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When a fellow church member asked me several years ago to volunteer at Care Net Pregnancy Center as a counselor, my first response was “No … I can’t possibly counsel a pregnant teen … I have never even been pregnant … How can I possibly help?” 

My hesitance was reversed when I learned that Care Net provided training for volunteers.  I realized that if Care Net was willing to take a chance on me, I would be willing to serve.

You see, my serving through Care Net has brought me full circle. I can look back now and see how God has transformed me throughout my walk with Him. How God used my past experiences to shape how I now serve Him.

When I was 17, with no gospel foundation, I took a friend for a pregnancy test.  She was not in a stable relationship, she was young, and she was afraid. But after she tested positive, I, in all my youthful wisdom, I “counseled” my friend to have an abortion. 

By God’s grace, she absolutely could not.  And now, 37 years later, I’ve witnessed my friend’s devotion as a single parent and I am blessed to know her beautiful daughter, who is happily married with 3 young daughters of her own. I stand in awe of God’s plan for my friend and for me, knowing this could have been a very different story. 

Care Net has thousands of stories about women, men, and children whom they have loved, served, counseled and stood alongside. Stories like Ricardo’s:

"My fiancé and I had our first baby; I was excited and nervous because we had little income and I didn’t have a stable job.  She had heard about Care Net’s services and we went to check it out.  We were glad to hear about the Earn While You Learn program, where you can spend as little as 30 minutes to an hour or 2, learning about pregnancy, birthing, and parenting, while earning money to buy (very inexpensive) diapers, clothes, and baby supplies.  My fiancé “ran away”, leaving me with our 2 month old son.  I love my son, and want the best for him, and so I continue to take classes and have fellowship with Care Net.  They have helped me so much to care for and raise my son."

I have now volunteered at Care Net for 5 years. I have witnessed many couples with happy stories; they are glad to be pregnant and receive our services.  I have also witnessed not-so-happy stories…women of all ages experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, not sure of their future, but through God’s grace, relentlessly pursue having a child and, either being a single parent, or releasing them for adoption, they choose LIFE as God intended. 

My story is full circle.  From a naïve 17-year-old, full of false wisdom, to a dedicated servant of the Lord, assisting young women and men to make Godly decisions in the place I was least prepared to. How has God used YOU where you least expected it? 

Click here for more information about Care Net and volunteer opportunities or contact JoAnn. 

Mothers of Preschoolers, MOPS.  

For me, the name elicits many things. For one, it is the mental image of a frazzled mom with a young child clinging to her side and maybe another strapped to her belly.  It is a weary mother who cannot seem to brush her own hair, though she has brushed her children’s. It is an exhausted momma who tries to keep a clean house, but fails regularly.  It is a woman, a mother, who might be tired, often overwhelmed, certainly underappreciated and likely underpaid.  She works hard, loves deeply, struggles mightily, and fights fiercely for those she loves. But still, too often she neglects her own needs and is left feeling empty.  This is one image I get when I hear Mothers of Preschoolers because…This. Is. Me. But this is only part of the story.

You see, there is another image that comes to mind when I hear the MOPS acronym, one of joy and of challenges shared.

After having attended MOPS for three years I see the image of a community of women and their children coming together to combine their strength, what is remaining of it, to combine their gifts, talents, ideas, and skills.

That together, these women would thrive; their burdens and joys shared!

Each woman content, knowing that there will be days when she is the one being carried through the messiness of life, and other days when she will be the one carrying! Much like Paul shared with the Corinthians, that both our abundance and need be shared.

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality—at the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality.”  -2 Corinthians 8: 13-14 (NIV)

Having seen and experienced the beauty of this community, of joys and burdens-shared, between mothers in the East Mountains I know that there is a transformation that happens as God uses a community of women to lift one another up. And as women, once we’ve experienced the hope, gratitude and strength of that generosity, it inspires us.

MOPS is about living lives intertwined.

It is about the hope given to other mothers in the middle of their struggle; whether it be the birth of a new baby, postpartum depression,  or health problems, MOPS moms have risen up to the challenge to provide for not just the basic needs, but also providing hope. 

I’ve seen God in our midst, as we are the served and the servant.

The MOPS community sends the resounding message that we are not alone in this marathon of motherhood and life. 

Instead, we persevere together. Friendship is born from this kind of space.  Stronger women and families emerge from this community because, though it can often feel lonely raising kids in your own home, you know you are not alone.

There are women here who have your back.

Visit MCC's MOPS page to learn more about this ministry.

“Your life is a lot like a quilt,” Barb said, “a masterpiece tapestry made by the Master Craftsman Himself, God.”

I was sitting in my kitchen, still in my pajamas, late in the morning, with a coffee cup in one hand and a phone in the other.  My two year-old hanging on my knee.  I thought, “Disordered tapestry, yes. Masterpiece, no.”

Barb Procter has spent years attending, and then facilitating, MCC Women’s Community Bible Studies.  I know she has been where I am now.  But more than that, I want to hear how she survived it.  What had studying the Word meant to her?  How had His presence made these times easier?  How had the relationships she developed, the moments of vulnerability, and the stories she heard from other women during these Bible studies helped her in the day-to-day?

As she spoke, I was reminded of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Barb drew a beautiful word picture for me about how it is that God stitches together each experience, memory, and emotion to make something completely unique, completely you.

Yes, your life is like a beautiful tapestry; there might be days it feels more like a dishtowel than a masterpiece, but every single stitch, fabric, color and design are there for a reason.

Barb said, “The Lord weaves our lives together with wonderful colors of bright purple, royal blue, orange sunsets and yes, on occasion, darker colors too.”

While we may wish that every fabric was bright and beautiful, and mourn those dark colors, or hard times, there is a reason for those, too. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded of this when He says, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).’  Barb reminded me that the tapestry of our lives wouldn’t look the same without these experiences.

I was taking notes as Barb continued, “Our life, this beautiful masterpiece, is a testimony of God’s work, in our lives. The stitches woven throughout our life, our quilt, are His Word; woven into every moment of our days, weeks, and years. It is the strong thread of His Word that holds it, and us, together.”

That image, this word picture, absolutely stuck with me and keeps me wondering what my tapestry will look like when it’s all said and done.  When I stand beside Jesus.

I have to think that it is good to consider where we are at. Are we spending enough time in prayer?  Enough time in the Word that He, our Master Craftsman, might stitch together the broken bits along with the brightest and most beautiful moments, the everyday and mundane?

What might he stitch together to bring something remarkable, Godly, and God-glorifying to and of our lives?

Is God, right now, weaving the experiences of your life together to make a unique tapestry?  Have you welcomed those stitches, the thread that weaves these experiences together, or have there been times when you wanted to pull them out? I’ve done both, sometimes on the same day!

My conversation with Barb has convinced me that there are women here who can help.  My mundane and terrifying is their melody and tenor.  And that the MCC Women’s Community Bible Study is just the place for our washrags to be transformed into tapestry. 

As Barb points me back to God’s constant and unchanging Word, I realize she is an example of how to thrive, not just survive.  My knowing that God is using every moment – even this one- to make a tapestry that I will laugh over, cry over, smile and sometimes mourn over, makes me happy to be His work of art. 

We have four amazing women's Bible studies at MCC going on right now! Today is the perfect day to get involved! Click here to see all the Women's Bible Study options!

Jodi Kenney is an Army wife, mother and household manager. She is also the Communications Coordinator for MCC. She and her family have been attending MCC since 2016.

I grew up in a family of three girls, with the fourth being my mother. Being a part of a group of women, bound-together through life’s joys, struggles and experiences, is something I am intimately familiar with. What I did not realize, until years later, is that there was so much more that I needed than just sharing experiences.  As women of faith, we are not bound simply by experiences; we are bound by our love for Christ, our devotion to His Word and by the building-up of His body of believers.  Women’s Ministry is something distinctly unique. A gift from God.

As I found the Lord through Women’s Ministry, He moved us, deployed us, and challenged us.  Every church, every community, every struggle found me leaning on the women around me for support. I have been taught more from the one-on-one relationships solidified in Women’s Ministry, bible studies, prayer groups, meals ministries, and fellowship events, than from any single sermon. It’s where I feel most comfortable to make mistakes, to cry and to laugh out loud, to ask the stupid questions and to, when necessary, share my fears.  And, more than once, completely fall apart. You see, these women showed me how to live what my pastors taught:

Keep seeking God: I saw that it was safe to ask any question in my search for God by Linda’s graceful responses during my very first bible study…in the book of Revelation.

Give selflessly: I saw that in June, as she called to check on me every single day of Dave’s deployment, just so I knew that someone saw me and someone cared.

Always offer hospitality: I saw that in all the women of Dyer’s Creek Church each time those women fed a mourning family.

Study God’s word daily: I saw that in Jeri as she cultivated our love of the Word by showing us her devotion to God’s Word every week in Explorer’s Bible Study.  

Pray: I saw and learned that as Mildred taught me how to pray; week by week in our prayer group and in Donna, as she prayed over my family during a difficult season.

Reach out to the newcomer: I saw that in Pam’s invitation to walk and Elizabeth’s invitation to tea when I first arrived in the East Mountains.

Disciple other women: I saw that in Avril as she taught me how to be a leader in Sanctuary Bible Church’s Women’s Ministry.

For me Women’s Ministry isn’t about events, it’s about the relationships cultivated and ultimately the lives intertwined, through living life together, side-by-side, prayer-by-prayer, study-by-study. Women’s Ministry is about speaking God’s truth into women’s lives; it’s about discipleship, about filling in the gaps and watching for those who may not have been seen. It is answering the question: “Is there a place for me?” with a resounding YES!

Women will always need relationships with other women. I will always need godly role-models who can speak God’s truths into my life. Who have walked the hard road and who can guide me through things I’ve never experienced. I will never stop needing these women.

Are you, like me, wanting to build relationships with other Godly women?

 When a fellow church member asked me several years ago to volunteer at Care Net Pregnancy Center as a counselor, my first response was “No … I can’t possibly counsel a pregnant teen … I have never even been pregnant … How can I possibly help?” 

My hesitance was reversed when I learned that Care Net provided training for volunteers.  I then realized that if Care Net was willing to take a chance on me, I would be willing to serve.

You see, my serving through Care Net has brought me full circle. I can look back now and see how God has transformed me throughout my walk with Him. How God used my past experiences to shape how I now serve Him.

When I was 17, with no gospel foundation, I took a friend for a pregnancy test.  She was not in a stable relationship, she was young, and she was afraid. But after she tested positive, I, in all my youthful wisdom, I “counseled” my friend to have an abortion. 

By God’s grace, she absolutely could not.  And now, 35 years later, I’ve witnessed my friend’s devotion as a single parent and I am blessed to know her beautiful daughter.

I stand in awe of God’s plan for my friend and for me, knowing this could have been a very different story. 

Care Net has thousands of stories about women and children whom they have loved, served, counseled and stood alongside.  Stories like Jenny’s:

“Jenny” was 15 when she came to Care Net for a pregnancy test.  The test was positive.  While a CN Advocate talked with Jenny about her plans to continue school through the pregnancy, Jenny’s mother arrived at the clinic unexpectedly.  The Advocate assisted Jenny in sharing the news with her mother. 

Despite the mother’s ‘worst nightmare’ fears, our Advocate was able to describe what Jenny and her baby’s future could look like: “In three years, Jenny will be walking across the graduation stage with your 3-year-old grandchild to pick up her diploma; can you picture that?”  After a moment’s pause, Jenny’s mother slowly smiled and said “Yes. I can.” Today, Jenny is continuing her education and continues to benefit from Care Net counseling and resources.  As Jenny’s Advocate told her mother, “Your daughter is NOT going to let this stop her from achieving her goals and dreams; God has a plan and a future for this child.”   

My story is full circle.  From a naïve 17-year-old, full of false wisdom, to a dedicated servant of the Lord, assisting young women to make Godly decisions in the place I was least prepared to.  How has God used YOU where you least expected it? 

For more information about Care Net and volunteer training, please go to http://carenetabq.org/