November 3, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) — How many times have pro-lifers heard the following accusatory question: “Sure, you say you're pro-life, but what are you doing for poor mothers who can't afford to have a baby?”
Of course, on its face, the premise of the question is irrational, since one can oppose injustice without necessarily becoming a social worker. The question is fair, however, when asked of a Christian, which most pro-lifers are. Since Christians are called to carry out acts of charity and to see the image and likeness of Christ in all of our neighbors, we can't simply run away from our pro-abortion antagonists' veiled accusation of hypocrisy.
What are we, personally, doing to help poor mothers who have no support at a time when they are most vulnerable?
To the pro-abort, the only solution he is willing to accept is coercive tax-funded big-government welfare. Yet we know that this false solution has been empirically proven counterproductive. The coercive charity of the welfare state is destructive to individuals and families, harmful to communities and counter to a Christian worldview, so it is not surprising that more often than not, pro-life people reject the expansion of government welfare.
But if more government is not the answer, what is?
The answer for many Christians is to support Christ-centered, life- and family-affirming private charities. The Morning Center in urban Memphis is one such ministry that is turning heads with its sustainable model of charitable maternity care.
This past month, the Morning Center just delivered its 100th baby in one of America's poorest regions – and all of it with no government funding whatsoever.
The Morning Center works with poor and underserved mothers, who are provided with comprehensive, quality maternity care – up to and including hospital birth – in the name of Christ, absolutely free to the mother and at no cost to the taxpayer. Having the six to nine months in their full OB clinics, through and after the birth, the Morning Center team, host churches, and partnering ministries are able to build relationships with these precious moms and lavish the love of Christ on them while sharing the Gospel.
A Visionary Beginning
In 2011, the Morning Center project was begun by Christian medical cost-sharing ministry Samaritan Ministries International, with the bold vision of opening free, pro-life Christian prenatal, birth, and postnatal care in every city big enough to have an abortion facility – not only offering a loving alternative to the abortion butchers, but also working to replace government welfare with a restoration of private charity. The first Morning Center was opened in Memphis and has a staff of paid Christian OB-GYNs, nurse practitioners, nurses, and ultrasound techs. They do not ask for payment from any of their patients and do not accept any taxpayer funds.
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Since its inception, the Morning Center has served over 300 women and families. Now barely two years old, the center has delivered 100 babies. The growth continues: more than 65 babies are scheduled to be delivered the next four months, and new locations are slated to open.
Les Riley, executive director of the Morning Center, explained, “The Morning Center is not a Crisis Pregnancy Center or Pregnancy Resource Center. Instead, we focus on providing those existing ministries with the health care services that are so critical to their work. The Morning Center is a fully operational medical center, caring for the real, physical needs of mom and baby through every step of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and post-partum care.”
Marquita's and Hudson's Story
Marquita came to the Morning Center several months ago, escaping from an abusive relationship. At the time, she was living in a safe house for domestic violence. One of the Morning Center staff members took Marquita into her home, along with her 2-year-old son.
Marquita's second son, Hudson, became the 100th baby to be cared for before, during, and after birth through the Morning Center. Now Marquita attends church with the staff members of the Morning Center, and she has experienced an amazing growth in her life.
The Morning Center does not work alone. It is intimately tied in to other ministries in the area to provide moms like Marquita with physical and spiritual nurturing. The Morning Center and other partnering ministries have been able to provide Marquita and women in her situation with so much physical help that sometimes these women have had to return some of the clothing donated to them, because God has provided them with such an abundance!
Through the Christian charity she found at the Morning Center, Marquita went from being homeless to having far more than she needed in just a few short months.
Les Riley noted how critical the Christian element of the Morning Center is for its clients. “Every Sunday, Marquita takes notes from the sermons she hears and then reads the notes every night before she goes to bed. We praise God for the work He is doing in Marquita's life, and for allowing us to minister to her.”
What's Next
There are new locations in the Memphis and Mid South area, as well as in new cities, coming soon. Before the end of 2015, the Morning Center is hoping to open a new clinic in a location where it will reach two additional neighborhoods in Memphis and then move into neighboring states early in 2016.
“When pro-life Christians learn of what we are doing and understand the unique role Morning Center is playing by taking this next step in the pro-life movement, they get excited,” stated the Morning Center's executive director.
Anyone interested in learning more about bringing a Morning Center to his or her city or volunteering at one of the existing locations can contact [email protected] or visit www.morningcenter.org.
