Our Evening With Seth Gruber
In early October, Seth Gruber set out to clearly describe When Life Matters. No one left Grace Church in Kelseyville or New Life Community Church in Ukiah confused about that! Some left shocked at Seth’s candidness. Some left convicted of the need for the church to stand up to the slaughter of our unborn neighbors. We heard that at least one attendee was offended that Seth reminded us that Francis Schaefer once said, “There should be a sign hung on every Planned Parenthood that says, “Open by Permission of the Church of Jesus Christ.” However, Seth’s message, though uncomfortable for some, was truth and nothing but the truth. In fact, most attendees did not leave before partnering with our ministry. A total of 181 people were in attendance and we received $121,000 in one-time gifts and monthly pledges. 17 families became new monthly givers. Many veteran monthly givers renewed their monthly pledges and many of those increased their monthly pledge.
No matter what anyone’s individual response was to the compelling and passionate message Seth shared, it is very clear that he got his point across! Seth challenged not only the believers in general but also the pastors and elders of our churches to make Life and its importance to God a sermon topic not just on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. With 40% of our patients professing to be Christians, it is incumbent upon the church to share God’s Word about the unborn and create a safety net within our churches for women and families who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy. Thank you to all who attended. I’m confident that Seth left a pebble in your shoe! We are so incredibly grateful for the generosity that was shown that evening. May all the praise be to God our Father, Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them.
If you weren’t able to attend, check out Seth’s message on our donor website: tclcdonors.com. If you want to be a monthly donor or make a one-time donation, you will find a tear-off on the next page for your convenience.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6
In May of 2008, after several years of diligent and intensely detailed work by our then Executive Director, Barbara Meyer, and her lustrous Medical Advisory Committee, The Center for Life Choices was granted its primary care clinic license by the State of California.. Thirteen years ago, The Center provided its first ultrasound to a thirty- something professional woman who was absolutely sure she needed an abortion. Having a baby would derail her career. But then, she saw her child and its heartbeat, and like many patients to follow, our patient chose Life.
I was blessed to have a front row seat then. I had been a member of the Board of Directors prior to that time. However, at the moment I just described, I was Barbara’s Administrative Assistant. Since then, God has allowed me to be a part of a ministry that keeps filling my heart with gratitude for how merciful our Abba Father is. He can transform our hearts in any way He chooses, but at The Center, He graciously uses redeemed broken vessels to help other women transform their fear into confidence.
On February 2, 2009, I became the Executive Director. When first offered an opportunity to apply for the position, I thought, “No way!” I didn’t believe I was “cut out” for it. I saw what Barbara did, her long hours, always with a prayer request for something because there was always another mountain to climb! Me? No way!
One morning a few months later during my quiet time, I realized that it wasn’t my skill set nor my commitment to Life per se that was needed for the job. It is the strength one receives from the Lord God Almighty when we make ourselves available to Him (“lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him.”) It is then—and only then—that we can step out and do His bidding (“He will direct your path”).
The last 15 years have been more than I could have asked or imagined. I’ve grown in my faith like I never dreamed possible. It has been an honor and privilege to serve in this capacity to help save the unborn and get to know the pro-life community in Lake and Mendocino counties. Many thanks to past and current Board Members; your guidance and commitment to saving the unborn were unshakable. I thank God for you all: past and present staff, board members, donors, volunteers, pastors and friends. God has used you to change my life for the good.
At the end of this year, I will be joining my husband, John, in retirement. God willing, I will continue to see you all at the upcoming Center events. God bless you.
With love and affection, a full heart and tears,
Join us for our Winter Fundraiser
“One Heartbeat Away”
Have you noticed how often the word “heartbeat” is in the news lately? Even the secular media can’t avoid this word as many states have attempted to pass legislation to ban abortions at 6 weeks gestation or when there is a “heartbeat” detected. Of course, Texas is the first state to actually sign into law this protection for the unborn.
Here at The Center, we often see the difference between a mother’s
decision to terminate and her decision to choose Life triggered by the “heartbeat.” Since we are all about providing truth to our patients
through the services we offer, it is no doubt that we would not only
provide our patients with the ability to see that “heartbeat’ during the
ultrasound, but also, we allow them to hear that precious “heartbeat: via our Doppler.
On February 17th (Kelseyville) and 18th (Ukiah), we will have the honor of hosting Dr. Marc Newman, who will encourage all in attendance to grasp how vitally important it is for the church to stand for Life. A media expert, Dr. Marc tells us that for too long the church has taken its eye off the ball….and that it is long since past time that the church keep taking its orders from the media but rather from the word of God. Dr. Marc is the author of Contenders: A Church-Wide Strategy to Unmask Abortion, Defeat It’s Advocates, Empower Christians, and Change the World. Come ready to be armed with “what to do” so that we can end this tragedy in our Lake and Mendocino communities.
Be on the lookout for your invitation in 2022!
