Friday feature: Maternity Resource Center

A local school donated six cribs to the MRC.

The Maternity Resource Center of Immanuel Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, is a fairly unique member of the Life Matters family. Founded in 1988, it grew out of Baptists for Life of Central Ohio, an organization headed at the time by the pastor of that church, Bill Abernathy, Jr.

At the time, several good pregnancy care centers were already operating in Columbus. Knowing this, the board of BFLCO felt the affiliate’s energies should be channeled into a different aspect of pro-life ministry. No one knew what that would be at first.

“In bouncing around ideas of what we could do in direct ministry to women with needy pregnancies,” Bill recalls. (He's currently the pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Portage, MI, and one of Life Matter's pastoral advisers.) “We came up with the concept of a maternity resource center. We saw a need for additional support for these women after they left the crisis pregnancy center, since the centers were not able to meet their needs completely.”

The MRC is located in the church building and assists families who have chosen life for their babies. The center provides free maternity clothes, baby and infant clothes, and other baby items supplied by members at Immanuel and other area churches. Biblical guidance is available to help with spiritual needs. There's also a Maternity Resource Center in the Westerville, Ohio, area -- at Grace Baptist Church.

Here's a recent video taken at the MRC:

They're currently in need of diaper donations. Pray for this ministry and "like" it on Facebook!