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The Pregnancy Care Center movement fascinates me. In the face of stubborn Supreme Court precedent (Roe v. Wade), concerned Christians all across the country decided to do what they could to encourage and walk alongside women facing an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy.

The impact of these centers has been astounding. CareNet, one of the major associations for pregnancy care centers, states that its approximately 1,100 affiliated centers have saved 531,977 lives. For context, these centers have saved more lives than the U.S. lost in WW2 (approximately 417,000 military deaths). Further, these centers appear to be assisting in a slow swing in public opinion toward life.

So, what can we, as church leaders and committed Christians, learn about community impact and public life from these centers? Well, I posed this question to Sharyn Hobbs, the director of Life Choices Clinic in Madison, Indiana. And, we were joined by my wife, Carissa Hershberger, for this conversation.

Under Sharyn’s leadership, Life Choices Clinic has led over 80 people to Christ over the last several years, taken over the physical space of the former Planned Parenthood (after Planned Parenthood shut down) and expanded its services to ultrasounds and STI testing. Life Choices Clinic’s mission is as follows: Transforming our community by creating a culture that embraces sexual integrity and values human life. We discussed three keys to the clinic’s success and the success of the broader movement.

1. It’s Local
2. It’s about Loving People
3. It’s Focused on Leading People to Jesus

Key Takeaways:

• Sharyn shares an amazing story about one of the volunteers at the clinic. This woman was once counseled to have an abortion in one of the counseling rooms at the clinic (when the clinic was operated by Planned Parenthood). This volunteer now sits in the same room and encourages young women to choose life!
• Life Choices approaches the life issue in a holistic way. Life Choices helped start an abstinence education organization, and that organization (Pure Initiative) now shares the message of abstinence in approximately 40 public schools each year.
• Sharyn encourages all of us to focus on what we can do to solve “big-picture” problems. This local focus then multiplies our impact.
• She helped start the organization and has a great word for kingdom entrepreneurs,  “Do it afraid.”
• Sharyn has 4 young children but still manages to lead an incredible ministry! All my excuses just got blown out of the water!