many moms that I invite, “Just try it one time. What do you have to lose? If you don’t like it, there is an open door available to you to leave at any time.” And I love hearing the creative ways in which centers are inspiring new moms to show up to church.

Invitation Ideas to Help Her Feel More Comfortable

I spoke to a PHO director recently who is closely partnered with a large church a few miles from their center. She tried referring their clients to the church for the Embrace Grace group but the moms were not showing up. She looked into it, asking them why they didn’t attend, and many said, “It’s such a big building. I don’t know where to go.” Even though they had signage out with clear directions, the size of the building kept them away. The PHO director came up with the solution to have the first four group sessions at their center. The church leader was still the leader of the group but began their semester at the center, instead of a big, church building. Then, once trust was built, they moved it to the church. During one of their group sessions, they took a field trip together to the church where they could walk in the doors together and show them where the classroom would be; and the moms kept showing up each week and started going to weekend services!

I’ve heard another center director say that she personally invites them to the local Embrace Grace group at their church and tells them she will meet them there. She attends the first 1 or 2 sessions to help the moms feel more brave in coming. Because of the trust that has been built and developed at the center with their clients, they are more comfortable going to Embrace Grace because they love the center worker! 

Some directors even invite the Embrace Grace leaders or pastors to swing by one of their parenting classes to personally invite the moms to their church. Sometimes seeing a face makes a big difference in helping a mom feel more confident in showing up. 

Don’t give up on inviting moms to become a part of a church family! We were never created to live life alone. Getting young moms plugged into spiritual families will help them find new friends and fellowship. We need each other! Get creative in the ask and watch what God does!

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NEW! Join us on June 12th for our first quarterly webinar to hear new ideas and receive ongoing support to partner with the churches in your community! For those just getting started or those looking to bolster their existing groups, this is for you. Join the Embrace Grace and Heartbeat teams, along with experts from the field to be inspired and equipped. Click here to register for FREE.

We are proud to announce a new partnership with Embrace Grace!

Heartbeat International emphasizes the importance of supportive communities for individuals facing unexpected pregnancies, advocating for collaboration between pregnancy help organizations and churches to offer practical assistance and lifelong support. Partnering with Embrace Grace, we aim to engage churches in supporting pregnant women, echoing Pastor Tony Evans' analogy of pregnancy centers as first responders and churches as hospitals. Through this partnership, we will empower you to effectively connect clients with churches and churches with your pregnancy help organization for new tools, resources, and ongoing support. Join us in rewriting the narrative surrounding unplanned pregnancies by providing women holistic care that addresses immediate and lifelong needs, and promotes faith and spiritual growth that will impact generations through the church and into eternity through God's promise. We are so excited to see what God will do to stir the hearts of the churches in your community—to really link arms with your organization and serve single and pregnant moms and their families.

About Embrace Grace

"Embrace Grace exists to help inspire and equip the church to love and encourage single and pregnant young women and their families. Women experiencing unexpected pregnancies receive practical, spiritual, and emotional support through our global support groups." Click here to learn more about Embrace Grace.

Together, we can build a bridge between churches and pregnancy help worldwide.

 

 

 

Inspiring Your Clients to Walk into a Church - Article

Connecting with Churches Year-Round - Podcast

Engaging Pastors as Partners- Podcast

Fostering Year-Round Engagement - Article

Speaking at Churches in a Post-Roe World- Webinar Recording

Heartbeat/Embrace Grace Collaboration - Conference Recording

Sources

1. https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states

2. https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Care-Net-Final-Presentation-Report-Revised.pdf

by Tracie Shellhouse, Vice President of Ministry Services

Sanctity of Human Life (SOHL) Month, marks a pivotal time for your pregnancy help organization (PHO) to engage your local churches and community. While this month serves as a poignant reminder of the intrinsic value of all human life, it also presents a unique opportunity to increase community awareness, develop new relationships, and strengthen established partnerships through ongoing support and advocacy.

Strategies to facilitate year-round engagement:

Relationship Building:

Use this month as a platform to initiate and fortify relationships. Offer to speak about the sanctity of human life and the power of pregnancy help in January and throughout the year. Engage local church leaders, congregations, and community groups through church services, events, and forums discussing the sanctity of human life. Be ready to meet new people—potential volunteers, donors, and even clients—and build rapport, exchange ideas, and showcase the life-transforming work of your organization. Consider creating a short, up-to-date video about the mission and impact of your PHO and offer it to churches that can’t accommodate a speaker but are willing to include it in their services.

Education and Resources:

During Sanctity of Human Life (SOHL) Month, in January, presentations make it clear that honoring and protecting life is a year-round ministry. Share your plans and hopes for the year ahead. Mention your upcoming events and share the types of educational opportunities your PHO can provide for interested groups: pro-life apologetics seminars, topical workshops (adoption, trauma-informed care, sex trafficking intervention), abortion-recovery support, and sexual integrity presentations. Encourage continuous education through your training and workshop events, point them to your online presence for more resources, and offer them practical tools they can use throughout the year.

Collaborative Initiatives:

Partner with local churches to empower them to support pregnancy help through your center by...

• facilitating support groups like Embrace Grace
• encouraging Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs to do community-wide diaper drives
• supporting mentorship programs for dads and moms at Boys and Girls Clubs and through Head Start programs
• providing services at health fairs alongside your local health department
• exhibit at church mission conferences

This collaborative approach fosters shared responsibility, increases awareness in your community, and invites others to join you in supporting expectant mothers and families. When scheduled throughout the year, these events will keep your PHO engaged with your community, provide ample opportunities for local media coverage, and your collaborating organizations will even help promote your brand and services.

Consistent Communication:

Regularly update churches and community partners about events, success stories, and upcoming opportunities through annual reports, newsletters, social media, and personal interactions. Attend partnered organizations' events to show that you support them, too. You can drop by a business’s open house, attend the Exchange Club’s auction, or volunteer at the Chamber of Commerce’s back-to-school bash. Connect in ways that let people know you “see” them. Acknowledging faithful donors can be as easy as penning, “God is touching and saving lives through your support!" at the bottom of their donation receipt. A phone call, a praise report via text message, or a short email can be touching and inspiring. And, lastly, don’t overlook the impact of sending an occasional handwritten thank you note or timely card (holidays, birthdays, life events). Keep it simple. Share a milestone achieved or miraculous “save” made possible through their support. Today, people rarely receive “happy mail,” and when we do it feels special.

You may already be doing some or all of the strategies presented above. If you are just getting started or trying to decide where to begin, I encourage you to lean into the process—it will be worth it.

1. First, choose one or two new strategies to implement. Take time to evaluate and adjust them to fit your ministry’s needs. These efforts will produce a harvest that will likely surprise you! As you gain momentum, you can choose other strategies to implement.

2. Second, don’t be a lone ranger. Build a team of board members, volunteers, and paid personnel to help with donor and community engagement. Share donor and partner touchpoint opportunities (phone calls, texts, emails, and thank you notes) with your team members who enjoy making connections and building relationships. Just three of you making one connection each day of the workweek could produce 60 meaningful donor connections a month. Imagine the possibilities! Train seasoned staff and board members to represent your PHO at speaking engagements, events, and exhibits. With a bench of trained representatives to call on, your ministry can be simultaneously present at multiple events and you can accept more speaking engagements than ever before. And as your PHO's opportunities and impact increase, you may be surprised to find that your workload may not. John Heywood wrote, “Many hands make light work,” almost 500 years ago. This proverb still rings true today.

By leveraging the momentum and awareness generated during Sanctity of Human Life Month, you can increase your network of dedicated supporters and advocates who—united for life—will create lasting change and affirm the sanctity of life every single day of the year.