By: Nicole Friberg, Webster Center Director
What is Embracing Options? We are a Christ-centered Crisis Pregnancy Center. We address the needs of individual women by sharing the Gospel and empowering them to make positive life-affirming choices. Embracing Options is a Care Net affiliate. Care Net is a national network of 1,180 pregnancy centers that provide free support to pregnant women.
The United Methodist Church of Webster Outreach House Embracing Options committee consists of Ray and Laurie Dutcher, Dave and Bobbi Olson, Pastor Lee, and Nicole Friberg. We have been meeting, working and praying on this for a little over a year.
At Embracing Options, we offer free pregnancy tests, on-going peer counseling and friendship, referrals for medical care, referrals for legal assistance or other needed community services, referrals for adoption or foster care, post-abortion counseling (PACE), and referrals to a church.
Embracing Options is a para-church ministry. Everything we do for our client, we do to point her in the way of God and His love. We show her that she has potential, because she is created in the image of God. We give her a Bible to have for her own. When hurting women encounter Jesus Christ in the midst of their crisis, their lives are forever changed.
I am excited to say that our opening date was March 29th. Our hours of operation are Mondays from noon – 5 pm and Thursdays from 10 am – 2:00 pm.
I cannot speak for everyone who is on the committee, but I can tell you why I feel the calling to be involved in this. As some of you may know, our three children are all adopted. If their birth mothers had not chosen life, we would not have them here with us today. We thank God every day that they chose life, so we could be so blessed with these three amazing children.
To be Pro Life does not just mean we are against abortion. To be Pro Life means we honor, respect, and love all of God’s creations from conception to death.
You may be asking yourselves, what can I, as a member of our congregation, do to help? There are many ways. We are looking for volunteers to peer counsel (requires 16 hours of Care Net training, provided by us). We are also looking for volunteers to join on our electronic prayer team (we need prayers for our volunteers, director, committee, and our clients). If you feel God is calling you to any of these, please contact Nicole at 585-545-4690.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jer.1:5
