Living Alternatives is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women who are in a difficult situation and are seeking help. Whether you are in the early stages of pregnancy, have already had an abortion, or are a single mother, Living Alternatives is committed to assisting you with your needs. They offer a warm and safe environment to everyone, regardless of age, race, income, nationality, religious affiliation, or circumstances. The team at Living Alternatives will provide you with accurate information about pregnancy, fetal development, life-style issues, and related concerns to help you know which decision is right for you. They offer support to the many women who find themselves facing the most difficult decisions of their lives alone. If you are unsure of what step to take next or are simply looking for more information on your options, Living Alternatives will help you on your path.
Mission Statement
” We are committed to saving the lives of unborn children by promoting life-affirming options and providing practical assistance, while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed, and to minister restoration to those who have been wounded by the trauma of abortion.” -Stated on Living Alternatives website
Statement of Faith
• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, only infallible, and complete inerrant, authoritative Word of God. • We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. • We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. • We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to lead a Godly life. • We believe that the salvation of the lost and sinful man is brought about by repentance of sin and personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. • We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; They that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. • We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. • We believe that Jesus Christ is coming again, and that coming can be at any moment. -Stated on Living Alternatives website
Purpose
Living Alternatives offers free testing and confidential counseling. The purpose of Living Alternatives is to offer counsel and support women in many types of crises whether they are abortion-minded or not abortion-minded. They offer many services, including parenting classes, providing maternity and baby clothing, abstinence education, and post abortion counseling. They will in no way pressure or hassle any woman into making any type of decision about her baby. They will only provide completely accurate information and leave any decisions concerning the outcome of the pregnancy to the woman.
Women can expect to be provided with accurate information about both prenatal development and abortion. The physician serving as medical director supervises the operation of the medical clinic and the provision of all medical information. Assistance is available to all women at all times free of charge. They offer assistance free of charge at all times. Clients can always trust they will be treated with kindness and compassion by staff and volunteers. Women are guaranteed that any questions will be answered honestly and that all client information is held in strict and complete confidence.
Ministries
The Living Alternatives organization operates multiple ministries. Pregnancy Resource Centers offers 12 locations and minister to girls who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy or a pregnancy they are unprepared for. The Rocking Chair exists to encourage and assist women whose unborn child has received a terminal diagnosis. Merci's Refuge is a Maternity Home that is currently in process of raising initial startup capital.
The Rocking Chair
The Rocking Chair is an organization that offers support to mothers who have received an adverse or terminal diagnosis for their unborn baby and wishes to carry their baby to term. They wish to offer support to the mother and family throughout her pregnancy, the birth, life, and sometimes death of her child. This support is constant through the pregnancy and continues beyond if desired. They offer regular meetings with a nurse, assistance in creating a birth plan, aid in collecting keepsakes, contact information for local support groups, and help in planning a memorial service. Through their services, they will respect, honor, and treat with dignity every human life, whether born or unborn, as created by God and precious to Him. http://www.rocking-chair.org/
Pregnancy Resource Center
The Pregnancy Resource Center offers help to women who are experiencing a pregnancy that is unplanned or that they are unprepared for. Their goal is to educate women on their options and offer support throughout the pregnancy. They offer free on-site pregnancy tests many of their sites feature medical clinics that offer free limited ultrasounds. They have compassionate peer counseling and desire to truly love each client that they have the opportunity and the joy to work with. They also offer the HOPE (Helping Others Parent through Education) Program. HOPE includes classes on parenting at no charge to women who are enrolled. The women meet with a HOPE mentor and receive encouragement while being taught the skills necessary to raising their child. Through participating in these classes, women are given “Baby Bucks” which can be used to purchase items in the stores housed at each center. http://www.hopeforafuture.com/Ministries/PRCs.html
Merci's Refuge
The desire of Merci’s Refuge is to fulfill the need for residential care as a way to house and support women during their pregnancies. The primary purpose of Merci’s Refuge is providing women a practical opportunity that allows them to focus on the core issues that are holding them back from reaching their God-given potential. Many women experiencing a pregnancy that is unplanned or that they are unprepared for have few resources available to them and few places of support that they can rely on. When they become parents they often face many day-to-day financial, social, and emotional barriers that obstruct their personal growth. Merci’s Refuge will initially be built to house up to 12 women plus live-in staff. They will offer group and individual mentoring and professional counseling that will allow women discover and recognize issues of their heart, mind, and soul that may be preventing them from reaching their goals. They will also have the opportunity to be involved in life-skill classes covering nutrition, parenting, money management and entrepreneurship, healthy relationships, and spiritual growth. This is a non-profit organization and all services are offered free of charge to women who are pregnant, currently in a situation that puts them at-risk for an unplanned pregnancy (such as a sexually forceful relationship), and women who have had an abortion and desire supportive services. http://www.mercisrefuge.org/
Staff
Administrative Team
Sherry Sherwood - Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Rasch - Director of Finance Carrie Murphy - Director of Nursing Diana Rasch - Director of Communications and Marketing Greta Henry - Director of Adoptions Ruth Tibstra - Executive Director - North Region Seth Kempf - Executive Director - South Region Nathan Himes - Executive Director - East Region
Bloomington/Normal Staff
Nathan Himes - Executive Director Mary Orns, R.N. - Assistant Director Margie Sauder, R.N. - Assistant Director Carrie Murphy, R.N. - Nurse Manager Dr. Peter Vienne, D.O. - Medical Director Dr. Harold Nord, M.D. - OB/Gyn Consultant Ellen Orns - Event Coordinator
Contact
Pregnancy Assistance
General Inquiries
Adoption
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| Location |
303 Landmark Drive Suite 1B Normal, IL 61761
| Phone |
| Website |
