JESUS Cares for Care Net

By Nanette Maldonado
     Community Liaison

Jesus cares for Care Net.  We care at Care Net and we don’t stop caring at Care Net. When I think about a burning fire, I think about us at Care Net.  I think about the staff and the volunteers that serve and the fire we all need inside of us to do what we need to do.  Why is this necessary?

It’s necessary because…

 

There are HARD days and we can’t quit because of them, we need to overcome them.

Prayer covers us on those hard days.  It fuels the fire in our hearts to overcome them.  If you didn’t know this, you know now, we gather every morning to pray together.  In fact, we pray frequently, and we don’t stop when we lock the door at the end of our day.  We keep praying.  The faces we see and the hearts we hear from are not forgotten.  We move from heart to heart, and we hurt when our clients hurt, and we rejoice when we see our clients rejoice when God moves in such a unique way, in unique situations.  Crisis turned into triumphs.  Trust me, there are days when our joy is zapped, when our hope is losing its grip on our ANCHOR and that’s when we run to sit with the ONE who gives REST and PEACE.

We won’t quit, because He won’t relent.  Quitting is not in the DNA of Care Net and who we are.  I mention again, prayer fuels our fire.  Prayer is the very thing that keeps us seated in passion during the victories, through the defeats, with the lost, and in gain.  We do have both, you know.

   

You see, those are the times when the response of our prayers unfold and we have to trust God with the results we see.  Especially the times we did all we could.  Times when we hoped the situation would change but didn’t, or the end result wasn’t exactly what we wanted it to be.  But GOD. 

There are times when we feel we missed the mark, or didn’t say what we needed to say, or what we said was not enough...once again, what do we do…we pray.  We care at Care Net.  You see, we don’t work alone.  We work with someone else…JESUS.  He is the BOSS.

He invites us.  In everything we do, we invite Him.  From the music we play in our waiting area, to the receptionist we have answering calls, to the counselors we have speak with our clients….it is all orchestrated by God.

God brings the clients to our doors.  He is there when a mother who thinks her daughter may be pregnant Googles and finds Care Net.  He knows.  What about the young couple that waits for the results of a pregnancy test, and finds out they are pregnant, when they themselves are barely on a first name basis.  He knows.  What do we do?  We PRAY, we LOVE, we LISTEN and we share information that calls for wisdom.  God knows and He leads.  He is faithful, even if the mother takes her daughter to get an abortion after meeting with us, and when the young couple decides to give their child up for adoption.  He knows.

   

I end with this in mind, we can’t do what we each do here at Care Net without HIM.  We see a lot and we hear a lot.  We get bogged down and we have days when we are on cloud nine!  We do it all for HIM and we serve the unlikely, the unlovable, and the unreachable.  Prayer sustains us and that is what fuels us to continue the good fight.

  “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.  (Please continue to read passage, John 15:5-8)

Stay connected to HIM: Prayer, Trust, Faith and Love fuels our fire, what about yours?  

STEP IT OUT!!

By Willow Sanders
     Director of Student Services

I can't pinpoint why this story (click to read) hits home so hard but I'm definitely on the verge of tears.

Maybe it's because I can imagine full well the pain & courage it took for her to 'come out' about her pregnancy afraid of the way she'd be received. Maybe it's because there are days I sit on the receiving end of that conversation with sweet, Christian kids who are afraid of how they'll be received. Or maybe, more organically, it’s because I can’t believe so many years after the sexual revolution we’re here, so often, as a church, horribly dealing with this issue.

Yet, if I sit for a moment, I KNOW it is because I was received so well when it was me.

We can all point to moments in our Christian walk when we missed the mark in our response to sin. Some grander than others. Could be the smaller moments seemed more inconsequential than the larger missteps, but make no mistake, they all led to something.

Honestly, I can always remember the moment like it was yesterday. I don’t know why that is but it just is, and what I remember about the moment isn’t the shame I felt in knowing I had a front row seat to the decisions I’d made, which I’m confident was flowing like a river. It wasn’t the position I now saw myself in that days before was just a dream. What is seared into my memory is the way I was received by those who had for days, weeks, months, years been trying to lead and guide me in ways that would produce good fruit in my life. It was total Grace.

As a ministry and a large society, we have the chance to offer that same grace when we see those who face any type of misstep in their own life. It’s crazy to me how so often we see culture pushing our young people to become sexually active, then leaving them by the wayside when the consequences come. We, as the church, are not supposed to be like the world. Our response needs to be one of well thought out love and compassion!

It got me thinking that especially in this area of out of wedlock pregnancy we have three key things we can do:

STEP UP

We are all able to do something when it comes to this issue. Could you be called to volunteer for a ministry that reaches out to this often-maligned part of culture? Could you spend some time in prayer on this issue? Could you be a voice out in your community or social media arena to share your story? Maybe you can STEP UP, speak into, and call out the strong in our young men who might easily just fade away in this whole scenario.

STEP OUT

This area can be so controversial in our faith-based community. We feel uncomfortable speaking out in favor of something that was the result of someone’s willful sinful behavior. May I remind you that this “something” is a BABY created in the image of God. It is our obligation as image bearers ourselves to speak life whenever and wherever we can. So STEP OUT of your comfort zone and ask God how you should respond when faced with this situation. 

And lastly, STEP A-SIDE…

Nope, not what you think. What if you stepped a side one of these young people going through this and let them know that they can do this! That God is for them, and with Him ALL things are possible even in the darkest of circumstances. Give them the courage to face one of the hardest, most rewarding journeys of their life with Hope instead of fear.

All this leads me to encourage you to seek out a pregnancy center in your area, ask your local church if they have ever heard of Embrace Grace, research both, and then listen to how God tells you to take that next STEP.

It begins on May 16 at midnight and goes to midnight on May 17! 

Thank you for providing a confidential place for families in crisis!  For the past 27 years women and their partners facing an unplanned pregnancy have come to Care Net Pregnancy Services of the Treasure Coast for safe and confidential assistance free of charge.  Because of the medical services, community connections and material supplies offered to them in our centers we are better equipped than ever to increase their life-affirming options.

On May 16, 2017 at midnight to May 17th, at midnight, Crisis Pregnancy Center of the Treasure Coast Inc. (DBA Care Net Pregnancy Services of the Treasure Coast) is participating in the Great Give Palm Beach & Martin Counties, a 24-hour online giving event led by the United Way of Palm Beach County, Achieve, Nonprofits First and United Way of Martin County. Great Give 2017 is designed to raise as much money as possible for local nonprofits in just one day!

Plus, each donation made during the 24-hour period will be amplified by bonus pool dollars and hourly prizes!

We hope you will consider donating to Care Net by following the link https://www.greatgiveflorida.org/care-net-pregnancy-services-treasure-coast

Or go to www.GreatGiveFlorida.org and enter a search for Crisis Pregnancy Services of the Treasure Coast which will take you to Care Net’s page on May 17^th.  

24-hours CAN change our community!

Last year, Care Net ministered to 4977 clients and students in our centers and classrooms all across the communities in which we serve. 

Your gift can go far in reaching our community with the truth that saves lives and the love of Jesus Christ that transforms. Care Net continues to see ministry growth each and every year.  Give to keep our community strong.  Together we can make a difference one life at a time. 

Sincerely,

Sue Chess

Executive Director 

Care Net Pregnancy Services of the Treasure Coast

965 SE Federal Hwy.

Stuart, FL 34994

(772)871-2211