NGPC 2017 Magazine

ISSUE 1 | VOLUME 1

Inside

How God Can Turn an Abortion Into Transformation Why Youth Are Turning Away From God, Work, Marriage, and Children

Dear Friends for Life, Welcome to the first ever publication of the Heartbeat of North Georgia, a publication of the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center here in Jasper, Georgia. It’s truly a joy and delight to have some wonderful changes on the horizon at the Center. This great magazine is just one of these changes. Here’s how it is helping the Center.

God made it possible, through the sponsors who placed ads in this magazine, for us to use every penny donated at our annual banquet to serve families here in North Georgia. Serving families … that’s what we’re all about.

Through this magazine and our annual banquet, we are excited to have the opportunity to share the stories that I trust will encourage and inspire you. Stories that tell about hardship, trials and hopelessness. But also stories about people who repented and found hope in the Gospel of Christ. Stories about volunteer mentors who listened, shared truth and prayed with our dear girls and their families.

But there are more great things happening here in North Georgia. We have extended our hours at the center. We also are partnering with a Christian couple who are professional counselors and are available to mentor men and women who come to the Center with life-dominating addictions.

The Lord has done great things this year at the Center. We have a wonderful board of directors, five part-time staff, and 15 volunteers. There are many opportunities to speak to churches, local civic organizations, businesses, and small groups. Our big community outreach event every February is for young people (middle school and up), their parents, and youth leaders to come and hear how sexual purity is possible in a sex-crazed world.

There are so many ways you can help us at the center. We would love to share all the possibilities with you. Please call us, email us, or better yet, come by for a tour and let us show you all the ways we serve the families and all the opportunities that are available.

At the Center, we have client advocates that are able to share God’s truth and also opportunities to serve them in tangible ways. We have over 400 DVD lessons that cover topics about pregnancy, parenting, co-parenting, boundaries in relationships, budgeting, life skills, and many more. Thank you so much for making all of this possible and for your participation. Your prayers and support keep us going. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!

Love and blessings to you all,

Pat Page Executive Director Psalms 78:1-8

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Table of Contents How God Can Turn an Abortion Into Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 When a woman gets pregnant, her life changes. When she decides to have an abortion, it changes again. Fortunately, the change doesn’t have to stop there. If it did, women around the country would be hopelessly lost in the pain abortion causes.

But as you’ll see here, another change is possible….

Why Youth Are Turning Away From God, Work, Marriage, and Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Every day that the North Georgia Pregnancy Center is open, we minister to all sorts of people struggling in all sorts of ways. In doing so, we’ve discovered something very telling about young people today….

How Good Relationships Stop Abortions . . . . . . . . . 14 Have you ever stopped to think about why abortions happen?

A recent study from the Guttmacher institute gives us a glimpse into the minds of these women and it also shows how we can minister to them more effectively….

Meeting the Needs of Poverty-Stricken Families in North Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Did you know that approximately 60% of the children living in mother-only families are impoverished? The situation for these mothers is dire. If they have children that are five years old and younger, their average annual income is about one-fourth that of two-parent families. Many of these women have to choose between putting food on the table or buying clothes for their children. They often can’t do both….

Volunteer Highlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center has the great privilege of having many wonderful volunteers accomplish the many services we provide. One of those volunteers has been with the Center longer than anyone else....

Help Us Meet the Needs of the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center If you'd like to donate to the Center, please visit babyontheway.org and click on the Help Us tab at the top of the page. Thank you for helping us save lives and meet the needs of these families.

NGPC Board and Staff (2017) Board: • William Mostellar, Chairman • Wayne Collier, Treasurer • Diane Fowler • Casey Kuyper • Matt Rees Staff: • Pat Page Executive Director • Ralph Barker Development Director • Robie Rens (volunteer) Director of Client Services • Michael Ann Chapman Executive Assistant • Emily Cribb Administrative Assistant Mission Statement: • Bring compassionate help and hope to women and families who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.

• Present sexual abstinence as the only option for teens and singles.

• Influence community-wide educational programs and events in an effort to prevent pregnancy outside of marriage.

• Provide counseling for healing and restoration for those who have had abortions.

• Share the Good News of the Gospel. © Heartbeat of North Georgia is a publication of the North Georgia Pregnancy Center and Family Resource Center.

Publisher: Steve Kroening Design Director: Kevin Cole All rights reserved.

1549 East Church Street Jasper, GA 30143 | 706-253-6303 info@babyontheway.org www.babyintheway.org

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How God Can Turn an Abortion Into Transformation When a woman gets pregnant, her life changes. When she decides to have an abortion, it changes again. Fortunately, the change doesn’t have to stop there. If it did, women around the country would be hopelessly lost in the pain abortion causes. But as you’ll see here, another change is possible.

Erin Berryman, a counselor at the North Georgia Pregnancy Center, shares her story.

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I read a quote the other day and it really spoke to me, “Wise men learn by other men’s mistakes, fools by their own.” Meaning the best learning experiences in life aren’t actually making mistakes ourselves but watching and learning from other people’s mistakes. And that’s why I want to share my story with you.

My story is a story of rescue, redemption, and real freedom. The Lord has done so much to set me free.

I am blessed beyond what I think I deserve. But He thinks more of me than I think of myself. He has blessed me with a husband who loves me fully and completely without question. The Lord has also given me three unbelievable blessings, two girls, who are 12 and 10, and a six-year old boy.

Keith, my husband, and I moved to Pickens county about two years ago and bought a farmhouse on a few acres that we’re slowly restoring. Keith works for Cherokee Fire Department and is the youth pastor at Foothills Community Church.

Recently I felt a calling to once again share my testimony and serve somehow in our community.

I told God, you open the doors and I will walk thru them. Boy, did He open them! Working at the Pregnancy Center, I have been pushed and challenged in just the short time I’ve been there.

Mostly by overcoming my fears of letting people see my life, who I was, and the choices I have made in my past. I have to remind myself that my past does not define me, but it did transform me in to the woman I am today.

First, let me give you a little background of me.

I was raised in a small town in south Georgia, a place where you could ride your bikes any and everywhere. I experienced total freedom in my childhood – maybe at times too much freedom.

I was the daughter of a beloved preacher and school teacher. We were extremely loved by our community and maybe that’s why I had so much freedom, I was everyone’s daughter and friend. I couldn’t get away with anything – but in actuality I got away with everything. I was constantly looking for ways to be bad and stand out.

My mom would let my brother and I ride our bikes to the gas station on Saturdays with one rule, she would say, “Erin, do not buy any more candy

cigarettes.” I did and I would pretend to smoke all the way home and just eat the evidence. Most of our church congregation saw me, but never told my parents or they just didn’t say anything. My childhood was mostly fun. Normal ups and downs. I was the favored child of my dad and could really do no wrong in his eyes. I also spent most of my spare time at church with him. I was raised knowing who Christ was and that He died and rose again. I was born into a Christian family, so I assumed I was a Christian. My dad was a pastor, so how could a loving God exclude me from heaven. My parents’

“Wise men learn by other men’s mistakes, fools by their own.”

Meaning the best learning experiences in life aren’t actually making mistakes ourselves but watching and learning from other people’s mistakes. And that’s why I want to share my story with you.

marriage started to fall apart my freshman year in high school. Through some poor choices of my dad, he ended up jobless and, to survive, my mom had to find a new teaching job.

We ended up moving to Cherokee county in the middle of my sophomore year. My world was unraveling and lacking direction. My parents were so focused on fixing or rather just surviving this time, that I became lost. I started to attach myself to unhealthy friendships, dating boys I shouldn’t, wearing clothes to draw attention, and the candy cigarettes were replaced with the real kind.

I remember one night going out with some friends hoping that my parents would see what I was wearing and tell me to go change. They did see, but didn’t say a word. My heart was broken. I felt unimportant and invisible.

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In the middle of my junior year, I met a boy and we started an unhealthy relationship, which quickly became physical. We were each other’s worlds and our lives revolved around each other. So much so there was no room for friends or family. In my mind this was normal, he was my boyfriend, he should be the most important part of my life. But in reality those types of relationships are extremely unhealthy. We dated for a year. But by the end of my senior year, I wanted out of the relationship.

I was heading to college and desired freedom.

But my life was so intertwined with his, it felt nearly impossible to get out completely. Days before heading off to the University of West Georgia, I “cut” the relationship off. We still talked off and on and at Thanksgiving break he asked if he could come see me on his way home to his parents. He ended up staying the night and we had sex. It was different this time though because we used a condom. In our past relationship we hadn’t been careful. So I don’t know what prompted us to be this time.

It made no difference. The condom broke and six weeks later I was in my dorm room with my friend watching a pregnancy test quickly give a positive reading. Fear and utter sickness overcame me. Not because I was pregnant but because now I was forever bound to this boy that I wanted freedom from.

Telling my parents was probably the hardest thing I had to do so far in my 19 years. They were so disappointed in me. So embarrassed of me. And more than anything I wanted to please

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Philippians 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

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them and make them happy again. They quickly started talking about abortion all the while the father of the baby was wanting to marry me and start a family. The fear of him always being there increased, but I realized I could raise this child by myself. I was strong enough and all I ever wanted to be was a mom. My parents were relentless though.

They even brought in a nurse to talk to me about how easy an abortion procedure is. And little by

little they convinced me that I was not ready to be a mother and constantly reminded me of the father forever being in my life.

My heart hurt. My soul ached. I didn’t want to feel.

To numb those feelings, I let myself fall into deeper sins, like drinking and drugs.

One week later, beyond anything that I ever thought I could do, I was lying on an exam table.

Florescent lights blinding me and my mom there beside me holding my hand. I think the realization hit us both when the abortion started. I looked at her and said, “I don’t want to do this.” And she tearfully said, “You don’t have to. We can leave right now.” But I knew that wouldn’t make her or my dad happy and oh how I wanted to restore their joy. I was a disappointment and this would fix it. At least I thought it would. Now my disappointment was just refocused – on myself.

I spent three years of basically spinning my wheels doing the same thing. I dropped my college classes because it interfered with my life of constant parties and bartending job. My last shift I ever worked there, I was offered a line of cocaine from my manager. It was right there in front of me and I wanted to give it a try, but fear overcame. The next day my new boyfriend broke up with me, which ended up being a big turning point for me.

It was my first moment where I realized my worth wasn’t found in another person. I gathered my stuff and at 2:00 a.m., I crawled in my mom’s bed. I wonder what she thought … was she happy that her daughter had come home or disgusted because I wreaked of smoke. It didn’t matter she reached out in unconditional love and held me.

The weeks that followed, I don’t have many memories. Thankfully, the abortion didn’t have any lasting medical effects on my body, unlike some others I've met. The nurse had prepared me for the physical part of the procedure, but I never imagined the emotional toll this would take on my spirit. When I slept, I dreamt of my baby, but always awoke to the horrible sound of the abortion procedure.

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months. As I stayed, I learned what I was lacking.

She never shared the gospel of Christ with me because I knew it. I was raised in church, but she showed me through loving me that I was lacking a personal relationship with Christ. On a very cold night in North Dakota, I surrendered my life to Christ. Jesus had come and rescued me. I was ugly and he beautified. I was hopeless and He restored. I was undeserving but He gave.

The next couple of years, The Lord did a mighty work in my heart. I understood that my sins were wiped away and forgiven, but I struggled with forgiving myself. I had a friend tell me about a postabortion Bible study. It was there I learned how to start forgiving myself. Forgiveness and especially healing is a process.

Erin with her family

Even now, when Satan attacks, I literally have to say out loud, “I AM FORGIVEN.” The healing comes in stages. New pains arise, like telling my story to my husband before we were married. Even now, sharing this with you. It’s difficult saying aloud that I had sex with someone else. It’s embarrassing and heartbreaking to have to say I didn’t wait for Keith.

Telling my daughters that they have a sibling in heaven has been difficult too. Wiping tears away from their cheeks was a pain that I never imagined when I choose to abort my baby. Abortion will affect me in some way my entire life. No, the pain isn’t raw and excruciating like it once was, but moments like telling my kids never crossed my mind.

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Although I deal with pain in some shape, form, or fashion nearly every day, God has been faithful not only to forgive and restore me, but bless me beyond what I deserve. The relationship I have with my parents has never been better. Healing has had to happen on both sides. Especially with my mom.

The guilt and sadness for her part in it all has been hard. I no longer see my mom as just my mom but my best friend.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Philippians 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” So, He’s not done with me, but He will continue to work on me until He calls me home. My blessings outweigh the pain and that’s a reminder of God’s love and grace.

Sex is a beautiful gift that God has given and should be enjoyed only in marriage. My story is just one example of the many consequences of having sex before marriage. If you or someone you know is pregnant and thinking about abortion, my hope and prayers are that you will call the pregnancy center and talk to me.

Or if you or someone has had an abortion, please call me and don’t suffer alone. This story isn’t easy to share. But, as I said to you in the beginning, our best learning experiences are from other’s mistakes. And that’s why I wanted to share my story with you.

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WHY YOUTH ARE TURNING AWAY FROM GOD, WORK, MARRIAGE, AND CHILDREN When most people think of a pregnancy center, they think we’re here only to help stop abortions. We work very hard to do just that. But there’s so much more to our pregnancy center. Every day that we’re open, we minister to all sorts of people struggling in all sorts of ways. In doing so, we’ve discovered something very telling about young people today.

We saw it when Mark and Susan (we changed their names to protect their privacy) walked through our doors. This young teenage couple were facing an unplanned pregnancy and didn’t know who to turn to for answers. They came to us hoping we could help. We shared the Gospel with them, tried to minister to their immediate needs, and showed them how they were better together than apart. The couple eventually married. But because of what we see time and time again, their marriage ended in divorce.

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SO WHAT DID WE SEE IN THIS YOUNG COUPLE AND SO MANY OTHERS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS? Today’s young people have a really hard time committing to anything. Statistics will show you just how bad this situation is. For instance, in 2008, over 50% of people between the ages of 20 and 24 had been with their current employer for less than 12 months. This generation isn’t willing

to commit to just one vocation and stick with it. The result is continued dependence on their parents and increasing poverty. But it’s not just vocational.

Marriage is suffering even worse. The U.S. Census data shows that young adults are marrying later than ever before – if they marry at all. Back in 1960, only 9% of those over the age of 25 had never married. Today, that number is around 20%. But it’s not just young people who don’t commit to marriage. In 1960, only 7% of men and 6% of women had never married by the

age of 45. In 2012, those numbers went up to 19% of men and 14% of women – more than double.

And those who wait until after the age of 32 to get married are far more likely to get divorced – cementing their inability to remain committed.

This lack of commitment reaches even further.

It’s destroying our churches. Like their music lists, today’s young adults are picking and choosing which aspects of the faith to adopt. The end result is a faith that’s unique to them. It’s a religion created in their own likeness.

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Therein lies the problem. People are growing more and more committed to themselves, but not to anything external. They don’t commit to jobs, to people, or to God.

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THE END RESULT IS A CULTURE THAT’S FALLING APART.

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At the North Georgia Pregnancy Center, we see this in just about every person who comes through our doors. When abortion is the issue, the lack of commitment to a child is obvious.

But the problems are so far reaching with each person that we felt the need to change our name to the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center. We wanted to be able to meet the needs of an entire generation that lacks commitment.

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While our counseling ministry remains focused – we minister to young people and couples in unplanned pregnancies and to families with young children – the need for financial, relational, and spiritual direction remains a constant. Drugs, alcohol, pornography, and poor family situations never stop pulling these people away from the Lord and other people. They’re focused on pleasing themselves and we have to show them a different way to live that’s completely foreign to anything they’ve ever been taught.

The ministry of our little Center is growing rapidly to meet the needs of these people in our community. They need help, direction, and the Gospel. The Lord has changed lives through the work of the Center and we’re looking for partners who can come alongside us and commit to helping us meet these needs. Whether you volunteer at the Center, give resources to help us meet needs, or simply pray for us, we will continue to thrive by God’s grace as He uses you to further His kingdom.

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How Good Relationships Stop Abortions Have you ever stopped to think about why abortions happen? A recent study from the Guttmacher institute gives us a glimpse into the minds of these women and it also shows how we can minister to them more effectively.

In the study, the researchers found “The

decision to have an abortion is typically motivated by multiple, diverse and interrelated reasons. The themes of responsibility to others and resource limitations, such as financial constraints 14

and lack of partner support, recurred throughout the study.”

If you break that statement down, you begin to see a common problem. In the first sentence, we see that the decision is “motivated by multiple, diverse, and interrelated reasons.”

What the study found was that women will have an abortion for different reasons, but almost all of those reasons come down to one particular common thread that runs through all of their decisions – a bad relationship situation.

This can include broken relationships, the fear of broken relationships, or non-existent relationships.

The number one reason cited for having an abortion is that “it would interfere with a woman’s education, work or ability to care for dependents.” According to the study, 74% of the women gave this response. Each of these reasons is typically associated with the issue of being a single mom. Given that single mothers with dependent children have the highest rate of poverty in the US, you begin to understand the desperation these women feel.

In the study, 73% of the respondents said that they could not afford a baby now. Another 48% said they didn’t want to be a single mother or they were having relationship problems.

Many of the young women said they weren’t ready to become a mother (often because of finances, lack of support, and little hope for the future). While older women focused on their responsibilities to their current children. They didn’t want to impoverish the children they already had any further.

Looking through all of these reasons, one thing is clear. The lack of solid relationships is at the core of the vast majority of abortions. Women without a supportive husband are far more likely to have an abortion.

It seems obvious, but at the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center, we’re seeing the repercussions of bad or non-existent relationships every day. And it’s not just the women.

One couple recently came into the Center. The boyfriend had a terrible relationship with his father. After some counseling, the young man reached out to his dad, asked to meet him at a nearby restaurant, and the two talked. The young man quickly realized he had made the situation into something far worse than it actually was. Simply talking through the issues helped the two restore their relationship.

By helping the young man work through this relationship, he’s now in a better situation to keep the relationship with his pregnant girlfriend growing and moving toward a healthy marriage. He’s learning how to handle conflict effectively. And, the baby is safe and more likely to thrive with two invested parents.

The North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center stands on the power of the Gospel to transform these lives and wants to help them see the truth of the Scriptures for salvation and for better relationships. With the help of our partners, we’re meeting far more needs in this area than we ever have before.

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Meeting the Needs of Poverty Stricken Families in North Georgia

Did you know that approximately 60% of the children living in mother-only families are impoverished?

Compare that to two-parent homes, where the number is only 11%. The situation for some of these mothers is dire.

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If they have children that are five years old and younger, their average annual income is about one-fourth that of two-parent families. Many of these women have to choose between putting food on the table or buying clothes for their children. They often can’t do both.

That’s where The Angel Babies Store at the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center comes in. Every week, the store is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for these women to come in and purchase new or gently used clothing at a greatly reduced price. The store has clothes for mom as well as for children age three and under. It also has diapers, wipes, strollers, and much more.

What’s more, if these women are willing to go through our “Earn While You Learn” program, they can earn Baby Bucks to spend in the store. Many of the women will take enough classes to get all of their clothes and baby supplies for free. It’s just one way our Center is helping meet the needs of struggling families in North Georgia.

The Angel Babies Store is open to the public, so anyone can come in and shop.

For those who want to help us meet the needs of these families, we welcome any donations you’re willing to offer. We’re always in need of new diapers, wipes, clothing, and other necessities. For more information on how and what to donate, please call 706-253-6303 or visit the website at babyontheway.org.

at work for the 17

Volunteer Highlight The North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center has the great privilege of having many wonderful volunteers accomplish the many services we provide.

One of those volunteers has been with the Center longer than anyone else. For 10 years, Robie Rens has worked tirelessly for the families who come through our doors. What’s amazing about Robie’s story is her own daughter, Shannon, tells why her mom is so perfect for these families. According to Shannon, Robie’s journey started when…

“She had me....the perfect child (just kidding)...

“She wanted to have another child and tried unsuccessfully for quite some time. But it’s hard when you’re a military family and your husband is gone for long stretches of time. Plus, she had 18

fibroid tumors. Eventually, my parents decided to look into adoption.

“At the time, they were too old to be considered for an agency adoption (ripe old age of 35 and 36). This despite being an educated professional (nurse, mom) and a United States Marine (dad) and married for over 12 years.

“So they started looking into private adoption, which was very expensive. But, at the time, it was probably the only option. This is where the seed was planted in her interest in the pro-life movement.

“My dad was transferred to California. Mom and I stayed in Florida to wait for our house to sell.

That’s when a funny thing happened on the way to the lawyer’s office. At the time, I was a HUGE Michael Jackson fan and by some miracle, my mom managed to get tickets and took me to see the Victory Tour at the Gator Bowl. I didn’t want to take my eyes off the stage and was walking backward. When I finally turned around, I whacked a concrete pole and got my first shiner/ black eye. My dad was in town that night and we were scheduled to see the lawyer the next morning to start the private adoption process. Mom wasn’t sure if she should put makeup on my other eye and let me look like a 10-year-old hoochie, or not put makeup on it and let me look like an abused child.

“We went with the abused child look and the lawyer asked me about my eye and I told him what happened.

“Dad goes back to California the next day. Mom and I stay in Florida and two months later, she tells me in her bathroom she is pregnant. The first

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Volunteers for NGPC Volunteers are the life-blood of the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center. Without them, we couldn’t meet all the needs we see every day. They keep us moving. They encourage us. And they have hearts that want to serve. We praise God for them!

Client Advocate Volunteers: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Robie Rens – 10 years Judy Dean, Prayer advocate – 8 years Vickie Rees – 5 years Nancy Collier- 4 years Diane Smith- 4 years Natalie Dring – 2 years Kristin Travers – 1 year Judi Hill – 1 year Erin Berryman – 1 year Tera Ertz – 7 months Terry Bobbitt – 4 months Jennifer Harbrough – 4 months

Angel Babies Store Volunteers Manager:

• Ellen Trainer – 4 years

Assistant Manager:

• Patricia Groves – 2 years

Mommy Store Manager:

• Judy Dougherty – 3 years

Some of our Staff and Volunteers

words out of my mouth were “Call that lawyer.

We aren’t having two of them.” It was the typical only child response!

“After we all moved to California, Mom gets involved at the Escondido Christian Reformed Church Bible study called ‘Coffee Break.’ This group was involved with the ‘crisis’ pregnancy center and Mom’s interest began to grow from there.

“Fast forward to Georgia and Hope Presbyterian Church in Cobb County. They were involved with the Hope Center and Marietta Pregnancy Center. She ultimately ended up as the nurse manager there and the seeds that were planted due to her own experiences grew as she showed abortionminded women their baby through ultrasound.

“I have seen her passion for protecting the unborn grow exponentially at both Cobb and

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North Georgia Pregnancy Center. I believe her calling in life is to fight for the unborn and the mothers who carry them.”

And we’ve seen firsthand how effective Robie is at doing just that. We’re thankful for 10 wonderful years of working with her and look forward to the next 10 (and hopefully more). If you’d like to know more, Robie would love to share her passion for the unborn and young mothers with you. She’ll also show you how you can be involved in these precious lives.

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Mattress Overstocked!

Gary and Rhonda Barnes 91 Highland Dr, Ste 107 Ellijay, GA 30540 (706) 698-REST (7378) North Georgia Diamond 29 Highland Crossing, #105 East Ellijay, GA 30540 (706) 515-1551 northgeorgiadiamond.com Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners, Maggie Harper 3325 Paddocks Pkway, Suite 190 Suwanee, GA 30024 (770)653-8483 justlistedinalpharetta.com

Individuals and Families Dr. Steve Hotze Dr. Melonie Clemmons

Council 14348 Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church Jasper, Georgia Words from Pope John Paul II “Human life is sacred and inviolable at every moment of existence, including the initial phase which precedes birth.

All human beings, from their mother’s womb, belong to God who searches them and knows them, who forms them and knits them together with his own hands, who gazes on them when they are tiny shapeless embryos and already sees in them the adults of tomorrow whose days are numbered and whose vocation is even now written in the ‘book of life.’ There too, when they are still in their mothers’ womb—as many passages of the Bible bear witness—they are the personal objects of God’s loving and fatherly providence.”

(Papal Encyclical :Evangelium Vitae, 61).

David and Marilyn Drake Mr. and Mrs. Heinz Wegener Rev. and Mrs. Jim Bowman Clyde and Monica Cody Edwin and Barbara Worrell Christopher Wang

Knights of Columbus Committed to spiritual and economic support of the pregnant mother and her unborn child.

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"Fight Eye Disease With Yearly Eye Exams" Walmart Vision Center

88 Highland Crossing • East Ellijay, GA 30539 We accept vision and medical insurance policies including medicare.

Dr. Melonie Clemmons Dr. Andre Baron Dr. Joel Yagoda 706-635-1194 Phone • 706-635-1196 Fax

Gary Engel Owner

127 Lakeview Road Ellijay, GA 706-635-9463 Main 770-714-5277 Cell gary@engelhein.com www.engelheim.com

Real Reporters cover real stories that are important to the community.

Pickens County Progress

Serving this area For 130 years pickensprogress.com

706-253-2457

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Please Visit

The Angel Babies Store Our “Angel Babies Store” offers new and gently used clothes for moms and infants. You can take “Earn While You Learn” classes at the Center to earn “ Baby Bucks.” Then you can spend these “Baby Bucks” in the store to purchase diapers, wipes, baby clothes, and much more. We also SELL items to the public!

Hours - Open to the Public: Monday & Wednesday: 12:30pm-5:00pm Saturday: 10:00am-4:00pm

5 off

$

Bring this booklet in for $5 off any item in the Angel Babies Store.

North Georgia Pregnancy & Family Resource Center

1549 East Church St, Jasper, GA 30143 706-253-6303 info@babyontheway.org