Sunshine, community, exercise, popsicles, and laughter! Gathering together to raise awareness and funds at Strides for Life 5K was a true joy for all of us. We want to say a big, “THANK YOU” to all who participated! There were 78 participants, 47 individual sponsors, and 8 organization sponsors that came together and raised just over $10,000.
If you couldn’t make it, or you want to join us for a good time again, we will have another event in Lake Odessa. Keep an eye out on social media or in your email inbox for the registration to be opened soon!
We are incredibly thankful for the volunteers that make ministering to all of the clients in our communities possible. Their willing spirits and loving care are priceless. If you know someone who is a volunteer at Alpha Care Center, help us by thanking them for giving their time and energy. We truly could not do this without them! If you would like to get involved by volunteering your time, reach out to us for ideas.
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
When a mother is considering abortion, one resource Alpha Care Center has available at both the Lowell and Lake Odessa locations are Love Boxes from a ministry called Embrace Grace. Each box has a personal invitation to a church-hosted support group, stories from both a parenting mom and birth mom, a letter of hope, a journal with writing prompts encouraging her to be fearless, a ‘Best Gift Ever’ onesie and A Bump in Life book that includes testimonies that offer single and pregnant moms hope.
May 4th is the National Day of Prayer. You can join Lowell Ministry Alliance and the Lowell community by gathering at the Riverwalk at noon for a community prayer service. Also, please consider spending time intentionally praying for the unborn and the families who are navigating unplanned pregnancies right here in our communities.
Spring is officially here on Monday, March 20th! All of us at Alpha Care Center are welcoming everything that comes with it. Warmer weather, beautiful flowers, and preparation for our Strides for Life 5K! All of these signs of spring remind us that God brings beautiful LIFE to this world. We pray that God uses this season to bring you rejuvenation and to draw you nearer to Him. May you see His creation coming back to life and be reminded of how Jesus rose from the dead.
We are thrilled to announce that registration is now open for our 5K Fundraiser, Strides for Life! All proceeds raised will go to Alpha Care Center so that we can continue to be used by God to support and encourage the clients in our communities.
Who: Individuals and Families who would like to run or walk a 5K to honor LIFE!
When: Saturday, June 3rd 9:00am-12:00pm
Where: Riverfront Trail in Lowell (near the pickleball courts)
We will hold another Strides for Life 5K Fundraiser on August 19, 2023 in Lake Odessa. These fundraising events help to cover a good portion of our annual budget. We are excited to see the community step forward to help support us in this way!
We have all witnessed the power of your prayer for Alpha Care Center. God moves in wonderous ways. He provides and directs. He is good. Will you please consider praying with us in April? We have a calendar you can use as a guide. Check it out below!
There is now a new, engaging support group in the community for women facing unexpected pregnancies through West Cannon Baptist Church “We offer hope, community, and encouragement to unmarried pregnant moms and unmarried moms of newborns up to 6 months old in a 10 week support group format. Come to 8 of our 10 meetings and we will throw you a baby shower! Considering adoption? Our baby shower doubles as an adoption party, where we help equip you to meet your future goals.” We are pleased to have this on our radar as another resource for our clients. Stay tuned to learn about other resources made available to clients in future eNews updates!
Become an Ambassador of Hope
We are seeking to create stronger, more consistent connections within our communities and churches. We are looking for “Ambassadors of Hope!” Would you be willing to help us connect the dots?
For more details or to sign up, please contact Abigail at abigailg@alphacarecenter.org
Ladies Luncheon
Less than two weeks remain to register for the Ladies Luncheon!
Can’t make it this year? You can still get involved! We are accepting donations for the silent auction and are also still in need of sponsors to help cover the cost of the event. For more information please reach out to Abigail Guernsey at abigailg@abigail
We are excited to announce that the Lake Odessa location is now able to provide free ultrasounds for clients. We are praising God for providing us with this practical avenue of outreach. Our first client ultrasound was on January 11, 2023! See the photo below! (shared anonymously with permission of mom)
Lake Odessa ultrasound images
Christmas Celebration
Alpha Care Center Christmas Parties
In December, Alpha Care Center had a Christmas party to celebrate Jesus’s birth with clients at both the Lowell and the Lake Odessa Locations. THIRTY-FIVE families were adopted for gifting. A great big thank you to our communities for helping make these celebrations a success—you prayed, volunteered time, and gave financially to help Alpha Care Center spread Christmas Joy!
New Development Assistant
Abigail Gurnsey
My husband, Adam, and I live on a small farm in Ionia right in between the Lowell and Lake Odessa locations. We have two kiddos— Levi (4.5) and Eden (1.5). Our family is also in the home study process to pursue domestic, infant adoption. We grow closer in our relationships with Jesus at Impact Church in Lowell.
The majority of my work experiences been in the credit union world. I have helped many members in local branches. More recently, I was behind the scenes creating and facilitating company training and supporting projects that fostered the company culture within the credit union. I left my career (that I enjoyed greatly!) in June 2022 to be more involved with my family because, as I’ve heard many times, “Your kids are only little once!”
Accepting this part-time role at Alpha Care Center was truly God-Orchestrated and Christa or myself would enjoy telling you of His goodness sometime in person! My heart is burdened for moms because, well, I’ve been there. I’ve had two challenging pregnancies and am now experiencing mom-life to the max.
I am thrilled to use my experience to support an organization that intentionally pours into families in our communities and cannot wait to learn from everyone at Alpha Care Center!
Wondering how to pray with us?
Click on the button below to view our daily prayer calendar.
GIANT thank you to our volunteers and sponsors! Our Run For Your Life 5K and Family walk LOWELL was a success! We raised almost $10,325 with 80 racers in attendance. Not too shabby!
If you’re interested in our next race, join us in LAKE ODESSA on August 13th. We will host the same race for the Lake Odessa community. Stay tuned for registration details to be live July 1 on our website
Have you seen our new billboard on I-96? Help us spread the word about ourLake Odessa and Lowell centers. We want all women to know that we are here to help. You can help give to and share our billboard campaign …
As we anticipate a summer of pregnancy center focus and increased need, we’ve created some opportunities for you to be involved in during this pivotal and historic time. See below for more information about Reach Her Billboard Campaign Whoa Baby! Baby Bottle Campaign Alpha Ambassador of Hope Program
Help us REACH HER! Clearly there is a lot of movement happening in our government that will directly effect our center, and we have been working hard to be prepared for an influx of need.
We want every pregnant woman to know that we exist and are ready to help her. One of our marketing strategies is an exciting billboard campaign. We invite you to “jump on board!” If you, your church, or your business would like to sponsor our first billboard, click here to donate. All sponsors will be thanked in our monthly updates, which reaches over 1000 people!
Stop by the center for a bottle to collect change! This is a great way for you to support the center as an individual or family project. You could even be a total rock star and create a campaign at your church or business. We can give you a tote of bottles to hand out at church and guidance for running a smooth campaign
Are you passionate about empowering women and families? Do you have the ability and heart to connect others with what we do here at Alpha Care Center? We are looking for committed individuals to help us promote our center and events. Our Alpha Ambassadors will help us network to reach more clients and supporters. Robin would love to give you more information and sit and chat about the program.
As you know, our focus at Alpha Care Center is on serving people affected by unplanned pregnancy, not on political activism. We are so thankful that every day, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to families in crisis. With that said,
In September of last year, Texas passed a law-making abortion illegal after a heartbeat can be detected, which is typically around 6 weeks of pregnancy. In the last several months, similar laws have been proposed in other states around the country, including the Dobbs case from Mississippi which has now reached the Supreme Court. Other states, however, are working on legislature to expand abortion access through a variety of means, including making abortion legal up to birth. The increase in legislature around abortion has brought the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling into question, and those on both the pro-life and pro-choice sides have begun to believe that Roe v. Wade may be overturned by the Supreme Court sometime between now and when the court recesses in July. So, what does that mean?
If Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, the decision about whether abortion would be legal would go back to the states. Currently, Michigan has a law on the books from 1931 which bans abortion. However, Planned Parenthood and Governor Whitmer have both taken action in early April to overturn this law. The decision on this is currently pending.
While Alpha is not involved in the political arm of fighting abortion, the decisions that are made in the political realm will affect us. Approximately 1,000 abortions are performed in Grand Rapids every year, right in our back door. If abortion becomes illegal, how many more parents will need our services as they navigate their unplanned pregnancy? If this is the case, we will have an unprecedented opportunity to show the love of Christ.
On the other hand, our state could make abortion legal for even longer periods of gestation. If so, how many more people will need to know about our services which can empower them to choose life? With your prayers, Alpha Care Center will be ready to pivot regardless of the outcome. No matter what happens, we will continue providing nonjudgmental, compassionate care to the community. Our mission will continue to be to promote abundant life by providing holistic services to women and men affected by unplanned pregnancy.
Please pray for us in the weeks and months ahead. Pray that people will see Jesus in each of us in this culture we are called to be salt and light to.
Sincerely,
Christa Wetzel
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