New England Baptists are confronting profound cultural and spiritual challenges in Vermont, a state where abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy.
“After leaving Vermont, returning again feels like entering spiritual darkness.” That’s how one volunteer at Aspire Now Pregnancy Care Center in Williston, Vermont, described her experience serving mothers in a state that is leading the nation in abortion access.
Vermont is one of seven states where abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy. The cultural climate in Vermont often creates unique challenges that look different from centers in other parts of the country, according to Deb Couture, director of Aspire Now.
The urgency of the ultrasound
That’s why several Southern Baptist entities and local churches funded a life-saving ultrasound machine that was placed at Aspire Now through “Across State Lines,” a special emphasis of the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project.
The value of having a window into the womb cannot be overstated.
Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (TBMB), the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (ALSBOM), the Baptist Churches of New England, Send Relief, and individual donors to the Psalm 139 Project joined together to reach across pro-life state lines with a missional mindset, saving preborn lives and supporting mothers in Vermont facing unplanned pregnancies.
According to Couture, the donation of a 3D ultrasound makes a major difference in drawing women to the center. She explained,
“Our new 3D ultrasound draws more women to our Aspire Center because we are the only business that offers this service free of charge. Each appointment is an opportunity to point women to Christ, as well as offer our other services; birth coaching, breastfeeding, the fourth trimester and much more.”
The value of having a window into the womb cannot be overstated. Couture sees the immense value that ultrasounds have on a woman’s decision to choose life. She said that 97% of women who come into the center with an abortion mindset decide to keep their baby after having an ultrasound.
Helping vulnerable mothers choose life
Aspire Now began in 1985 as Burlington Crisis Pregnancy Services, founded by medical student Andy Smith. When Couture joined the staff in 2007 as a client services manager, many women visited because they couldn’t easily access pregnancy tests. Today, with tests and abortion medications like mifepristone and misoprostol readily available, women come with a different question—not if they’re pregnant, but what they should do next.
Aspire Now also seeks to come alongside women throughout each stage of their pregnancy, offering over 140 video-based classes that range from 15-20 minutes each and prepare soon-to-be moms for birth and the child’s first year of life. Women who take these classes earn points toward receiving a 3D ultrasound and a baby shower.
Southern Baptist cooperation for the gospel and life
Mitch Kimbrell, who pastors in the same community as Aspire Now at Christ Memorial Church, has seen the immense significance that a center like this has for the women in their area, particularly in reaching them with the gospel.
“As a pastor in a state where abortion is tragically so readily available and embraced as a viable option for pregnant women, I’m thrilled that the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project has placed an ultrasound machine in our local pregnancy resource center,” he said. “And it’s especially encouraging that Southern Baptist brothers and sisters in faraway places like Alabama and Tennessee—who might never come to Vermont or see the gospel fruit of their generosity—have teamed up with us to make this machine placement possible.”
“And it’s especially encouraging that Southern Baptist brothers and sisters in faraway places like Alabama and Tennessee—who might never come to Vermont or see the gospel fruit of their generosity—have teamed up with us to make this machine placement possible.”
Mitch Kimbrell, pastor Christ Memorial Church, Williston, Vermont
Miles Mullin, ERLC chief of staff, expressed his gratitude for the common ground happening across Southern Baptist churches and entities:
“I am . . . deeply grateful for the gospel partnerships we’ve built with Baptist state conventions across the country. Through our ‘Across State Lines’ initiative, we share a common mission: to save babies and reach vulnerable moms and dads with compassionate care, the truth of the Scripture, and the hope of the gospel.”
Through Across State Lines, Southern Baptist individuals, churches, state conventions, and the ERLC can work together to extend pro-life ministry into places where the need is great, offering life-saving care and the hope of the gospel in pro-choice states with little-to-no support for vulnerable mothers and their babies.
One hundred percent of financial contributions designated to the Psalm 139 Project go toward purchasing ultrasound machines and providing training for workers. No Cooperative Program resources are used to purchase these machines or provide the training. Tax-deductible gifts may be made online to The Psalm 139 Project, or via check to ERLC, 901 Commerce Street, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203. Learn more at psalm 139 project.org.
