Local News - August 2003

Center helps in pregnancy crisis

Published August 11, 2003

All services are free

By CALEB HAWKINS, LTN Correspondent

The shock of unexpected pregnancy can turn families against each other and bring feelings of shame to the expectant mother.

Through Crisis Pregnancy centers, many women, from young to middle aged, have overcome the negative feelings and problems that accompany such a situation.

“A lot of people think that we’re pro-life or anti-abortion, but we’re much more than that,” said Lincolnton’s Crisis Pregnancy director Faye Keener. She just started in June.

“We’re here to listen,” she said. “We’re here to tell them their options.”

There are 52,000 Crisis Pregnancy centers across America. Their primary purpose is counseling. They expose the women that come to all the options: keeping the baby, adoption and even abortion.

“We don’t push anything,” said Keener.

If they decide to keep the baby, the center can offer medical assistance, furniture, diapers, maternity clothes and ultrasounds.

 “Lot’s of times, after seeing the ultrasound, they won’t want an abortion.”

“Basically, we’re here to speak the truth and (give) love to these girls,” said Shirley Friday, a retired school teacher, who volunteers at the center.

The process is also confidential. Although Keener said they urge girls to tell their parents, she also said “Confidentiality is number one.”

Another program offered by Crisis Pregnancy is Post Abortion Counseling and Education (P.A.C.E.). The primary goals of P.A.C.E. are reconciliation and restoration.

Sometimes after a woman has had an abortion, she will begin to have nightmares. Children in their care may bring on memories of the abortion.

P.A.C.E. helps women who have had abortions overcome the depression and shame that may occur, Keener said.

The office in Lincolnton also loans out videos on abortion, abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases to churches.

The Crisis Pregnancy Center in Lincolnton is a satellite of a larger one in Gastonia. Gastonia’s center was supporting the local office but has been reducing funding as it became more self-supporting.

All services offered by Crisis Pregnancy are free. “That’s why we depend on the local churches, businesses, individuals.”

Any donations to the center are welcome, but items like diapers, clothes, cribs, wipes and formula are also needed. Used clothes and furniture are also welcome.

One more way to help is to get baby bottles from the office in the fall and hand them out to people. Then people put their change in the jars and hand them in at the end of the fundraiser.

Crisis Pregnancy was founded by James Dobson and the institution he created, Focus on Family.

Recently, a young girl and her mother had come to the office in turmoil. The girl was pregnant and they didn’t want to tell anybody.

Keener and Friday sat down with the two and the family shared their feelings. The girl and her mother decided to keep the baby and their whole family and church came together to support them.

When the mother went to Colorado Springs, Colo., she visited Focus on Family’s headquarters and shared her experience. Focus on Family sent a thank you letter commending Friday and Keener.

Though they were pleased, they said that they were just doing their job. “We do this because we care,” said Keener.

“I felt school teaching was my career — this is my calling,” said Friday.

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Lincolnton’s Crisis Pregnancy Center is located at 113 Oak Street. They are open on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8:30 to 2:30. Contact them at 704-732-3384.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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