A caring place for expecting mothers

The Mustard Seed Pregnancy Support Center is ready to help in central Pasco.

By EBONY WINDOM, Times Staff Writer
Published November 5, 2007

LAND O'LAKES - A few months back, the Rev. Geoff Gordon gave his flock a mission.

He asked them to pray, fast and read their Bible for 70 days straight. Then he wanted them to brainstorm a few ways Willow Bend Community Church could help others outside the church.

And in early October, the Mustard Seed Pregnancy Support Center was born.

The small staff of church volunteers is in heavy-duty training now, even though the pregnancy center is actually up and running. But the center hasn't had any pregnant women walk through the doors yet.

The challenge is simply getting the word out. Word of mouth helps. And fliers are out across the county.

It's not a novel concept, just a necessary one, church members believe. There are other private pregnancy centers sprinkled across Pasco. Cornerstone and Catholic Charities help new moms in Dade City. There's the Pregnancy Care Center of Zephyrhills. And New Port Richey has two pregnancy centers. Mustard Seed, in Land O'Lakes, may be the county's newest.

But central Pasco is booming with new families, says Terry Luna, a church member who runs the center in Zephyrhills. So, the Mustard Seed center may be a perfect fit in Land O'Lakes, she says.

The Willow Bend pregnancy center is modeled after the other local programs, many of which see their share of single, teen and drug-addicted mothers, says volunteer Olga Walker.

No mom will be turned away.

At Willow Bend, the idea is to offer expectant and new moms baby items, counseling and classes. And they'll hand out pregnancy tests to those who ask.

Some aspects of Mustard Seed are similar to Healthy Start, a program offered at the Pasco County Health Department for expectant moms. But Mustard Seed is a Christian ministry. Soon, the ministry will start a special Bible study for young moms. Prayer will be offered, too.

For those considering abortion, counselors plan to offer a chat about adoption, along with perhaps a referral to an adoption agency.

"We're committed to the sanctity of human life," says Walker, 56, who came up with the idea for the center. "All human life is sacred and the most vulnerable is the one in the womb. And if that woman is making some good choices, then that is a good environment for the baby."

Walker, who works as a nurse and also teaches childbirth and breast-feeding classes at the Pasco County Health Department, hopes to offer those at Mustard Seed, too.

And teacher Luna is talking about launching GED classes for teen moms, too.

Luna and Walker go way back.

"I know that (Walker) is very conscientious about making a difference and caring," Luna says.

For now, Mustard Seed lacks a building of its own. The center shares space with the church. Cribs, tiny baby clothes, car seats and high chairs are piled in a storage room off the sanctuary. Still, the group is looking for more baby and maternity items to give away.

Walker says the pregnancy center was started "on a mustard seed."

"The pastor started this with $400 seed money," she says.

Walker predicts the ministry will take off soon. Other small ministries have popped up at Willow Bend since Gordon gave the congregation that 70-day mission.

They've started Kids Night Out, where parents can drop their youngsters off at the church for movies and snacks, once a week for a few hours.

Then there's the Costa Rica project. A group of Willow Bend members plan to travel there to show others how to build and then sell wooden rocking chairs.

Willow Bend member Sherill Diaz is excited about the new ministries at her church. She even signed on to help out with the Mustard Seed project.

"I was just drawn to it because I feel a desire to help," said Diaz, 37, who lives in Lutz. "I myself was a teen mom. I had my first child at 17. I wish there had been a program like this."

FAST FACTS

To learn more

The Mustard Seed Pregnancy Support Center is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Fridays at Willow Bend Community Church, 2541 Henley Road in Land O'Lakes. For more information, or to donate new or used baby and maternity items, call (813) 909-4748 or visit www.willowbendcc.org.

[Last modified November 4, 2007, 21:51:25]