During the Lenten Sunday Divine Liturgies we hear as part of the prayer following the Anaphora, that God “knows the name and age of each, even from his (or her) mother’s womb.”  We as Orthodox Christians are inherently pro-life, but we often do not know what to do or what kind of response to make or provide.  During the reception following the Southern New Jersey Deanery Vespers on Sunday, 19 March 2017, at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross in Medford NJ, representatives of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants offered suggestions on how to support and build “a Culture of Life and Family.”

Mary Anne Barlow, Teri LaBrosse, and Claire Howson spoke about the work of the Helpers:  “Most of the women we meet are abortion minded due to fear and feeling as if they have no hope.   We enter into the lives of these women and their families to provide invaluable support services and mentoring designed to evangelize, educate, and equip them to overcome personal crisis and move forward with life goals.”

“We have made a difference by collectively working with local agencies and organizations and facilitating connections for our clients. We holistically care for people to promote their physical and mental wellbeing. This, then, enables them to care for one another. We believe that a healthy family is the cornerstone of a healthy society. Our comprehensive solution moves our clients from a life of social and community dependence to one of self-awareness, motivation and realized potential that allows them to ‘leave the system behind.’”

“We enable our clients to break down life problems into steps and to address each issue in turn.  Our volunteers work with them to assess their overall needs and detail a step-by-step path to improve their lives. We then walk alongside them as they integrate and utilize all of the identified resources. We provide continuity to keep them moving forward and we advocate for them when necessary.”

"The Helpers also work to accept and distribute material donations and financial gifts.  Donors and contributors want to know that their time and money has enabled parents to improve their family experience and enabled the family unit to become fully functional and capable of independent living."  (website: www.helpersnj.org)

To volunteer your help go to the site:

http://optionline.org/