September 2018
& Family Ministries providing hope & care
hope & care
Quarterly Newsletter
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” - Matthew 25:40 highlights through July
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
42
decisions for Christ
282
pregnancy tests
50
adoptions
92,900
Last month we celebrated ABCS’ 58th birthday! Thank you for making this ministry possible. Because of your support, time and prayers, ABCS is able to provide hope and care to hurting children and families in communities across Arizona. We are grateful for your support and partnership as God continues to provide for and work through ABCS. The ABCS 2017 Annual Report was published last month, highlighting all that God did through the ministry last year. The theme is Grace and Provision as we recognize that the Lord uses trials to refine us and make us better. The report includes our audited financials, as well as ministry highlights and stories. We know your time is limited, but we hope that you’ll take a few minutes to read through the stories and be encouraged by how lives are being changed. The Annual Report is available on the financial integrity page at abcs.org or hard copies are available by request. Despite the ups and downs of ministry, God has established us in our call from Matthew 25:40, printed above. We are to take care of the least of these and we can do this better together. Through August, 42 people have committed their lives to Christ through the ministries of ABCS, 50 children in foster care have been adopted into loving homes and 92,900 food boxes have been distributed to New Life families in need. We can’t wait to see what God Pregnancy will do through the rest of 2018. Centers
Steve Hanna Executive Director
35,074 hours
Golf Tournament To benefit New Life Pregnancy Center September 22 – 8:00 AM @ Silver Creek Golf Club White Mountain Lake, AZ newlifepregnancy.com/golf or call (928) 536-4760 Orphan Sunday – Nov. 11 Contact our foster care team if you are interested in having someone speak, or bring resources to your church. (800) 678-0648 Turkey Day – Nov. 17 Feed 1,200 families at the Rio Vista Center’s Annual Turkey Day. Give $20 for a turkey or sign up to volunteer at riovistacenter.com.
Pursue Life Adult Ministry
In Him,
over food boxes distributed
volunteers served
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mission Encounter 360
New Life Counseling
& Family Ministries 7 Ministries | 1 Mission Providing hope and care to hurting children and families through Christ-centered ministries.
Foster Care & Parent Aide
New Life Transitional Program
Community Resource Centers
PURSUE LIFE ADULT MINISTRY
pursuelifeaz.com
Travel with a Purpose 2019 Many baby boomers are trying something new. They’re mixing the pleasure of traveling with sharing God’s love in practical ways. You can join the fun! Pursue Life Adult Ministry’s third Travel with a Purpose Mission Cruise to the Caribbean is coming up this Spring, 2019. The trip is intended to introduce those aged 50+ to service ministry and missions. This particular travel experience removes some of the issues that cause anxiety and keep older adults from ministry outside their local communities. Those issues range from how to get information to volunteer to sleeping arrangements and special food preparations. Registration is now open and will close October 30, 2018. Participants will spend some time training and preparing for the service work and ministry that will take place both on and off the cruise ship. Intentional ministry to staff and other cruisers on the ship is always a pleasant surprise as opportunities arise. Off the ship, there are a variety of experiences to serve that range from work projects such as storm clean up, building projects and maintenance, to ministry to school children and elders and assisting local organizations with projects on their wish list. A ministry cruise can be a life-changing experience that leads to new ministry in your local community or an international mission trip. The travel adventure begins March 28, and ends April 6, 2019. The cruise will depart from and return to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the itinerary includes stops in St. Croix, St. Martin, Dominica, Barbados and Grenada. Basic packages start at $1,950, which includes travel expenses, medical insurance and mission funds for projects on the islands. Visit www.pursuelifeaz.com for more information, or call Mona McDonald at (602) 346-2300 for details.
ARMS OF LOVE FOSTER CARE & PARENT AIDE
abcsfostercare.com
A Foster Mom’s View of Adoption When I think about adoption I see a beautiful story of the gospel. I see brokenness transformed into hope through sacrificial love. Before I even considered adoption I didn’t think I could love another child the same as I do my own, but I was proven wrong. I realized there is absolutely no comparison. We were placed with Jase when he was about 5 months old. I fell in love with him and became instantly attached. Our journey entailed a rollercoaster ride of emotions and fears. We never knew where we were heading or how it was going to end up. I had the fear of losing this child that I felt so deeply was mine, but I also knew that there was a family that could end up living with the hurt and pain from their loss. I needed to put my selfishness aside and pray for the best interest of Jase and for God’s will. God challenged our patience and our faith which strengthened us as a family. After 13 months we were blessed and given a gift by God’s grace to be Jase’s forever family. Jase is now a vibrant toddler full of life and love. He brings a smile and laughter to everyone he comes in contact with. My prayer is to inspire and encourage others that, although adoption through foster care is challenging and fearful, many will open their hearts and homes to all these children in need of a family, love and hope.They are worth it! – Melinda Coveris Arms of Love Foster Care is currently recruiting loving, Christian families like Melinda and Anthony Coveris who understand the heart behind the ministry, allowing God to work in and through families to minister to children, parents and all involved in the case plan. If you would like to arrange for an Arms of Love representative to speak at your church for Orphan Sunday on November 11, or any other time, please call us at (800) 678-0648.
NEW LIFE LIFE NEW life new PREGNANCY CENTER COUNSELING pregnancy center
newlifepregnancy.com |
MN nlpcAZ
Painful Separation Mary*, a long-time client of the New Life Pregnancy Center in Tempe, had her children removed by the Arizona court system. It has been painful for Mary to be separated from her little ones for the past seven months. During this time, she has attended court-ordered parenting classes and supervised visits with her children. Mary has continued to visit the pregnancy center for material assistance as well as encouragement and peer counseling. Recently she came in for a visit and shared that she will soon be allowed unsupervised visits with her children and that she believes she is close to getting them back. “I know that God will provide everything I need,” Mary said. “Something good will come from this suffering.” Mary accepted Christ as her Savior several years ago at the pregnancy center, and throughout this painful season in her life, the depth of her faith has grown tremendously. As she talked with the peer counselor, they called to mind all the ways Mary has experienced God’s presence and faithfulness throughout her case – a deeper relationship with Christ, specific materials provided at the exact moment needed and more. The testimony of Mary’s life has been a blessing to the Tempe center staff and volunteers. They are thankful she has allowed them to walk alongside her in this journey and continue to pray that God will be glorified in her life. Because of your support, New Life Pregnancy Center staff are available for Mary. *name changed for client’s privacy
Educating the Next Generation For the third year in a row, New Life Pregnancy Center had the opportunity to collaborate with Zona Camp this summer. Zona Camp is a weeklong student camp produced by student pastors and other leaders from the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. Pregnancy center staff were able to provide two breakout sessions at the camp, one for students and one for leaders. Students attended the breakout session “Pregnancy and Abortion – What Do I Need to Know to Help a Friend?” This session focused on the truth about fetal development and the humanity of the preborn child in the womb. Students were also presented with information on how to encourage and support a friend who finds herself in a crisis pregnancy to choose life. A portion of the session was dedicated to the importance of purity, not only as a method of preventing pregnancy, but as a means of living a lifestyle that is pure and honoring to God and witnesses to those around them. The students asked great questions and many stayed past the allotted 75 minutes to continue conversations with the leaders. Students shared personal experiences and described how the session was changing their perspective on abortion. It was clear the Lord was at work in many of the students’ hearts throughout the week. New Life Pregnancy Center partnered with New Life Counseling to provide “Identifying Signs of Domestic Violence,” a breakout session and simulation for leaders. By choosing cards from various stations, leaders walked through the life of an individual living in domestic violence, simulating what it is like to be faced with danger and uncertainty and needing to make decisions along the way. Afterward, leaders were involved in an in-depth discussion on how to identify warning signs among their students and church families and how to provide compassionate help to those experiencing domestic violence. New Life Pregnancy Center is thankful for the partnership with Zona Camp. Through workshops like these, we pray that students, church leaders and their families would be empowered to live on mission, valuing what God values in the areas of purity and life-affirming issues. To learn more about workshops New Life Pregnancy Center can offer to your church or group, please contact Raquel Williams at rwilliams@abcs.org or (602) 346-2300.
NEW LIFE Transitional TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM
newlifetransitional.com
A Second Chance One of the first steps we take in the New life Transitional Program in Tucson is teaching our clients how to find and maintain gainful employment. This is an important life skill for clients to be able to support themselves and their families. Depending on their unique situations, we help them overcome roadblocks in finding employment. Some of the most common roadblocks include lack of motivation, skills, education and experience. Some also face the challenge of finding work with a felony on their record. The transitional program trains participants to overcome their unique challenges. We have classes and curriculum to help equip them in their job search, the interviewing process and how to be a good employee once they are hired. Some clients participate in our work program through ABCS which provides training and experience to help build their resumes. Why is finding gainful employment a vital part of this ministry? Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” We believe at the core of who we are we were made to work. It is not enough to only provide assistance. We want to offer real skills through the New Life Transitional Program and equip our clients to become thriving members of their community. The participants want to prove to themselves and their families that they have what it takes to make it in life. Employment is a second chance for them. Along with teaching skills, we teach them about the Gospel and the love of Jesus so that clients know they are not alone on the journey. One of our goals at the transitional program is to help provide employment opportunities. Caring Ministries, a community resource center under the ABCS umbrella, has hired many work program participants to help sort and deliver food. ABCS has also started a couple of small businesses such as ABCS Pools, a pool cleaning service, and an online eBay store which both help fund the work program and employ participants. To date, we have been able to hire ministry support specialists and an eBay manager for our store. We are hoping to offer more positions in the future. Your support of ABCS and the transitional program helps our clients find employment. We are grateful for the impact you are making on their lives. Some additional ways you can partner with us in this endeavor include: • • • • • • • •
Give $500 to sponsor a client for 6 months Donate $1,000 to sponsor a one year scholarship and qualify for the state tax credit! Utilize the ABCS pool cleaning service in Tucson Shop our eBay store ebay.com/usr/hardship2hope_boutique Donate clothing for our Saver’s clothing drive If you’re a business owner, consider offering entry-level jobs to clients Offer internships to learn new job skills We are looking for CEOs and other professionals to be guest speakers
For more information on New Life Transitional Program, or to get involved with the work program, please contact Desi at dgoodwin@abcs.org or (800) 678-0648
1779 N. Alvernon Way | Tucson, AZ 85712 | (800) 678-0648 | abcs.org |
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