“Thank you, come again.”

I’m sure we have all seen that sign hanging on the door of our favorite store or restaurant. 

While it’s a great slogan for a retail business, can you imagine seeing that sign on the door of a pregnancy center? “Thank you, come again with your next unplanned pregnancy.” That’s not what we want, right?

How do we avoid having that figurative “sign” on the doors of nearly 1,200 affiliated Care Net pregnancy centers?

One word: transformation. 

You see, retail businesses like your favorite restaurant are transactional. There’s little to no relationship, and they really don’t want you to change. After all, if you are at a burger place buying a hamburger, they don’t want you to start preferring salad! They are in the business of keeping you happy with your decision so that you come back again and again. They want as many transactions with you as possible.  

But that isn’t how transformational ministry works. Our slogan must instead be “come as you are, but don’t leave as you came.” When a woman or man faced with a tough pregnancy calls our Pregnancy Decision Line (PDL) or visits one of our affiliated centers, we want to meet them where they are, share Christ’s love and compassion with them, and help them with the “renewing of their minds” so that they don’t return to the destructive culture and harmful habits that led them to our center in the first place. 

The key to this transformational work is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why this year has been “The Year of the Gospel” here at Care Net, helping our hotline coaches and our centers be even more effective in sharing the Gospel with those they serve. 

You, through the work of Care Net, are in the business of breaking cycles of shame and hopelessness, as you’ll see in this issue of Caring Together. Cycles have been broken in the name of Jesus, saving unborn lives and transforming their parents’ lives!

So, next time you see a “Thank you, come again” sign, remember the difference in the  ministry work you’re making possible, and why it’s so important in breaking cycles! 

Vision Statement:

Care Net envisions a culture where women and men faced with pregnancy decisions are transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are empowered to choose life for their unborn children and abundant life for their families.