For Those We’ve Lost…

Last year, some of our generous donors helped us create and open our Memorial Room for the Unborn at our Hawthorne headquarters. The room offers a place for those who have experienced the loss of a child, whether through termination, miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, to find solace and healing. This year, we invite everyone in our community to visit this meaningful memorial.

The journey of loss often brings a natural range of emotions for mothers and fathers, encompassing grief, sadness, anger, and even guilt. It is vital to understand that there is no prescribed path for grief, and it’s perfectly acceptable to take the time necessary to process these emotions and mend.

At Lighthouse, we are committed to assisting parents in navigating their unique grief journey and preserving the memory of the children they have lost. This serene sanctuary provides a haven for mothers and fathers to reflect, pray, and remember in peace. Importantly, this space is not exclusive to Lighthouse parents; it is open to anyone in our community who has experienced such a loss, regardless of when or how it occurred.

Additional Help

Many women and men with an abortion in their past come to us for counseling, feeling overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, pain, and regret.  Our Forgiven and Set Free Bible study provides healing and wholeness for women who have experienced abortion. Healing a Father’s Heart walks men through a similar journey. These programs literally set people free from years of heartache, forbidden grief, anger and regret. 

In 2022, three Forgiven and Set Free groups took place. In addition, many women and men had the opportunity to speak confidentially with our caring staff about their abortion experiences. Over 170 conversations related to abortion recovery took place, and another 33 peer counseling sessions focused on the grace and forgiveness found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“The study helped me realize that having an abortion affected me more than I thought. I can’t take it back, but the study helped me grieve and most importantly, I confessed to God and asked for forgiveness. During the study, I realized that I have a baby in Heaven waiting for me. It was a beautiful experience. Being surrounded by women who went through the same thing helped me realize that I wasn’t alone.” — A participant of Forgiven and Set Free

If you would like to participate in an upcoming Forgiven and Set Free group, you can contact us confidentially at help@lighthouseprc.org.

Honoring Those Who Sacrifice

On behalf of our staff and those we serve, I want to thank everyone who has given a gift of life support this May.

May is a beautiful month because it brings new life blooming all around us. It also features two beautiful holidays that honor sacrificial service: Mother’s Day and Memorial Day! And while their service may look different, both mothers and those in our armed forces give of themselves so that others may live.

Together, these holidays remind me of a young woman we served during my early years at Lighthouse. Abby was in a leadership program for ROTC (Reserved Officers’ Training Corp). Along with being the only pregnant student at her residential college, she was the only ROTC member wearing maternity camouflage fatigues. 

It took tremendous courage on her part and significant prayer on ours, to make it through the challenges of telling her commanding officer about the pregnancy, passing required fitness tests while pregnant, and serving her country as a new mom. But thanks, in large part, to the emotional, spiritual, and material support her family found at Lighthouse, Abby did it! Today she is the proud mother of a Lighthouse teen (and his younger brother), happily married to their father.

Thank you for giving sacrificially so that others may live and stories like Abby’s have a grace-filled ending.

May also brings our Baby Bottle Boomerang, and we are so grateful for all the churches and several schools participating in this fund and awareness-raiser for Lighthouse! 

To watch our 2023 Boomerang Video or learn more, visit www.LighthouseBabyBottle.org.

To Remember and Honor…

The loss of a child, whether it be through termination, miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, is a devastating and heartbreaking experience. We know that mothers and fathers feel a natural range of emotions, including grief, sadness, anger, and even guilt. It’s important to remember that there is no right or wrong way to grieve, and that it’s okay to take the time you need to process your feelings and heal.

One of our goals at Lighthouse is to help mothers and fathers process those feelings, and to remember and honor children that they’ve lost.

To that end, a few of our generous donors have helped create a Memorial Room for the Unborn at our Hawthorne headquarters. This memorial room will provide mothers and fathers with a quiet, peaceful place where they can reflect, pray and remember. This room isn’t just for Lighthouse parents; this room will be available to anyone in our community, no matter how or when they experienced their loss. 

Learn more about how you can contribute a nameplate to our memorial wall.

We’re inviting our supporters to a brief dedication ceremony on Sunday, January 29th at 2pm. We are also creating a display with Christian crosses of all types, and would welcome your donation of a cross that is special to you, for display in the memorial area. Donations can be brought to our HQ, 297 Lafayette Ave, Hawthorne, weekdays, 9-5pm, using front/street entrance; call 973.238.9047.

 

Additional Help

Many women and men with an abortion in their past come to us for counseling, feeling overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, pain, and regret.  Our Forgiven and Set Free Bible study provides healing and wholeness for women who have experienced abortion. Healing a Father’s Heart walks men through a similar journey. These programs literally set people free from years of heartache, forbidden grief, anger and regret. 

In 2022, three Forgiven and Set Free groups took place. In addition, many women and men had the opportunity to speak confidentially with our caring staff about their abortion experiences. Over 170 conversations related to abortion recovery took place, and another 33 peer counseling sessions focused on the grace and forgiveness found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“The study helped me realize that having an abortion affected me more than I thought. I can’t take it back, but the study helped me grieve and most importantly, I confessed to God and asked for forgiveness. During the study, I realized that I have a baby in Heaven waiting for me. It was a beautiful experience. Being surrounded by women who went through the same thing helped me realize that I wasn’t alone.” — A participant of Forgiven and Set Free

If you would like to participate in an upcoming Forgiven and Set Free group, you can contact us confidentially at help@lighthouseprc.org.

An Amazing Morning of Grace…

On November 5th we held our second annual Thanks-giving For Grace Breakfast Fundraiser at the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel. We had 325 supporters join us to help make life choices possible for women and men facing unexpected pregnancies in our community. Between sponsorships, seats, Lighthouse Keeper pledges and one-time gifts, we’ve raised $77,000 towards our $150,000 goal.

Our featured speaker was Amy Ford, the co-founder and President of Embrace Grace. She shared how God has used Embrace Grace to stir up His church to pour out love for mothers facing unexpected pregnancies. We also heard from Diana Organowska, an incredible mother and an Embrace Grace graduate who went on to earn her Masters Degree in special education.

Thank to you every sponsor, guest and donor who supported this year’s event!

Forever Loved, Never Forgotten

In honor of International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center hosts a remembrance ceremony on October 15 at its Hawthorne headquarters.

This annual ceremony, which has become a cherished tradition, is open to anyone in the community who has experienced the loss of a child through miscarriage, still birth, ectopic/molar pregnancy, a fetal anomaly, SIDS, or other circumstance. The observance includes music, words of reflection, and prayer – all designed to provide compassionate support for those who too often grieve in silence. It concludes with a candle lighting which coincided with an international wave of light at 7 pm.

“We want to provide a meaningful way for those we serve at our centers, and those in our communities to honor precious lives who were with us for too short a time,” explained Debbie Provencher, Lighthouse Executive Director. “The ceremony offers a special time of remembrance for parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives and friends who have shared this hurt and grief.”

In the United States, as many as 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. The percentage is highest in the earliest stages of pregnancy and among undiagnosed pregnancies. “Many of our staff have experienced this loss firsthand and understand the need to acknowledge and remember the child who was lost,” said Provencher.

Those attending the ceremony receive small tokens of remembrance, including a “forever loved, never forgotten” bracelet, and an ornament in memory of their children, for their holiday tree. Through the end of October, these mementos are available at the front desk of all Lighthouse centers (Hawthorne, Hackensack, Paterson and Wayne) for anyone who has suffered a pregnancy or infant loss.

How to Pray For Your Love Life (When You Don’t Have One)

Shared with permission from original author: Debra Fileta

There’s something romantic about a prayer for love. But what happens when you’re single, and you don’t have anyone to pray for? I received this very question from one of my blog readers.

Q: How can I begin praying for a spouse in a place where I don’t have any dating/marriage prospects?

A: It’s hard to pray for something – or someone – when you have no idea whether or not they even exist. And a prayer for love can be even harder to think about when you’re single. 

I remember being single and just trying so hard to picture the type of person I would one day marry. I tried to imagine what he would look like, sound like, and what his personality would be. (And can I just say – I ended up so completely wrong on all three accounts).

When you’re single with no prospects in sight, it’s easy to spend your days wishing, dreaming, hoping, and even worrying. But the interesting thing is that while those actions might be fun, they don’t actually do anything for you. But prayer….prayer is powerful. Even in your loneliest moments, your prayer for love is more significant than you might even realize. 

When it comes to praying for love and you’ve got no prospects in sight, I think it’s important to take a few steps back and focus not just on who you hope to marry – but on what you’re bringing to the table.

Pray for your personal healing. Praying for love means that you learn to take ownership of your role in the equation of a relationship. You are 50% of the equation of how healthy (or unhealthy) your marriage is going to be. It’s easy to get so fixated on that person you want to be with. It’s easy to give God your wish-list and ask him to grant your desires for love. But healthy people dig much deeper than that, because they know that they’re level of personal health is what’s going to determine the health of their future  relationship.

So what steps are you taking to pray through your struggles and overcome them? How often are you inviting God into those dark places of your life and heart, and accepting His healing in your life? What areas from your past still have a grip on you? How are you praying through your insecurities and allowing God’s identity to shape and transform you? You need to be praying for love, but sometimes the best way to do that starts from the inside-out.

Pray for your heart. I think sometimes, the hardest part of this journey of the “unknown” is the waiting. And wondering. Will God give me a spouse? What does my future hold? What will I do in the meantime? It’s important not to see this time as a time of simply waiting, but a time of preparation. So let your prayer for love start with this! Ask God to prepare your heart for love, to teach you trust, to give you purpose, to grant you patience, and to give you hope along the way. Ask Him to help you take care of your heart, to set proper boundaries, to be careful with who you entrust it with, and to learn when to give and when to hold back.

Pray for your journey. Life is a journey that’s unfolding regardless of your relationship status. You’re either going to be enjoying living it, or sitting around waiting to live it. If you find yourself caught in a pattern of bitterness and discouragement, maybe it’s time to ask God to show you how you can start living your life rather than wasting it away in the waiting. Singleness may be a struggle for you in this stage of life, but it doesn’t have to be a stronghold. It doesn’t have to keep you down. Like I always say, life doesn’t start when you get married, life is happening right here, right now. So talk to God about it, and then ask yourself what are the steps you can take to live your life now.

A prayer for love isn’t just some fairy dust that we sprinkle on our lives, or a star that we wish upon. Prayer is powerful, it’s meaningful, and it’s effective. Prayer doesn’t just change our situation – it changes us from the inside out. So prospects or not, start praying for your love life today. 

Holiday Hours 2021

Please note our hours for the upcoming holiday season! Please also note that our donation drop off Saturdays will be closed on Sat. 11/27 and Sat. 12/25. We wish you and your family a joyful holiday season!

2021 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Ceremony

In honor of International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center is hosting a remembrance ceremony and candle lighting on Friday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m. at its headquarters, 297 Lafayette Ave in Hawthorne, NJ (parking is available in front of the building or on nearby streets). 

Lighthouse welcomes anyone in the community who has experienced the loss of a child through miscarriage, still birth, ectopic/molar pregnancy, a fetal anomaly, SIDS, or other circumstance, to attend the ceremonies. In addition to the lighting of candles, the observances will include music, words of reflection, and prayer – all designed to provide compassionate support for those who too often grieve in silence.

“It is our hope to provide a meaningful way for those we serve at our centers, and those in our communities to honor precious lives who were with us for too short a time,” explained Debbie Provencher, Lighthouse Executive Director. “We want the ceremony to be a special time of remembrance for parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives and friends who have shared this hurt and grief.”  

In the United States, as many as 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. The percentage is highest in the earliest stages of pregnancy and among undiagnosed pregnancies. “Some of our staff have experienced this loss firsthand, and understand the need to acknowledge and remember the child who was lost,” said Provencher.

Those attending the ceremony will receive small tokens of remembrance, including a “forever loved, never forgotten” bracelet, and an ornament in memory of their children, for their holiday tree. From October 15-31, the bracelets will also be available at the front desk of all Lighthouse centers (Hawthorne, Hackensack, Paterson and Wayne) for anyone who has suffered a pregnancy or infant loss.

YoungLives Changes to Keep Changing Lives

What do Easter and Summer Camp have in common?  Both are important dates on our YoungLives Paterson calendar that were impacted by the pandemic – and both demonstrate our determination to bring the hope of the gospel to pregnant and parenting teens – no matter what!

YoungLives Paterson, a collaboration of Lighthouse and Young Life Bergen County, typically meets every second Saturday for Club, which includes lunch, games, crafts, and a gospel-centered talk, plus childcare to keep the youngest guests happy and safe. Twice a month, the pregnant and parenting teens gather for Community Group – a time focused on Bible study, discussion and prayer. 

This spring we found creative ways to continue supporting our teen moms, such as Zoom meetings and texting links to RightNow Media. With social distancing in full swing, several leaders donned masks for door-to-door deliveries of Easter baskets packed full with God’s love. The expressions on the moms’ and children’s faces made this Good Friday even better!

This summer, the much-anticipated YoungLives Camp looks a lot different. Most years, camp is a sleepaway experience in August — full of laughter, fantastic food, great conversations, and resort-quality facilities. It’s often called the “best 5 days of your life” and we look forward to it every year! 

This summer, we’re having “Virtual Camp” from August 3 – 7! The young moms are able to choose from typical camp activities, like dance class or arts and crafts, and enjoy a “cabin time” debrief after hearing from a great speaker each evening. The big difference this year — it will all be virtual! We’ll be connecting via Zoom as a group — but plan to meet together in person (with social distancing, of course) for a Live camp kickoff celebration Monday night at a local church. 

Along with an exciting box of goodies from YoungLives, we are looking forward to a memorable and life-changing week together!

From Lost to Finding YoungLives

Please pray with us that despite the differences due to the pandemic, Lighthouse can continue to make an eternal difference in the lives of young moms like Melis:

“When my daughter and I arrived in America two years ago, I was totally lost. I trusted nobody. I was so constantly afraid of being judged that sometimes I told people that my daughter was my sister.  At this time of my life, I was falling into depression. I could not stand to live, and I had no friends to confide in. Talking to my own mother was impossible. 

“I will never forget the day I met Jess, the YoungLives Paterson leader. I was so amazed that she did not judge me!  My first Saturday with the group was beautiful. I was so relieved and finally happy to be part of a group of young people like me, I couldn’t stop smiling. YoungLives is, frankly, the most beautiful experience of my life and I wish other girls will be able to experience it, too.” 

To register for Virtual Camp or inquire about volunteering when YoungLives’ meetings resume, please contact Coordinator Jessica Rexford at 732-893-7353 or Jessica@LighthousePRC.org.  

Summer Book Club: 7 Secrets Guys Will Never Tell You

Calling all Teen Girls for a virtual Book Club this summer featuring “7 Secrets Guys Will Never Tell You”. This book gives you a sneak peak into the mind of the average teen guy and what they really think about love, sex, and relationships! This book will empower, equip, and encourage you to make healthy relationship choices while giving real life relatable examples.

Join us Tuesday nights at 7:30pm starting July 7 – August 18 at no cost to you besides buying the book!

REGISTER here: https://forms.gle/mAzWJDFzi48Ak15a6. Register by July 2nd to ensure your book arrives by July 7!

You can buy the book (https://bit.ly/2zQHuWY) using the promo code REALife for 10% off, OR save on shipping and get 10% off when you order your book through the registration link above for pick up at our Wayne Center!

Please email Lauren with any questions at laurenk@lighthouseprc.org. We can’t wait to see you virtually!