History by Andy Smith, Founder
During the autumn of 1984 while in medical school, the Lord used a lecture on abortion to impress on me how crucial it was for the body of Christ to be involved in the life and death issue of abortion and unwanted pregnancy. The lecturer, a "pro-choice" obstetrician, stated that she felt she could never have an abortion herself and it was a very fine line that kept her in favor of doing them at all. She went on to say that she believed she would feel differently about allowing abortions if this were a perfect world where these women were supported and cared for during their stressful pregnancies.
Burlington Pregnancy Services (now Care Net Pregnancy Center - CNPC) began as an attempt to serve as a channel for the body of Christ to provide, as nearly as possible, that "perfect world". Over a dozen born-again churches were initially contacted, and nearly 100 interested individuals showed up at our first organizational meeting in January 1985. From the beginning, we desired to see CNPC solidly built on Jesus Christ and the Word of God. CNPC is, therefore, specifically a Christ-centered outreach. We seek to go beyond meeting only physical needs to bringing spiritual rebirth.
Through prayer and many hard-working individuals, the Lord brought together the volunteers, director, facility, working committees and board of directors so that we were able to open our doors in June 1985. From there, the Lord quickly increased our numbers of clients and areas of ministry to include speaking in schools and youth groups, presentation tables at area colleges, and offering housing in Christian homes to women in need of such help.
We firmly believe that, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it". The Lord has built the ministry of CNPC from its initial vision, to its early days of preparation, to its function as an active, vital and life-changing ministry (for the volunteers as well as the clients and their unborn children).
What is the result of all this? As Christians give of themselves through CNPC, sometimes until it hurts, the women coming through the doors of CNPC (and the community in general) get a glimpse of practical Christian love in action. As a result, by God's grace we look forward to seeing some of our clients and their children in the future in the truly perfect world God is preparing for His children.