Churches work together to establish new pregnancy resource center in Rhinelander

Peace Lutheran Church of Arbor Vitae has announced that it has received $2,500 in matching funds from the 1 John 3 Million Dollar Life Match, a matching grant opportunity established by The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), to help New Dawn Pregnancy Resource Center establish a new center in Rhinelander.

With the matching gift and the congregation’s contribution, the total gift to New Dawn was $5,000.  Peace Lutheran worked  with St. Mark Lutheran Church in Rhinelander on this effort, church officials said in a press release.

Located at 1860 N. Stevens Street, the new center will serve Rhinelander and the surrounding area. It is expected to open sometime this month, the release states.

“New Dawn opened the doors of its first center in Woodruff in May of 2011,” the release notes. “They provide compassionate, confidential and cost-free care to women in need of support while facing an unexpected pregnancy — listening to their fears, answering their questions and providing them with accurate information about all the options available. Their services are available anytime throughout pregnancy, and also include pregnancy tests, limited early pregnancy ultrasounds, STD testing, post abortion support, material needs, educational classes, and referrals for healthcare, adoption, legal advice, and other community resources.”

The 1 John 3 Million Dollar Life Match was established to help LCMS congregations provide spiritual, emotional and physical care to strengthen families in communities across the U.S., the release states.

“The theme verses for this effort are 1 John 3:16-18, ESV: ‘By this we know love, that he (Jesus Christ) laid down his life for us…Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth,” the release states. “As Lutheran Christians, we speak for human life by witnessing to our Lord’s creation of life and His design for marriage and the family, and by advocating for the God-given value of all human life — from conception to natural death.”

For more information about LCMS, visit lcms.org.  For more information about New Dawn Pregnancy Resource Center, visit newdawnprc.com or call 715-358-6700.