Women’s health and pregnancy center honors staff, volunteers with celebration
Patty Hullett | Daily Light correspondent
Waxahachie’s FirstLook (a sexual health and pregnancy center) and their staff and volunteers were the honored guests at a tea party put on by the “Ladies’ Cracked Pots Bible Class” of Creekside Church in Midlothian on Friday afternoon, February 25.
Pat Smith, a member of the “Cracked Pots” and a FirstLook counselor Elaine Culp (another “Cracked Pot”), and FirstLook staff member Sharra Poteet all collaborated to come up with a way to salute all the fine folks involved with this worthwhile organization that is thriving because of the generosity and donations collected by caring people from all across Ellis County.
The group’s mission is to offer answers to common questions on abortion, adoption, and parenting. FirstLook enables each client to have access to experienced nurses and staff who will provide the care each one might need and the answers they seek (for both women and men). Some of their important noted services they offer are: resources and reading materials, clinical tests and other free medical services, education, support, and counseling.
Friday’s tea party was given to celebrate this dedicated staff, its volunteers, its donors, and its prayer partners for their hard and necessary work that helps pregnant women within all of Ellis County – and even reaches to other outlying areas and beyond.
The tea emcee was Shana Gilmore, a volunteer that serves as a client coordinator. She welcomed the attendees that numbered 35. She thanked all for coming and led a prayer of thanksgiving before the ladies lined up to enjoy all of the finger foods prepared by the “Cracked Pots” ladies. Those in attendance were treated royally, and they enjoyed their various tea choices that were served out of old-fashioned tea cups, tea pots, saucers, and special tea spoons. Most of the ladies enjoyed getting dressed up and sported their own fashionable hats for the fun “high tea” special occasion.
The “Cracked Pots” also brought baby items to be donated to The Looking Glass baby’s boutique: diapers, baby outfits, bottle brushes, baby books, toiletry items, wash rags, receiving blankets, etc.
At the conclusion of the tea, the ladies enjoyed hearing the Christian testimony of Pat Smith of Lancaster. She is a noted Ellis County artist, a devotional speaker for Stonecroft Ministries and the Lancaster Women’s Connection. She inspired the group by sharing her special testimony of how God led her through some very difficult and trying times in her younger years, and as each terrible event unfolded, somehow she used her faith in God and renamed her positive victories as her “pearls” – and these pearls over the years still remind her of how God has always been with her through her trials and troubles.
Next, counselor Elaine Culp commended everyone present for having a part in protecting the unborn – no matter what their part might be, great or small, but it still makes an impact on the entire organization and its clients they serve.
Ms. Culp shared an interesting story about a couple from Euclid, Ohio, Greg and Annie Miller, who felt a calling to leave their old lives behind and to help found the Open Door Maternity Home there in their city. This was a very needed residential ministry for pregnant teens in their area. Greg and Annie spiritually “adopted” each mother who stayed with them as their “daughters”, and each child became their “grandchildren”. Annie remains in touch with most of their “daughters” to this day. Their ministry served these women long after the birth of their babies. Young mothers came to Open Door because those who should have been their supportive network were, instead, coercing them to abort their babies.
This story comes from an article in LifeNews, and this organization depends totally upon the support of its readers to combat the pro-abortion media.
One of those teens was Tenisha Copeland. The pressure she endured from family and friends to abort was so intense, it put her in a state of clinical depression, requiring hospitalization. When Tenisha came to Open Door, she did so directly from the hospital.
This young mother flourished in the positive and nurturing environment of Open Door. She learned to trust Jesus and drew close to Him, as well as to the staff. In 1997 Annie was there for the delivery of Tenisha’s son, Marquise, and was even given the honor of cutting the umbilical cord.
Marquise Copeland grew to be a fine young man with an exceptional ability to play football. He earned a full scholarship to play collegiate football at the University of Cincinnati! He was the first true freshman to start on the varsity squad in 15 years. Of all the schools he could have selected, Marquise wanted to play for a university close enough to his mother so she could drive to see him play in the football games. This young man was also a very good student, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting in less than four years.
From there, his college football gave way to the NFL. Marquise received an invitation to try out for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 as a free agent. He was placed on the active roster initially as a “temporary replacement” defensive lineman, but that turned permanent.
In the recent 2022 playoffs, Marquise was credited with an important interception that helped propel the Rams to the ultimate football event of all time. Number “93” was on the winning team at this year’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
Ms. Culp shares, “What a story – and that is one of many that exemplify FirstLook and its constant successful mission and ministry: to save lives and help families through hard times.”
She concludes, “A huge ‘thank you’ to so many of the staff members and volunteers that were a great help in planning, setting-up, and cleaning up. This tea party was a raving success!”
