Clinic Loyalties?

It’s something I hear all the time! “I volunteer at a local crisis pregnancy center, but my church supports a different center. How do I get them to switch? Shouldn’t there be some boundaries and rules about this?”

This is a common question, even among the pregnancy centers themselves who have struggled with in-fighting for years all around the country. It’s not surprising to me that Satan would use the age-old issue of money to cause division - in churches and among outreach groups. But, my first response is always disbelief. It’s hard for me to believe this is the issue that keeps coming up. Aren’t humans a hoot?

Would it seem illogical to you if we asked that only churches on the east side support the homeless? How about if only churches in North County have outreach programs to singles? That seems reasonable, right? I mean, it would pool our resources and we could be more focused as a Christian body if we divided up all the ministries God had for us to do and assigned them to certain churches. Then we wouldn’t be competing for money for our food shelters, or our day care programs, or single moms. It would be clear to the churches what they should be supporting. Right?

Well, these two centers may have the same mission — women in crisis pregnancy — but they are still separate outreach efforts serving the same Lord, just like the homeless and others. Our networking campaign in California has regular monthly supporters in Ohio and Minnesota! God puts different things on different hearts. It is not up to me to tell someone where God’s money, that He has entrusted to them, should go. For all I know, someone in Escondido is supporting a pregnancy center in Florida because their daughter got help there ten years ago and they support them monthly and have left them something in their will. Great! That doesn’t mean God can’t use someone in Minnesota and put on their hearts to reach California and my needs will be met.

Its OK if your church gives to one group and you volunteer in another. God has a very big plan - he holds all the pieces of the puzzle. And he is not bound by geography, or finance, or anything we can dream up to fight over. All the resources are ultimately going to God’s work, just different sites of His Heavenly CPC Outreach Department. There are probably good reasons that the hearts of this church were led to give to one center, the same as the volunteer was led to volunteer at a different location. They all work together for the Lord.

So the dilemma? Maybe the church could increase its giving to CPC outreach and give to both? Maybe a special baby shower could be held for specific needs for the other center? The church could definitely be supporting both centers by including literature on both centers in the bulletin inserts once a month. In fact, often the centers work together throughout the county so all the centers are listed together on one flyer and churches can use things like that so anyone in their pews can choose a location that the Lord would lead them to serve or give. There is a beautiful “Options” brochure they did together. (I’m happy to send anyone.) The important thing is to get the most number of people involved so that the Lord can make the biggest difference in lives this year! Every year!

I tell you, many moons ago when I was a CPC director, I had this discussion with another CPC director who didn’t want me in “her” church. I told her all the centers should be promoting in all the churches, because you never know how God is going to use an event or place to touch a heart. Someone sitting in the pew might want to attend a fundraiser for a CPC in Ramona that is a rodeo, while the same church might have someone who wants to attend a children’s concert - but that supports a center in Escondido. It is all God’s work - He’ll get it covered. I think He might have an easier job if we would quit getting in His way, and refusing to reach out to the person who would have attended the rodeo because that church is not in “our region.” It’s all God’s region. And it’s all God’s money.

You see the real question here is do you believe God can meet the needs — no matter where you are located, no matter where supporters are located, no matter how big the project, what the project is, or how big the needs? God already sees the big picture.

o

Dana Serrano Chisholm can be reached at DanaChisholm@cox.net.