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| Elizabeth Ministry International Chapter Headquarters – Retreat & Resource Center – Life & Loss Institute – KinCommunity Association 120 W. 8th Street Kaukauna, WI 54130 Fax: 920-766-1221 Phone: 920-766-9380 E-mail: info@elizabethministry.com Website: www.elizabethministry.com |
| Our outreach is supported by generous donors and volunteers. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, tax-deductible donations and purchases from our on-line store are appreciated. “This website should not be interpreted as soliciting donations from persons in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Florida, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, N. Carolina, N. Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, S. Carolina, Utah, Virginia, W. Virginia, and Washington. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.” |
RESPECT LIFE PERSPECTIVE
Elizabeth Ministry Proclaims The Sacredness of Life
The models for Elizabeth Ministry are Mary and Elizabeth in their ministry to One another during their pregnancies.
Elizabeth Ministers are to follow the example of Elizabeth in recognizing the sacred in new life. Through the Holy
Spirit, Elizabeth was able to recognize that the child Mary was carrying was the Lord. An Elizabeth Minister is to
follow her faith in recognizing the dignity and worth of the children with the women she visits. Her enthusiasm and
delight over the little ones will encourage the women to believe that whatever she does for her children, she does for
Christ. There is a need in our society to celebrate life. Instead of respecting and reverencing the life of children, our
current structures and policies rob these little ones of dignity, and make it difficult for them to be nurtured and cared
for with love. Elizabeth Ministry is based on the premise that if we reverence every child as sacred, we will cherish
that child into adulthood and old age.
Recognition of the sacredness of life will call us to mourn as a community at the loss of any child. Miscarriages,
stillbirths and other infant or child deaths are to be a time of great mourning for the entire community. This witness to
the dignity and worth of all people, even to the unborn is a strong respect life message. If a community does not
grieve over the loss of a child in a miscarriage, it is questionable as to why it would mourn an abortion. In general, as
a Christian community, we have fallen short in recognizing the value of the unborn by not ritualizing the loss of a child
through miscarriage. Elizabeth Ministry seeks to raise the awareness of the importance of human life by helping the
church truly celebrate the gift of each child conceived and born, as well as, publicly mourning each miscarriage,
abortion, infant or child death. As the marketplace mentality of the media proclaims ways to “control or eliminate”
birth, we will be giving witness to the beauty of life by assisting women that suffer from infertility, encouraging those in
the adoptive process, and supporting families experiencing a prenatal, infant or child crisis, illness or special need.
Elizabeth Ministry believes that the unique blessings of procreation are given as a gift from our Creator. This direct
maternal ministry given to us by God is good! However, our society proclaims the opposite. We continually hear how
to stop this gift of fertility from contraception to abortion. The media portrays getting pregnant as something to
avoid. Years ago a new child was considered a blessing by being another pair of hands to help the family. Today a
child is often looked upon as the curse of another mouth to feed! If we truly believe that every child is made in the
image and likeness of God, then we surely have something to celebrate every time a child is conceived and born!
In the media, children are often presented as a bother, or a burden inhibiting freedom and self-fulfillment. Our daily
papers are filled with examples of children who are ignored, abused and abandoned. The market place mentality
frequently views children as a commodity to be exploited in order to make a profit. Despite the rhetoric to the
contrary, we are becoming a society that does not hold sacred the life of the most powerless and helpless among us,
namely, the unborn and the small child. For many people, pregnancy is not a time of wonder and joy, but rather, a time
of apprehension and fear. Young people are warned against becoming pregnant. Middle-age women are reminded
about possible complications during pregnancy and birth. Genetic counseling and prenatal testing has heightened the
fear of a whole array of possible deformities that might be present in the baby.
Every church that has started a chapter of Elizabeth Ministry has discovered the power of gathering Christian women
together in the manner of Mary and Elizabeth to share their stories. Women are drawn to this ministry out of a felt
need in their own lives. It is time for all to us to join in the words of Elizabeth when she greeted Mary, “Blessed is the
fruit of your womb!”
Note: Permission to be called an Elizabeth Minister is granted when a person signs a registration form stating
she/he will respect life before, during and after conception, until natural death and beyond. Please honor this
trademark name and logo.
Elizabeth Ministry Proclaims The Sacredness of Life
The models for Elizabeth Ministry are Mary and Elizabeth in their ministry to One another during their pregnancies.
Elizabeth Ministers are to follow the example of Elizabeth in recognizing the sacred in new life. Through the Holy
Spirit, Elizabeth was able to recognize that the child Mary was carrying was the Lord. An Elizabeth Minister is to
follow her faith in recognizing the dignity and worth of the children with the women she visits. Her enthusiasm and
delight over the little ones will encourage the women to believe that whatever she does for her children, she does for
Christ. There is a need in our society to celebrate life. Instead of respecting and reverencing the life of children, our
current structures and policies rob these little ones of dignity, and make it difficult for them to be nurtured and cared
for with love. Elizabeth Ministry is based on the premise that if we reverence every child as sacred, we will cherish
that child into adulthood and old age.
Recognition of the sacredness of life will call us to mourn as a community at the loss of any child. Miscarriages,
stillbirths and other infant or child deaths are to be a time of great mourning for the entire community. This witness to
the dignity and worth of all people, even to the unborn is a strong respect life message. If a community does not
grieve over the loss of a child in a miscarriage, it is questionable as to why it would mourn an abortion. In general, as
a Christian community, we have fallen short in recognizing the value of the unborn by not ritualizing the loss of a child
through miscarriage. Elizabeth Ministry seeks to raise the awareness of the importance of human life by helping the
church truly celebrate the gift of each child conceived and born, as well as, publicly mourning each miscarriage,
abortion, infant or child death. As the marketplace mentality of the media proclaims ways to “control or eliminate”
birth, we will be giving witness to the beauty of life by assisting women that suffer from infertility, encouraging those in
the adoptive process, and supporting families experiencing a prenatal, infant or child crisis, illness or special need.
Elizabeth Ministry believes that the unique blessings of procreation are given as a gift from our Creator. This direct
maternal ministry given to us by God is good! However, our society proclaims the opposite. We continually hear how
to stop this gift of fertility from contraception to abortion. The media portrays getting pregnant as something to
avoid. Years ago a new child was considered a blessing by being another pair of hands to help the family. Today a
child is often looked upon as the curse of another mouth to feed! If we truly believe that every child is made in the
image and likeness of God, then we surely have something to celebrate every time a child is conceived and born!
In the media, children are often presented as a bother, or a burden inhibiting freedom and self-fulfillment. Our daily
papers are filled with examples of children who are ignored, abused and abandoned. The market place mentality
frequently views children as a commodity to be exploited in order to make a profit. Despite the rhetoric to the
contrary, we are becoming a society that does not hold sacred the life of the most powerless and helpless among us,
namely, the unborn and the small child. For many people, pregnancy is not a time of wonder and joy, but rather, a time
of apprehension and fear. Young people are warned against becoming pregnant. Middle-age women are reminded
about possible complications during pregnancy and birth. Genetic counseling and prenatal testing has heightened the
fear of a whole array of possible deformities that might be present in the baby.
Every church that has started a chapter of Elizabeth Ministry has discovered the power of gathering Christian women
together in the manner of Mary and Elizabeth to share their stories. Women are drawn to this ministry out of a felt
need in their own lives. It is time for all to us to join in the words of Elizabeth when she greeted Mary, “Blessed is the
fruit of your womb!”
Note: Permission to be called an Elizabeth Minister is granted when a person signs a registration form stating
she/he will respect life before, during and after conception, until natural death and beyond. Please honor this
trademark name and logo.
| We honor all life, cherish children, encourage families, uplift marriages, and build community. |
| Elizabeth Ministry™ name and logo are trademarked. All Elizabeth Ministry resources are copyrighted. © 1996-2010, Elizabeth Ministry International. All rights reserved. Limited permission to use the name Elizabeth Ministry is granted when Elizabeth Ministry International Headquarters receives a signed registration form. (Chapter Registration Form is in the Leader’s Manual of the Elizabeth Ministry Starter Program.) © 2010 Elizabeth Ministry International. All rights reserved. |