Care Net turns 40 this year.

This is a cause for celebration, but it is also a clarion call about what the next 40 years must look like.

Shortly after the passage of Roe v. Wade, Care Net’s founders saw an enormous need to minister to women who suddenly had the option to end the lives of their unborn children, but had very few life-affirming places to turn to in a “brave new” post-Roe v. Wade world.

The founders of Care Net were determined to make a difference not necessarily through political means, but by simply offering compassion to those in need.

Here is a snippet from our history page about Care Net’s beginnings:

Care Net was founded in 1975 as the Christian Action Council by the renowned Dr. Harold O. J. Brown. Care Net's beginnings were influenced by former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop and Christian scholar, Dr. Francis Schaeffer.

From its earliest days, Care Net has sought to engage faithful men and women in promoting life-affirming decisions. That engagement has taken many forms.

In the 1980s, the organization’s mission crystallized into establishing pregnancy centers and equipping them to empower women to make life-affirming decisions in response to an unplanned pregnancy. The organization subsequently adopted the name "Care Net".

Today, Care Net is an expansive network, advocating for more than 1,100 independent, affiliated pregnancy centers across North America, as well as operating Pregnancy Decision Line, Care Net’s contact center that reaches women and men at their points of need.

Therefore, there is cause for celebration. Millions of people have been touched by Care Net’s work over these 40 years. In just the past 6 years, 388,691 women visiting Care Net-affiliated pregnancy centers have made decisions for life. Without Care Net, many of those women may not have been blessed by life-affirming people and organizations that had their best interests at heart.

The Next 40 Years

But at this point in our history, it is time to think about what comes next. Where is God leading us? As we prayerfully pondered this question throughout 2014, John 10:10 kept coming up. In it, Christ says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

For 40 years, Care Net has scored many “touchdowns.” Life saving, wonderful touchdowns with every decision for life made by one of the women or men we served. However, God has challenged us to not just score touchdowns, but to “win the game.” And Christ’s words give us a glimpse at what winning means… not just life, but abundant life.

So, what does abundant life look like to a child?

Two things immediately come to mind. First, knowing Christ. Second, having a strong family in which mom and dad are united in love through marriage and are loving their child. These are the elements of an abundant life, and they are the goals Care Net seeks to achieve as we embark on the next phase of our history. (see our new mission and vision for more detail on what this all means)

We are delighted to have you be part of this exciting journey.

Throughout 2015, we will be sharing moments from our history to give you a perspective on where we’ve come from, and more importantly, where we are going. You will learn about the lives we’ve changed and the lives we’ve saved. And you’ll also learn about new initiatives like our Joseph Project and our Church Initiative… projects designed to start building abundant lives for the precious children we are saving.