EULESS, Texas (BP)–The first day its doors opened, God seemed to confirm the ministry of the MidCities Pregnancy Center by sending in a client in need.
“The girl had a negative test, but she prayed to receive Christ,” said Paula Odam, the current executive director of MidCities Pregnancy Center. “It was amazing, and then she went home and sent flowers to the center thanking the director at that time, for sharing Christ with her. So we just felt like that was God letting us know we were on the right track. From there we saw probably 16 girls the first month.”
For 17 years, the MidCities Pregnancy Center has been supported by the prayers and finances of its founding church, First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas. Stirred by the passionate sermon of then-pastor Jimmy Draper titled “Abortion: the Death of America,” a group of men and women gathered to pray about what they as a church could do to turn the tide of abortion in their community.
The church’s business administrator and minister of evangelism contacted Andy Merritt, an established pregnancy center advocate. In 1984 the group decided to follow Merritt and Draper’s encouragement and rent a small facility, turning it into a crisis pregnancy center.
Odam, who served as a volunteer and assistant director before assuming the executive director role, said the center has consistently shared the gospel with its clients, helping “them to consider the life inside of their womb as precious.”
Although Draper has since become the president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, Odam said the current pastor, Claude Thomas, shares the same heart. And while the congregation has grown and changed in the past 17 years, it still holds to the same passion.
Odam said 70 percent of the financial support the center needs to continue operation comes from the gifts of First Baptist church members. Tithe envelopes give church members the opportunity to designate gifts to the center.
“Our church considers it to be their mission. I think a church needs a place like this for them to use their gifts and abilities,” Odam said. “Some of them don’t feel called to counsel, but they can give or maybe they can make booties, or croquet blankets, or come work on our plumbing. It’s a place where people can serve. It’s an outlet for them and also allows them to do something about changing the lives of the unborn.”
One advantage of being closely connected with a church, Odam said, lies in utilizing the church’s already established organizations such as prayer rooms.
“We have an intercessory prayer room, and I can call the prayer room anytime, and they will pray for us,” Odam said. “They have my name on the prayer sheet every week. I think we need prayer as much as, or even more than, [financial] support.”
Acknowledging that prayer does not “turn on the electricity,” Odam noted one challenge from being primarily connected to one church. At times, she said, other area churches are hesitant to provide support because it can easily be interpreted as a “First Baptist ministry.”
“There are so many ways that it could grow, but you can only grow so much when you are supported by one church,” she said, adding that the advantages of being connected with one church far outweigh the challenges.
“The biggest benefit is that I can direct the center and concentrate on the needs of what is going on here, and I don’t have to be fundraising,” Odam said. “I treasure the leadership of the church, and the evangelism is strong so we are able to keep that focus.”
Another advantage to being under the church’s guidance, Odam said, is the church possesses a congregation of people with different gifts who are ready and willing to serve.
Odam said the center averages 45 volunteers, half of whom come from First Baptist, Euless, while the other half come from other churches and Christian organizations.
To encourage clients to become involved in a church near them, the center rewards clients with coupons for attending worship services. The coupons are then redeemed for baby items, diapers or clothing.
During its 17 years of service, the center has provided pregnancy tests, post-abortion counseling and abstinence promotion. The center’s services have grown to include free sonograms; support groups for pregnant teens and women; classes on decision-making, adoption and parenting; and Bible studies. In the future, the center hopes to establish a sexual disease center for abstinence promotion and disease testing. Odam also envisions the founding of another pregnancy center in the Irving area.
Last year the center saw more than 2,050 women, of whom 713 indicated a positive pregnancy test, and 570 chose to carry to term. Additionally, 31 women left the center abortion-minded, 91 remained undecided and 17 indicated they would place the baby for adoption. The gospel was shared 982 times and 64 professions of faith were made.
“This is a mission field, and we are missionaries in the sense that we don’t have to go overseas. God brings them right in the door,” Odam said. “The women who come here are open. But the harvest is great. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share God’s love with people you normally meet or who may never come to church.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that everybody wouldn’t want to give four hours a week when the number of babies that are aborted is so high,” Odam continued. “I think every face is a work of art from God; every person is so precious, and yet they are being destroyed.”
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