By Erin Kate Goode
Most of us can agree that the way we’ve overcome challenges or accomplished goals was in part because of people who supported us, challenged us, or helped us have hope and a vision for the future. For a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy in a difficult situation or under circumstances where she feels alone or scared, relationships with people who show her hope and offer real support can be the difference that changes her course and gives her and her child a future.
CPC Metro’s mission is to empower the choice for life, but the ministry does not stop with the pregnancy choice. Since 1988, the ministry’s focus has always been not just on saving lives but on changing hearts. Women who believe abortion is their only option need more than a service or a handout. They need someone to walk alongside them, connecting with them as individuals who are created with purpose and are loved.
This past year, the CPC’s Cline Center offered a new program called I am S.H.E. (Strong, Healed, and Empowered) for women who want to make a fresh start in their relationships and work toward goals. Cline Center staff help them set healthy goals, have weekly accountability, and earn incentives as they reach milestones. A mother of six recently worked with the I am S.H.E. team on her career goals. She had dreamed of starting a business where she could sell her art. In I am S.H.E., she earned incentives, helping her get her first business cards and entering her work in a local art exhibit. At the exhibit, she sold several of her paintings and was offered a job! The impact is not just about the income she will earn, but the worth she feels having achieved her dream.
Another I am S.H.E. and parenting class participant shared that she was engaged but struggling with fear about getting married. Through her sessions with Cline staff, she and her fiancé were able to talk more about the wedding and work through her fears. When she set a date for the wedding, she wanted the Cline Center to be part of the celebration. They were married in December with Cline staff there to cheer them on.
As CPC Metro executive director, I love to see the heart behind the mission. Whether it is seeing a woman move from fear of the unknown to having joy and peace about a new baby, or helping a woman start over again after failed relationships, our work is about heart transformation. Through the connections each woman builds with our staff and volunteers, we pray she sees Christ and experiences His love. We serve her with love because He first loved us.
During Sanctity of Human Life Month, consider inviting CPC Metro to speak to your church or small group and learn how you can help empower the choice for life.
Erin Kate Goode is executive director at CPC Metro Area. In 2012, she began serving as a data entry volunteer with CPC. As her love for the ministry grew, she was hired as an administrative assistant in 2013 and became executive director in 2017. Erin Kate and her husband, Jim, live in Clinton with their two children and attend Morrison Heights Baptist Church.