Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Good morning.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: It's getting warmer. Isn't that great?
[00:00:07] Speaker A: I mean, we know it's Ohio, so.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: It'S just gonna get a lot colder.
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Again, but it's great now when it's great to worship together, let's stand and worship our Lord. It is the day he is made. Amen.
Oh, this is the day you made so I'll rej.
Be glad. Rejoice and be glad in it.
Oh, this is where I believe.
Then you are more than enough. You're more than enough for me.
You are faithful to your promise. You are strong when I am weak when I'm standing in your presence.
Have everything I need.
The joy of the Lord, the joy of the Lord is my strength. It's more than a feeling.
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Oh, my soul, bless his name all that is within me say the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Hallelujah.
Oh, Jesus, come what he may, for you are worthy of all. You're worthy of all my praise.
You are faithful to your promise. You are strong when I am weak.
When I'm standing in your presence, I have everything I need.
The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Oh, the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. Hallelujah.
Oh, my soul, bless his name all that is within me say the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Let it rise up like a river overflowing.
Holy Spirit.
Let it pour around with no limit over flowing.
Holy Spirit, let your worship flow out. Let it rise up like a river flowing.
Holy Spirit.
Let it pour out with no limit overflowing.
Holy Spirit.
Yes, you believe this? The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Yeah, let's sing it out.
Oh, the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Oh, the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my. For my soul. Bless his name.
O my soul, bless his name all that is within me say oh, my soul, bless his name all that is within me. Oh, my soul, oh, my soul. Bless his name all that is within me say the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Yes, it's more than a feeling.
[00:05:00] Speaker B: Hey, let's give God glory. He's good this morning.
[00:05:03] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:05:04] Speaker B: He is good. You may be seated. I want to welcome you to our service this morning. If we have not had the opportunity to meet, my name is Rob Zimmerman. I'm the lead pastor here at Westgate, and I'm thankful that You've chosen to join us and worship together this morning. I especially want to welcome you if you are a guest first time with us here today.
We know that as you are kind of checking us out and maybe you've been here not just today, but over the last few weeks, I want you to know that as you begin to take that step of wanting to get connected here into the life of Westgate Chapel, the best first step to take is to fill out the connection card that you'll see in the pew in front of you. And that connection card again as you turn it in, gives us an opportunity just to make connection with you. And the way that you can do that is at the close of our service, you can take it out these back doors to our main lobby and there is our guest center. And at the guest center, we have some hosts that will take that card from you, but also give you a small gift to say thank you for being here. But most importantly, they'd love to answer any questions you have about our church, the various ministries, and how you and your family can get connected. And so we would love for you to stop by at the close of the service today.
Also, as you're looking to get connected here at Westgate, the best way to stay connected is by using our church app. The church app is something you can download on your app store, but it will give you all the information about events that are coming up, things that are happening this winter, and so be sure to check that out because it is also a great way to register for our various events. And one of those events coming up, as you saw on the screen just a second ago, was our New People party. The New People party is coming up this next week, Sunday, February 22, and it's going to be from noon to 1 after our second service. And if you are new to Westgate in the last few weeks, months, years, whatever it is, if you have not had that opportunity to connect with our church staff and to learn from them about our church, we would love for you to come and join us. We have a great lunch that is planned and just a short time for us to get to know one another. And so you can register to be a part of that again on the church app or on our website. But we would love for you to come and join us. So please be sure to check that out now as we, as we continue in our worship, we're going to be jumping back into musical worship here in just a moment. We would love for you to take a moment to greet somebody around you. And so I'm going invite you to stand, find someone you haven't said hello to yet this morning and welcome them to our service.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: Here.
All right.
Wow.
That's.
Step out of the shadows Step out of the grave Break into the wild and don't be afraid you run into wide open spaces Grace is waiting for you can't fight the weight has been lifted Grace is waiting where the Spirit of the Lord is There is freedom There is freedom where the spirit of the Lord is There is freedom There is freedom Come out of the dark just as you are into the fullness of his love for the Spirit is here Let there be freedom Let there be freedom.
Bring all of your scars Come back to communion Come back to the stars Run into wide open spaces Grace is waiting for you Dance like the weight has been lifted Grace is waiting where the spirit of the Lord is There is freedom There is freedom where the spirit of the Lord is There is freedom There is freedom Come out of the dark just as you are into the fullness of his love for the Spirit is here Let there be freedom Let there be freedom.
Freedom.
Chains will fall Prisons shake at the sound of Jesus name Lives made whole hearts awake at the sound of Jesus name Chains will fall Prison shake at the sound of Jesus name Life made whole hearts awake at the sound of Jesus name.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is There is freedom There is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is There is freedom There is freedom Come out of the dark just as you are into the fullness of his love for the Spirit is here Let there be freedom Let there be freedom.
Let there be freedom.
Oh, praise the Lord his mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness New every morning, every voice Our sins, they are many let's sing that again.
Praise the Lord his mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness New every morning Our sins, they are many his mercy is more.
Good love could remember no wrongs we have done a misdal Knowing he counts not the sum thrown in To a sea without bottom or shore.
[00:14:40] Speaker B: Our sins.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: They are many his mercy is more Praise the Lord his mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness New every morning Our sins, they are many his mercy is more Are his mercies New every morning?
Yes.
What patience would wait as we constantly roam what father so tender Is calling us home? He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor Our sins, they are many his mercy is more Praise the Lord his mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness New every morning Our sins, they are many his mercy is Hallelujah.
What riches of kindness he lavished on us his blood was the payment his life was the cost we stood neath a debt we could never afford Our sins, they are many his mercy is more Praise the Lord yes, praise the Lord his mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness New every morning Our sins, they are many his mercy, every voice Praise the Lord his mercy is more.
Stronger than darkness New every more Our sins, they are many his mercy is more Our sins, they are many his mercy is more.
Thank you, God.
Amen.
[00:18:18] Speaker B: Amen.
You may be seated as we go to prayer together this morning. If you've been following along with our Germany team that has been serving this last week in Waden, Germany, you will recognize that they had a tough time getting there.
But praise the Lord, they are on their last flight home from Amsterdam, and so they are currently in the air.
Praise the Lord for that. And we are excited to receive them back and to hear all the incredible stories of what God has been doing as they have been serving alongside our partners there and working with children in that community, sharing the good news of Jesus. And so we are excited about that.
Also want to remind you that we've got our high school students who have been on away on a retreat all weekend long and they're traveling back this morning as well. We'll be arriving right around the time our service is ending. And so we want to just pray as well over them, not only for safe travel, but also that God would just continue to take the things that they've been talking about and learning and continue to sow that in their hearts as they seek to grow in him and be used by Him. So would you join me in prayer as we. As we continue?
Father, we thank you so much for this morning and we thank you, God, for the opportunity you give us each and every week as a family, as your family, to gather together and Father, to worship you, to find a place where we can be challenged, to grow deeper in our intimacy with you, but also, Father, to be used by you in the lives of others. We thank you, God, that you give us opportunity with our partners in Germany to be able to send teams to work with them and what they are doing in a part of the world where very few people are following you to go and to be the light of Christ. And Lord, we pray that all of you, the work that they have poured into families in that community this week, God, we pray that you would continue to water those seeds that have been planted and that, Lord, we would see over time, many people coming to a saving knowledge of your son, Jesus Christ, because of it, we ask God that you would continue to give them traveling mercy as they come home to be with us. And again, we anticipate hearing about all the great things that you have done. Lord, we pray over high school students again that you would keep them safe as they travel home this morning. Morning as well, but as well, Lord, would you take all the things that they've been talking about, their relationship with you, Father, the fact that you have planted them in various circles of influence with people that don't know you would also give them the courage to share what you have done in their lives with others. And so God, continue to develop them and bear fruit that will come from this weekend as they met with you.
And Father, we pray over our time together this morning, most of all, that you would continue to shape and cultivate our hearts for you, Lord, we come to our time of offering and we recognize again, God, everything we have comes from you and we give back, Lord, asking that you would multiply these gifts that we will give and that you would use them, God, so that more people in this community and throughout the world will know your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we love, love you and we worship you together this morning. It's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.
Well, we will take our morning offering. And so if you're here on the center aisles, invite you to grab the offering buckets. You can pass them to the sides. If you're in the balcony, they're in the corners and you can pass those in. And we will continue here worshiping the Lord as we take our offering for just a moment.
[00:21:50] Speaker A: Sam?
[00:22:19] Speaker B: Well, this morning we have a special treat.
Every year we have the opportunity to celebrate sanctity of human life Sunday. And many of you know, if you are connected with that, the Sanctity of human life Sunday actually happens at the end of January, right about the time that we have our annual meeting or a massive snowstorm that shuts everything down. And so we traditionally, as a church, celebrate this Sunday together sometime in the month of February. And we have that opportunity this morning. I am excited for us because it really speaks to the heart of who we are and our vision and mission together as a church. And this morning we are blessed to have with us Savannah Martin, director of Bella Vita, the pregnancy center. And so would you welcome Savannah as she comes and joins me this morning? Morning.
Thank you, my friend, for being here with us this morning.
And we have had a number of years of partnership with the pregnancy center now Bella Vita. And it has been exciting to see how God has been growing the ministry of the pregnancy center and over. Over the years, but also to see how God has been growing this congregation in its investment.
And I know that some people that are here this morning, when I say Bella Vida, they go, huh, what is that? And so would you give us just kind of a big picture overview, if you will, of Bella Vida?
[00:23:49] Speaker C: Absolutely. It is an honor to be here.
Bella Vida, which means beautiful life in Italian, is a ministry that's been here in northwest Ohio for a little over 40 years. And we have three outreaches. The first outreach is our college ministry called Sole Purpose, which partners with pregnancy centers across the country, reaching women on college campuses.
Our second outreach is our outreach of the pregnancy center. I know this is our outreach that most people are familiar with. It's our longest running outreach. And the pregnancy center is ministry for individuals that are finding out that they're expecting, and many of them are considering making an abortion decision. And so we step in through our medical clinic, our case management program, and then also our pregnancy and parenting classes to help these families choose life and choose it abundantly. And then our third outreach is our outreach of the Haven, which is our after abortion care outreach. And we are serving both men and women who have abortion as a part of their story, helping them see God's hand in that, administering biblical reconciliation process for them, and then also loving those that work in the abortion clinic as well, the volunteers and the staff there. So that is Bella Vida in a nutshell.
[00:25:21] Speaker B: That's great. That is great.
Now, I know that one of the things we wanted to talk about today, especially for our congregation here is why.
Why we care about the work of Bellavita and for us as a church family, when we talk about things like the sanctity of human life, for some people, that's a political thing.
For me, it is a biblical thing. It is grounded, what we believe when it comes to the importance of all human life. It is not grounded in what our world says. It is grounded in what God says in his word. And one of the passages of scripture that I love dearly on this topic is found in Psalm 139. Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16, says this. It says, you created my inmost being.
You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my Unformed body. And all the days ordained for me were written before one of them came to be. You know, as I think about the words of the psalmist there, Savannah, I think of the fact that what it shows us, not only in this psalm, but throughout the whole of scripture, is the incredible worth and value that God places on human life. And in this passage specifically, what we see in it is that from our very inception, even before concept, God has been at work planning human life as is intimately involved in that creative process. And so, as I think about that, that is why we as a church value so deeply the work of the Pregnancy center of BellaVita and all of those ministries, but not just because of human life in terms of the baby, but also because we see the value of what bellavita is doing holistically.
You know, I shared in the first service that when I was in high school, I went to a Christian high school in Cypress, California. And directly across the street from our high school was an abortion clinic. And I can remember that my point of view of the pro life movement was essentially just people that hated abortion went out to picket at abortion clinics, and they would stand there and they would hold signs of aborted fetuses, and as cars drove in, they would yell and scream at the people that were coming in. And I can remember even as a young man, thinking to myself, we are building more walls than we are bridges to people that are in need. And that is probably one of the things that, as I have as Rochelle and I moved here to Toledo and we got ingrained and began to learn about the work that was happening at the pregnancy center was we love the fact that it's not just about the baby, but it is about breaking down walls and building bridges into people's lives where we care about the life of the unborn, but we care about the life of the mother. We care about the life of the father, even caring about the life of the people that are working in the abortion clinic. And it's about caring about people in such a way that we also know that the greatest hope that they have and that they can find is found in. In Jesus Christ. And so for me, I get excited about what you guys are doing because I believe that Bella Vita really embodies the love of Jesus in our community. You are intentional in the ways that you are showing that love, not only with acts of love and kindness, but with words itself. And so, you know, as I think about that, your theme this year year is healing starts here. And would you maybe lean into that for us just a little bit and share where, where did that theme come from and what is the heart behind it?
[00:29:18] Speaker C: Yeah, so one, I love you. Just talking about the heartbeat, all puns intended. Of why Westgate is so supportive of this work. And I want to thank you and Rochelle, who actually is one of our volunteers over at the pregnancy center. But I know that Rachel is over here and we've got Leanne and I know there are others. I'm sure that I'm missing that Westgate has this long history of people who are invested. I see the gates is here today that the like people are, are putting their money where their mouth is, putting their time, you know, where their belief system is praying for us. And so I just want to say thank you. You, it's easy to sit up here and be the, the point person because all the work that you're talking about is done through incredible people like you all. So thank you so much for your support.
When we were thinking about our, our theme this year, we really knew that we wanted to really hone in on individuals who have abortion as a part of this, their story as, as something that they've been through. And we did this back in 2017 and kind of wanted to restart there.
And the reason that we wanted to do that is because we know that in this room, one out of every four women that are here and one out of every five men that are sitting in this room actually have abortion as a part of, of their story. It's one of the mo. The single most common human experiences globally.
And unfortunately, what the enemy likes to do is he wants people to sit in shame and fear and isolation thinking no one has done something as bad as I've done. And so as we really prayed about that, Healing Starts Here kind of took on two meanings. But one of those meanings was that it starts here that today is your day of healing. That if this is you, if you have walked through an abortion, we believe that God wants to step in and to meet you. And one of the things that we wanted to do is put a tool into the hands of people who have experienced an abortion. And so Susan, our After Abortion care director, actually wrote a devotional called Healing Starts Here for men and women who have experienced an abortion. And right now we have close to 40 men and women who have kick started their healing journey. And so we just want to say if this is you, today is your day of healing and we would love for you at our table out by the coffee, we would love for you to grab one of these Devotional cards and start your healing today.
[00:32:09] Speaker B: Yeah, that's incredible. And, you know, one of the things I love and you mentioned is the number of volunteers from Westgate that are involved at the pregnancy center. And it's exciting because I get to hear all of their stories and get to celebrate with them what God is doing. But would you maybe take just a moment and share with us a little bit of what is going on at the pregnancy center and how do you see God moving?
[00:32:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:32] Speaker C: So we're in a really unique, I think, season when it comes to serving people through the pregnancy center.
Most of the individuals that are walking through our door have either started an abortion process or have one scheduled or planning on that. We're also in a unique season where the way that the majority of individuals are obtaining an abortion is actually through the medication abortion, which they're buying online and it is coming to their home. There's no doctor supervision.
And so in the midst of this kind of frustrating season and seeing that women are being harmed, unfortunately through this, God's giving us a lot of strategy as well. And this is the thing that I love. Like, we serve a God that knows exactly how to show up in the midst of, of darkness. And so some of the things that we've done to pivot are we do offer telehealth appointments. And so if women don't want to come in or they don't have the availability to come in, we can actually serve them remotely.
We just opened up our second ultrasound room in the pregnancy center, but we have seen a really huge increase over, I think, 25% increase in women who are, are either planning on having an abortion or have started that process.
And we have to be able to see them the day that they call. In fact, we had a situation in the client in the last, I think 10ish days. And this was her story. She bought the abortion pill online and she called and said, if I can't come first thing tomorrow, I am going to take these pills. And we were able to get her in. And she actually, through that ultrasound sound, made a decision to carry in parent. And so that second ultrasound room is really helping us open up our capacity to be able to step in in the moment and be able to serve. And then one of the things that I really love about what we're doing, kind of a newer service is our abortion pill reversal process. And so with the, the medication abortion, if she has taken the first set of medicine but not the second, our team can administer a medicine that actually reverses the Effects of the chemical abortion. And I think we have a picture from one of our recent abortion pill reversals. And so this little baby is a miracle. The mom had taken the first medication, and she said, as soon as I took it, I was like, what have I done?
And she actually Googled, can I reverse my abortion? And we have a website specifically for that. She reached out, and that is her little baby, Brooklyn, who was born this fall. And Adriana could not be more thrilled that she was given a second chance.
And then, really, the. The last thing I would say that we're kind of celebrating is we just opened our new facility, Lori's Place, right next door to the pregnancy center. And Lori's Place on the first floor, I think they have a picture that they can put up of the new building so that you guys can see it. The first floor is actually a child care facility for single moms who are completing any level of education.
And then there's like, 26 kids that are currently enrolled there. And some of those are actually children of women who came to the pregnancy center. And because they knew that this was provided for them, they actually chose to carry and parent. They're off getting their college degree, and their kids are in this amazing childcare facility.
And then the upstairs, we have a bunch of community partners that serve moms and dads who have had recent children. We have a licensed therapist that's there one day a week. Jobs and family services comes in to help our moms and dads understand their benefit.
It's where our pregnancy and parenting classes are happening now. In fact, they're in a session right now. It is the largest class cycle that we've ever had come through. There's a room specifically for the dads. Coincidentally, one of the largest TVs in the whole entire building is actually in the dad's room. We've got some gaming. Some gaming systems in there. There it is.
And it's really a safe place for these dads to come and for us to really be able to speak encouragement into them and help them be the best dads that they can be. And so the thing I love about Lori's Place is for us, what it is saying to these parents and really to our community at large is, you know, one of the things that we get accused of is, well, you just care about the baby until it's born. Lori's Place is a tangible property promise to the families that we serve and our community that nothing could be further from the truth that we want these women to go on and get their degrees. We want them to see a mental health provider because we know that postpartum is hard and we want them to be able to get all of the resources that they need. And so there's so many incredible things that God is doing through the work of the pregnancy center.
[00:37:50] Speaker B: Yeah, it's incredible. Yeah, please.
It's all awesome to see.
You know, our staff had the opportunity to go to Laurie's place just a couple months ago, held one of our staff meetings there. He gave us the full tour of the building. And I'll just tell you, the excellence that has been put into this building is phenomenal. And what I love about that is that for the people that walk in that door, they go, this place cares about me, that they would create a space like this. And I'm excited to see how God is going to continue to use this. I know this has been a long term dream and to see it coming to fruition is beautiful. And what I love about this part of your ministry is that it so tangibly and intentionally shows our community the love of Jesus, that we are invested in them as not just people with a child that we want to save, but we are investing them in them as people. And we want them to know and to experience the hope that comes from the love of God. But even more, your ministry is based around also having the opportunity to share the good news of the gospel with people because we all believe that Jesus changes lives. And I wanted you guys to get to hear a little bit of a story this morning from one of our own members here at Western Westgate who also is a volunteer at the pregnancy center. And so would you welcome Leanne Leongfern as she comes and joins us here on the platform?
Leanne serves as a client advocate at the pregnancy center. And Leanne, if you would, I would love you to just share for context purposes a little bit about your role and what you you do.
[00:39:38] Speaker D: Yeah, I get to be a client advocate and I love having the privilege of being with the clients when they come to the center. My role involves listening to their stories without judgment and allowing them to process without pressure.
Client advocates with the nurses gather information, assess the client's needs to determine how the center might be able to assist them. And together we offer education, education and resources to help them make informed decisions. And we also offer support by following up with them during their journey.
[00:40:13] Speaker B: I can only imagine the interactions that you get to have in that room. People coming in in so many different places and with different experiences. But as well, it's A moment where God not only can work in that immediate moment of what they're dealing with, but also impact their entire lives. And I know, Leigh Ann, that you have had the opportunity to see God working spiritually in people's lives for the purposes of eternity. Would you share a little bit of that with us?
[00:40:41] Speaker D: Yeah. So most of our clients are not coming in looking for spiritual guidance or information, but God is still working in the hard places to bring spiritual transformation in people's lives for eternity. And at the center, one of the most impactful statements I have heard and I tell myself is, quote, if I show up, nothing will happen. But if God shows up, anything can happen.
It is the Holy Spirit in me that I bring when I walk into a room. And his presence changes everything.
I've seen God open minds to the possibility of who he is. He is soft and hard hearts and stirred hearts to want to know him more. And just last week, God brought restoration to a young woman with an unplanned pregnancy. As she prayed to recommit her life to Christ, she was reminded of the joy that life with Jesus brings.
And this fall, I saw the power of the gospel message as I had two clients choose to receive Jesus as Lord and and Savior for the first time.
So I want to tell you about them one day. I had specifically asked God for the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus before I drove to the pregnancy center. The nurse I was working with spoke about her spiritual birthday during the intake. And it seemed as if the client had some Christian birth background. So later I asked her if she had a spiritual birthday.
This led to conversation about the free gift of salvation and the new life Jesus offers us. Both she and her partner got really interested, and the client told me that she thought she needed to get her life together and then she would get baptized.
And I was able to tell her that while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us. And it is through faith in Jesus Christ we are saved, not anything we do or don't do.
I felt compelled to offer them the opportunity to put their trust in Jesus right then.
And although others had done much of the planting and the watering, we got to be the ones to see his gracious hand on this young couple's life. And later I realized that God knew they were going to need him for the hard things that were going to be coming.
The second testimony is a story of a sweet client I will refer to as Bea.
She came in to confirm an unplanned pregnancy. She was shocked and uncertain about what she was going to do.
Neither she nor the father of the baby wanted children.
I was able to offer her a listening ear ear so she could talk through her thoughts and process her feelings in an unhurried manner.
Later, when I asked Bea about her relationship with God, she said she was uncertain and she didn't know who he was.
But she was interested in learning more.
So I got to share the good news of Jesus with her. She became emotional as I shared about the love of God and his forgiveness through Christ.
We talked about the hope God gives us for the uncertainties of tomorrow. And I felt a strong prompting of the Holy Spirit to ask her if she wanted to pray.
And she said yes to Jesus.
There was no question God had ordained this moment for both of us.
When Bea left, she was actually still uncertain about what she wanted to do with her pregnancy. But when she returned above about a week later for another ultrasound, God had been working.
She said the father of the baby had a change of heart and she was now excited about this pregnancy.
The ultrasound appointment was so touching. As she saw the now unwanted baby or now wanted baby for the first time, she recognized that this child was a miraculous gift from God and that he had a plan for both of them.
But the story doesn't end there. God has given me an opportunity to meet with this young woman and to do discipleship.
And last month she asked me if she could bring a friend to our study.
God has moved powerfully and personally as they grow in understanding of who God is and his desire for a relationship with them.
I do want to say that most of our clients, Clients do not choose Jesus at the first appointment. In fact, the last client I had didn't want to have any spiritual conversation.
But God at any time, at any place, in any way, can do anything.
And so he calls us to listen and look for the open doors to share his message of hope.
[00:45:36] Speaker B: That is awesome. Would you thank Leanne for sharing with us this morning? Morning.
[00:45:43] Speaker C: I think I just got saved.
[00:45:44] Speaker B: You.
[00:45:45] Speaker A: You.
[00:45:45] Speaker B: I know I might have too.
Savannah, What a blessing to get to work in this environment. What. What's on your heart as you think about what Leanne just shared with us?
[00:45:57] Speaker C: Yeah. So one of the things that I love about this ministry, and you know, Leanne started by saying, like, right, if we show up, nothing happens. But, like, when God shows up, anything can happen.
That we don't have anything in and of ourselves to be able to offer these women.
But God in his infinite love and wisdom, wants to use us.
And, you know, these, these situations that while they're through God's power, he was working in and through through Leanne. And so I just want to encourage those of you that are here that if you're like, if Leanne can do that, I can do it. That we are looking for volunteers, and you don't have to have any special, like, certification or it really is just that listening heart and that willing, you know, that willingness to go, like, well, I could drive to the pregnancy center and ask God on the way there to use me. And so if you're interested in learning more about how you can be a volunteer like Leanne, you can come to the table after the service and we can chat with you about that. And I didn't catch this in the first service, but Leanne talked about, you know, this client B who left, and she was still planning or was undecided on what she wanted to do regarding her pregnancy. And then Leanne said, and when she came back that something had changed, that the father of the baby's heart had been changed. And I know exactly why that happened. It happened because there were people that were praying.
And so one of the things that I want to invite everybody that's here into is we have a prayer partnership called Hearts on the Wall. And Hearts on the Wall is a text message message. This is actually fun. So this is a video of Leanne writing a heart on the wall. This is our praise wall that she is writing on. And all of those little hearts that are on that wall are women who had come into our clinic who were planning on having an abortion and called us back later and said, something has changed. I changed my mind. He changed his mind. And so the Hearts on the Wall Prayer Partnership, it is a text message that comes to your phone every single Monday.
And it has the first initial of every woman who has come into our clinic and is planning on having an abortion.
And you get to pray over them with us. Right now, we have almost 300. I think it's actually over 300 people that are getting this text and praying with us. And then the video that we just played, every time someone calls us and we add a heart to the wall, we actually text that video out so that you can rejoice with us in real time that there was a life that has been saved. And so there are these cards that are on the table out by the coffee that you can grab one of these. And we would love for you to join us in prayer.
[00:48:59] Speaker B: Yeah, it's so exciting to see and celebrate the stories of what God is doing. In women choosing life, but also hearing the story, stories like Leanne shares of people finding hope in Jesus Christ. And yet we also recognize that there are not always those celebrations, that there are times where women make that decision to go through with their abortion. But again, this is such a beautiful part of your ministry is that it is so much more about the whole person and the hope that they have in Jesus even after those choices. And the Haven is that ministry for you, your after abortion care ministry. And would you maybe share with us? I know it's been a big year in 2025 for the Haven. Share a little bit about what is going on there and what you've seen God doing.
[00:49:47] Speaker C: Yeah. So the Haven, since its inception actually was sharing a driveway with the abortion facility.
And we saw God do so many incredible things through that season. And at the end of 2025, a decision outside of our control, we no longer had access to that property. But here is the goodness of God in the midst of all of this.
Because we had just completed Lori's place, we now had this space inside of the pregnancy center. And so as we prayed about it, we actually have relocated the Haven into shared space inside of the the pregnancy center. And the cool thing about this is that we have really leaned in and have wanted to see women sooner than later after their abortion. And so when I came to Bella Vita, many of the women that we were serving through our Haven were decades outside of their abortion experience. And we believe that Jesus can step in and heal these hearts at any standpoint. But why should people have to sit for decades in that shame and that pain?
And right now, most of the women that we're seeing through the Haven are actually unchurched, and they are within a couple weeks to a month outside of their abortion. And so not only have we been able to step in and walk them through the reality of the grief and seeing God's hand on that, but we're then to able. Able to introduce them to the one who wants to rewrite that part of their story. And so being able to serve these women has just been so. It's such a joy.
Two years ago, we also had the opportunity to launch arm, which is our Abortion Recovery for Men.
We know that for every aborted child, there's a mother and a father. And we believe that God, God wants to heal the hearts of these fathers. That whether that was a decision that they were not allowed to be a part of, or maybe they actually, like, forced that decision, that we know that there's forgiveness and reconciliation for These guys as well, and also still doing outreach to the abortion clinic. You know, for us, it was really important that part of our mission was to be the best neighbors that we could be to those that work at the abortion facility.
And we decided that it was still an important part of our mission. And it's been cool because it's not out of convenience anymore. And those that work at the abortion clinic see that. So now we're having to drive across town to deliver a lunch or give them gifts and spend time with them. And they have said, like, oh, we thought that this was going to stop after you guys left. And so God just continues to give us opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those that work at the abortion clinic as well.
[00:52:42] Speaker B: That's exciting. You know, we've looked at the pregnancy center and what happens in the work as women are wrestling with that decision, the haven with what happens after an abortion. But another piece of your ministry that I love is also Sole Purpose, because Sole Purpose, really, the aim is to reach young women prior to.
To ever getting to that point of needing to make that decision. And I recognize the importance of that personally, because I sit there and I go.
The answer for us in that space to not find ourself in that position is to speak to one's individual relationship with Jesus Christ and to have a firm foundation there first. And that's the purpose of Sole Purpose. Sole Purpose on our campuses around the Toledo area area is meant to pour into the relationship that young women have with Jesus Christ.
For me, it's been exciting because personally, my own daughter and some of her friends here from Westgate that have started going to the University of Toledo have connected with Sole Purpose, have gotten to see it firsthand. And I'm excited to hear about and see the work that God is doing on the campuses. And would you maybe take just a moment to share with us about why that work is so important, but how you see God moving through it?
[00:53:59] Speaker C: Yeah. Sole Purpose is often one of our outrages that are people are like, I don't know that I can, like, connect the dots.
But for us, we know that, you know, the act of an abortion or being in that situation in the first place is connected to, you know, a sexual relationship that is outside of God's design, which is connected to, you know, both young guys and girls looking for their value and their worth outside of this. Right. So if we back this train all the way up and go, the root cause here is actually raising young people up and their value, worth and identity. In Jesus so that not only do they not walk through the doors of an abortion clinic, we don't want them walking through the doors of a pregnancy center either. We want them to live God's design in all areas of their life. And the exclamation point here is actually one of our very first Sole Purpose students.
She came to us, she had a little bit of a faith background, and she chose to walk away from that, which studies tell us that over 80% of young people actually will walk away from some sort of faith when they make that transition from high school to college. And this was definitely true in this young woman's life. And she got connected. Somebody invited her to a Sole Purpose event.
She came after that, she started attending Bible study. She committed her life to Jesus. We baptized her in a kiddie pool behind the pregnancy center one day because that was her church. Like, this is the faith community that she was assigned to. She went on to become our president of Sole Purpose, leading other girls to Jesus, Graduated, met a godly man.
And in January, when I was at one of our churches, I got to see her, and she was there holding her beautiful, brand new baby girl.
And so, right, we're looking at this family now that this woman, her life could have looked a lot different had she not walked through the doors of Sole Purpose. And now she here is, like, in a godly marriage. You know, they're raising, you know, their children in the church, and that is really what Sole Purpose seeks to do.
[00:56:15] Speaker B: You shared with us in the first service a little bit about the number of young people as well that are walking away from the faith in college. Maybe share a little bit about that as well.
[00:56:26] Speaker C: Absolutely. So we know, you know, outside of even just them walking away from their faith, one of the good things is right now is that trend. We're starting to see that reversed in young men, which, like, praise the Lord, that, like, that trend is starting to reverse in young men in young women. It's actually skyrocketing. Young women are running away from traditional Christian values and being rooted and grounded in a relationship with Jesus. And so not only are we doing this here at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green, but we actually partner with pregnancy centers across the country.
And I said at the first service, I've actually lost count because it feels like every week we're getting a new pregnancy center that's launching a sole purpose chapter. So I think we're upwards of like 9 or 10. We're in six different states and just continuing to grow as well.
[00:57:17] Speaker B: That is Cool. You know, as I think about your theme, healing, Healing starts Here. And I look at it kind of holistically. We've seen how it weaves through all of the different ministries of bellavita. And yet, you know, as we began, one of the things we said is that the theme really is about if you have been through an abortion, it's the story that says your healing begins now, right here, it can begin today. And God has, has a plan and a purpose for your life and wants to bring that healing.
But even more so that is a message that is not just for that individual, but it's a message for the church. And would you share your heart for us in terms of healing starts here, how does that impact every person that sits in this room as the body of Christ?
[00:58:08] Speaker C: Absolutely. So when God gave us Healing starts Here, it was this declaration, declaration and invitation and really was a double entendre. So for the post abortive individual, healing starts here. But also healing starts here. Like healing starts with us, that we are people of healing. And I hope that some of you want to come live that out as volunteers, you know, within bellavita and our ministries. But the reality is is that a lot of you may not have the that opportunity. You might be raising kids or in a full time job, but healing is also something that you can walk in with your neighbors and your friends and your co workers. And not just for those who have experienced an abortion, but for those that are battling addiction or children are battling addiction, those who have walked through divorce. Like when we walk out of this building today, we're going to encounter a lot of broken people in our neighborhoods, even our own family, our schools and our workplaces. And so not only do we have the devotional for individuals who have experienced an abortion, but I co wrote a devotional for the rest of us.
And the cool thing about this is both devotionals are accessible by this one card. And so we're all going to grab the same card. But if you haven't experienced an abortion, but you want to become an intentional person of healing for those around you, or if you're ready to kickstart your healing after your abortion, grab one of these cards, sign up for the devotional and walk with us through the next week.
[00:59:43] Speaker B: That is awesome. You know, Savannah, thank you so much for everything that you're doing in our community.
You are truly allowing God to shine his love brightly through what you do, but also what all of Bella Vida does. And so thank you for joining us and thank you for your partnership. Would you again thank Savannah for coming and joining us this morning.
You know, church family, as we have this focus and we share together, my hope is that you catch how closely everything that is happening with our partnership with Bella Vita and the things that they are doing, how closely it aligns with the vision that God has given us as a church. You'll be reminded that our vision statement as a church is that we want to be a Jesus centered community that is known for intentionally sharing God's love with our neighbors and the nations. And what I see happening with Bella Vida is exactly that, is that there is an intentionality that says we want to show people in our community that don't know Christ, many of them who are at one of the hardest moments of their life, we want to intentionally show them God's love by helping to break down some of the barriers that they may feel and they may have when it comes to making the decision to keep the life that God has placed within them. But as well, not only is it about that, but it is also about sharing with them about the hope that they have in Jesus Christ as a church. That is the very heartbeat that we have. Not for the woman that is going through an unplanned pregnancy, but it is also for every single person that our lives encounter. God has called us to be this conduit of those who look for opportunity to share the love of Jesus with our actions and also with our words. And so my hope this morning is that what God sows deeply in your heart is the truth that he has called you to be his agents of healing in this broken world, that he wants to use your life to make an impact in the lives of others that desperately need the hope that only he can provide.
Would you pray with me? Father, I thank you for the time that we have had together this morning worshiping you.
I thank you for the stories that we've been able to hear about the work that you're doing through bellowing.
Lord, I thank you for the faithfulness of Savannah, of her leadership team, of the volunteers, of the many people here in this church that participate. Lord, thank you for what you are doing to bring the hope of Jesus into this community, especially in this specific space.
God, I pray that you would continue to shape our hearts to be conduits of your healing, healing in our circles every day. God, you're bringing people into our lives that need the hope that only you can give.
Would you, God, give us the courage to take steps to be those who would show and share the love of Jesus with every opportunity that you give us.
And as well, Father, I know that there are people in this room that have gone through an abortion.
People even today that still need healing that can only come from you.
Would you remind them this morning of the depth of your love, of the depth of your mercy and your grace.
And that you want to bring healing and restoration into their life.
For there is an nothing that they have done or have gone through that would make them too far from your grasp.
Your desire is to use their life and to restore and to rebuild it. And so Father, as we recognize that, we pray that you would give others this morning courage to take steps towards you. To allow you to begin that healing in their own hearts and in their own lives.
God, you are a good God.
And we thank you for what you do to allow us, God, to be a part of what you are doing. To bring hope into this broken world.
And we give you all the glory for what you are doing. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
Would you stand and worship with us?
[01:04:31] Speaker A: I just want to speak the name of Jesus.
Over every heart in every mind.
Cause I know there's peace within your presence.
I speak Jesus.
I just wanna speak the name of Jesus.
Till every dark addiction starts to break.
Declaring there is hope and there is freedom.
I speak Jesus.
Your name is power.
Your name is healing.
Your name is love life.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadows. Burn like a fire.
I just want to speak the name of Jesus.
Name.
Your name is power.
Your name is healing.
Your name is.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadows. Burn like a fire.
Your name is power.
Your name is healing.
Your name is my strong.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadows but like a.
Shout. Jesus from the mountains.
Jesus in the street.
Jesus in the dark hearts over every enemy.
Jesus for my family I speak the holy name.
Jesus.
Shout Jesus from the mountains.
Jesus in the street.
Jesus in the darkness over every enemy.
Jesus for my family I speak the holy name Jesus.
Your name.
Your name is power.
Your name is.
Your name is light.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadow.
Break.
Your name is power.
Your name is.
Your name is mine.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadow.
I just want to speak the name of Jesus.
Over every heart and every mind.
Cause I know there is peace within your presence.
I speak Jesus.
Oh Jesus.
No other name, no other name.
Shout Jesus from the mountains.
Jesus in the street.
Jesus in the darkness over every enemy.
Jesus for my family I speak the holy name Jesus.
Shout Jesus from the mountain.
Jesus in the street.
Jesus in the darkness over every enemy.
Jesus for my family.
I speak the holy name, Jesus.
Shout jesus, Jesus for my family.
I speak the holy name, Jesus.
[01:10:56] Speaker B: Let's give God glory together. He is good.
He is good. As we close today, I just want to draw us back to a statistic that some Savannah shared with us, that one in four women and one in five men in the church have had their lives impacted by an abortion.
And with that, I know that that tells me intuitively that there are people in this room that have walked through that.
And I just want to tell you this morning and the way that Savannah said with the theme of healing starts here, that your healing can be start today.
Right now you have a church family that does not look on you with judgment. But we want you to know and to experience the depth of the love that God has for you and the grace and mercy. Your healing journey can start today.
And so I'd invite you if God, if that is the step he wants you to take. Our prayer team is here at the front. They would love the opportunity to pray with you today.
Savannah and her team will be out at the table. They would love that opportunity to talk with you and to help you as you begin that journey of letting go of the things that maybe keep you in bondage, the shame and the guilt and experience the freedom that comes from Jesus and his love for you. And so I encourage you to take that step this morning.
Secondly, as you go out to today, out at the table with Savannah, there are a number of ways that you can be a part of what is going on. If you would like to serve at the pregnancy center, stop by and talk with them. If you'd like to grab one of those two devotionals to follow along with, you can grab that card there. If you'd like to get the text message to be a part of the Hearts on the Wall ministry of praying over those people that are coming in, stop by and grab that card as well. Also, what we didn't talk about this morning morning is that they have their big fundraiser that is coming up every year. It's happening April 16th here at Westgate Chapel. It is called Created 2026. And if you would like to be a part of that evening, it is going to be incredible time again of hearing more inspirational things of how God is working through this ministry in our community. They have New York Times best selling author and internationally known minister Lisa Bevere who is going to be coming and talking.
I think one of the incredible things about Lisa is that she and her husband John co founded a ministry called Messenger International where they have given away over 60 million gospel centered resources in more than 130 languages throughout our world. And we are going to be have the opportunity to just be inspired by the ministry that God is doing through her. I would encourage you if you would like to be involved. There are cards for created that are at the table where you can reserve tickets and be a part of that evening as well. But church family, my hope is that what you hear today is this truth. One, your own journey with healing can start today.
Number two, Church family, you are called to be agents of healing in this world.
God wants to use your life for you to be intentional in how you share his love with those that he has placed in your circles. So as you can go out this week, keep that heart at the forefront of your mind that every single day God is giving you an opportunity with people, whether they have walked through an abortion, they're going through a divorce, or they are just simply far from God or they are struggling with addiction, whatever it may be. He wants to use your life to speak the testimony of his love. Not only in the way that you show tangible action, but in the way you share the truth of the gospel with your mouth. So trust him because he wants to use you. And it's not you that's doing the work, it is him that will do it through you. Father, I pray your blessing over this congregation as they go out this week.
Open up our eyes to see with spiritual eyes the opportunities that you are giving us every single day to make an impact in this dark and broken world.
May the light of your son Jesus Christ shine brightly through us. May our love for you be so deep that Father, we can't help but tell others of your goodness. And because of that, God would you receive glory as lives are changed because of what you are doing in us and also through us, we give you glory. This morning we pray this together in Jesus name. Amen. God bless you. Thank you for worshiping with us today and we look forward to worshiping with you next week.
