By Jessica Moore

Staff Writer

In His Image Pregnancy Resource Center held their Fifth Annual Benefit Dinner on Oct. 15.

"It was a marvelous event. We are so pleased," said Executive Director Shirley Lowe. The evening began in prayer and ended in prayer. There were heartfelt songs performed by John McCall, and testimonials given by a few of the volunteers. Each spoke about specific incidents that either led them to the pregnancy resource center or helped them to stay with the center.

One volunteer told of the exact moment she knew she was in the right place and needed to continue her work with the pregnancy resource center. She had been having "one of those days" and had been really discouraged. She was about to talk to Lowe about leaving the resource center, when a client came in for her appointment with a friend for support. The client didn't seem very enthusiastic about being there and wasn't very involved at all; her friend on the other hand, was. She began asking questions, and more questions, and eventually ended up talking to the counselor on her own. She related a story about having pregnancy scares in the past and had decided she wanted to change the path she was heading down. They ended up having a moment together sharing a few tears and listening to God's Word about His plan for her. The friend was meant to be there that night. That lesson was meant for her, explained the volunteer. It was at that moment she knew this was too important to walk away from and that she had to continue helping these women and girls during these life-changing events.

One volunteer spoke of being a grandmother and how she had helped other grandmothers who have found themselves raising their grandchildren. She explained that the resource center is not just for single mothers, it's for anyone finding themselves raising a child unexpectedly or expectedly. It's for families who need help when their financial circumstances have changed. It's for fathers needing guidance and education on becoming the best father they can be. It's for women, who need to learn more, but just don't have the resources.

The last volunteer to speak was the only male counselor at the center. He began his testimony by explaining that his wife at this point had been volunteering with the center for quite some time and he began to become curious about what it was that was keeping his wife away for three nights out of the week. So, he decided to take a look. He started out doing the handy work around the place and basically taking on the role of maintenance guy at the center. While he was there he would notice the fathers sitting in the waiting area while their girlfriends and wives were in their classes. It occurred to him they needed answers too; they needed a male role model to help them be the best father they can be. He found that many of them thought they knew what they were doing, only to find they were lost. Many of them didn't have fathers themselves so they didn't know what they were doing. Sons learn these sorts of things from their fathers. This was something he (the volunteer) had in common with them. He found his way and he was going to help them find theirs.

No one involved with the pregnancy resource center takes credit for helping these individuals find their way. The center is called In His Image. These messages come straight from above. The volunteers are there to spread His Word and help the clients earn the tools they need to lead successful lives and support their families. Many families the center has helped have even begun donating and helping others, as they were helped when they were in need.

The event went very well, "We are looking forward to next year," said Lowe.