Representatives of at least 45 Madison area churches made up the 400 people who attended Care Net Pregnancy Center of Dane County’s annual banquet, November 3rd, at the Marriott Madison West. Roland Warren, the CEO of Care Net’s national organization challenged those congregations to take up the job of ending abortion.
“Fifty four per cent of women who have abortions identify as Christian,” Warren said. “If a woman has a positive pregnancy test, who is she going to talk to in her church?” If there is no one, he suggested, the woman might easily choose to go to an abortion provider.
Referring to Liz Osborn, the CEO of Care Net Dane County, Warren said, “This isn’t Liz and her team’s issue and you’re helping. This is your issue, and Liz is helping. This is not a social services issue, this is a discipleship issue.”
Osborn, in her remarks, noted that progress is being made. “When I was involved in the abortion industry [before becoming prolife], there were three abortion clinics in downtown Madison,” she said. “Now there are only three in the entire state.”
She agreed that fighting abortion was a spiritual battle. “We are not political, we are prayerful,” she said, passing along a quote she had heard recently: “When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.”
Madison Roman Catholic diocese Bishop Robert Morlino, gave the invocation to start the evening. Marcio Sierra, senior pastor of Lighthouse Church was the Master of Ceremonies, and Shannon Colwin, lead pastor of Damascus Road Church offered the benediction.
Two women and their babies testified to the compassionate care that they had received through Care Net and The Elizabeth House, their residential program for pregnant women. It was announced that 217 mothers and babies had been served by Elizabeth House since it opened in 2003. It was also noted that in 2015 Care Net was the recipient of more than 14,000 volunteer hours valued at more than $330,000.
The banquet is the annual fundraiser for Care Net’s local ministry. This year’s goal was $205,000 and Care Net reports they were very close to reaching that goal as the counting continued early this week.