Changing Paradigms One Rock at a Time
By Keith Thorn
Imagine for a moment that you’re
driving away from a car dealer with a brand new car you’ve had your eye on for
a long, long time. It's an incredibly beautiful day and you're on cloud nine.
As you accelerate to get home to show your neighbors
your new pride and joy, you notice a young boy standing
close to the edge of the road a few blocks ahead of you.
The boy is holding something in his hand. The closer
you get the more evident it becomes that what he’s holding is a big
rock. He raises his hand, and as you pass by him, you hear an awful
THUD on the side of your brand new car. You come to a screeching halt
and, as you look in your rear view mirror, you see the kid running toward
you. Jumping out of the car your mind is racing with thoughts you haven’t
had in quite awhile. But, before you have a chance to vent your anger,
the boy cries out, “Mister, my sister is down in that ditch and needs
help! I’m sorry about your car but no one would stop to help me.” Looking
over to where the boy is pointing, you see that there is a little girl
in a pool of blood who is seriously hurt and you begin your quest to
help her.
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Keith Thorn
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Isn’t it strange how our paradigms
can suddenly change? One moment we’re driving happily along life’s road and suddenly
we’re hit with the reality of those dying around us -- both physically and spiritually.
Part of my job at the Pregnancy Resource Centers
(PRC) is to be the one throwing rocks at two different groups of people; clients
in need of help and donors who we need to help us to help others.
Clients
Five to six-thousand teenage girls and young men come through PRC‘s
eight centers around the St. Louis metropolitan area each year. The rocks (so
to speak) that I use to get their attention include the Yellow Pages,
newspaper ads, radio and TV spots, our 24 hour hotlines (314-PREGNANT, 618-PREGNANT,
and 877-PREGNANT) and our Web site www.prcmo.net, which receives over 1,000
hits a month and draws many clients to our hotlines.
For the most part these young people are in desperate need both physically
and spiritually. They need real help with real answers to their problems. Every
PRC is equipped to help by providing ultrasounds so they can actually see their
babies; pregnancy testing; tangible resources; and highly trained counselors.
We also offer special programs such as Best Choice℠,
an abstinence based community outreach program; Pregnancy Loss℠ to help those dealing
with the loss of a child; and Mentoring Men℠, a program designed specifically
for men involved in crisis pregnancy situations. All of these services are currently
free.
At the same time their physical needs are being addressed, these people
also need real and truthful answers to their spiritual questions, fears and
doubts. Again, in this vital area, we offer real help with real and truthful
answers.
Three Signs
Imagine if you will…three signs hung over each room of the eight current
PRC locations. The first sign reads, “By His Grace.” Hebrews 12:15
challenges us to, “See to it that no one comes short of the Grace of God.” At
PRC we look for every opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ
regardless of the type of assistance we provided to those who come to us for
help.
The second imaginary sign says, “Come As You Are.”
Rev. 22:17 tells us, “…and let the one who is thirsty come….” At the
PRC we stand on the rock solid foundation that we are all lost without Christ‘s
redeeming grace regardless of whether you‘re rich or poor, black or white, pro-life
or pro-death.
Lastly, this sign is hung, “You Matter to God.” The wonderful words
of Rom. 5: 6-8 speaks to this…“God demonstrates His own love for us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us....”
Those signs speak to some of the reasons I am challenged to renew my efforts
every day in the work I do at PRC. We are never judgmental about those coming
to us for help, whether they come to us in person, by phone, or on the Web.
This is purely a work of love and truth. First Corinthians, Chapter
13, refers to real love and John 1 reminds us that when the
light of Truth is shown, the darkness fades. What PRC offers is love and Truth
and the end result is that lives are changed; sometimes saved…for now and for
eternity.
Donors
The second group I endeavor to reach are donors.
It costs approximately 1.5 million dollars each
year to operate our eight centers, four resource programs, and 24 hour hotlines
(which take over 100 volunteer hours a month to operate effectively). PRC receives
no funds other than those donated by churches, individuals, and businesses,
so donor gifts make it happen -- for now and for eternity.
Our nemesis, Planned Parenthood (whose business is to kill babies – not
save them) has an annual budget excess that is many times larger than the total
current PRC budget. Given this information, here’s another rock. I would like
to challenge you, your church and any business owner you might know (or wish
to share this challenge with) to invest in the life saving work of the PRC.
I challenge you to give generously and start this year with a strategy for giving
on an ongoing basis. Remember, all contributions are tax-deductible and there
are a number of ways to contribute. You may wish to consider a charitable remainder
trust, a gift of stock, donating a vehicle, or just sending us a generous check.
Please call me so we can discuss how you, your church or business can invest
in saving lives and bringing the lost to Christ!
In addition to financial contributions, please prayerfully consider giving
of your time as a volunteer. We need more Christian volunteers and there are
many opportunities available at our centers where your talents can be utilized
regardless of your age or gender.
Keith Thorn is the Director of Development and Marketing for the Pregnancy
Resource Centers of Greater Saint Louis.
For more information on how you can assist the PRC call (314)783-3040 ext 225
or go online to www.prcmo.net. Keith can also be reached by e-mailing KeithThorn@prcmo.net
or calling his cell number (314) 484-0542.