Photo By Vangie
Commitment to Life By Melody Walker The Liberty Godparent Home (LGH) is a commitment to life. This special ministry began as a crisis pregnancy center on January 22, 1982 - the anniversary of Roe vs. W a d e (1973), which legalized abortion in the United States. Today the ministry centers around a professionally staffed h o m e for u n w e d mothers. The h o m e provides housing services, which includes a staff of houseparents; medical services, which includes a nurse on 24-hour call; counseling therapy, which provides spiritual guidance and emotional support; educational services, which places students in Lynchburg Christian A c a d e m y and L U School of LifeLong Learning; and an adoption agency, named Family Life Services. Julie Clinton, director of L G H , explained the ministry's operation. "The h o m e is run by staff and volunteers w h o come from the community, church and Liberty University," she said. " W e couldn't do the work without everyone's help." Girls ages 13 to 21 are admitted to the program. L G H is designed to help them throughout their full terms of pregnancy. In addition to school work, special activities include picnics, swimming, shopping, and L U sporting events and concerts. The girls all attendThomas Road Baptist Church. By the end of their stay, 40 percent of the girls decide to place their babies u p for adoption and 60 percent decide to parent. The girls do not have to be Christians to come to L G H , but according to Clinton, m a n y of them leave the program with a n e w life in Christ. 199
