Riverside, California, May 3, 2023
This spring, Orthodox Christians for Life sponsored the 3rd Annual National Orthodox Baby Shower. 65 parishes from six different jurisdictions joined a nationwide effort to support local women facing unexpected or crisis pregnancies.
The event takes place during the weeks surrounding the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25 and is an opportunity for Orthodox parishes to partner with nonprofit pregnancy resource centers (PRC’s), which provide free medical care, material resources, and ongoing support for abortion-vulnerable women to help them choose life.
Participating churches registered for the event with Orthodox Christians for Life to receive a complimentary event guidebook and other resources for their baby shower efforts. Parishes then held a drive to collect baby supplies for the PRC’s in their local communities.
In total, the parishes donated:
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Over 50,000 diapers
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Over 1,000 packages of wipes
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$7,814 in monetary gifts
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Over 2,400 baby outfits/clothing items (excluding socks and shoes)
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Thousands of other baby items, including cribs, car seats, strollers, toys, and more
Many parishes found creative ways to involve the parish youth in the baby shower. Some knit hats, while others helped fundraise or volunteered to deliver all the donations.
“This event not only supports an important cause, but serves as a teaching opportunity for the young people of our parishes, demonstrating how we as a Church family respond to those in out-of-wedlock pregnancies — not with condemnation, but support,” said Emily Yocum, executive director. “Every parish should have a relationship with the nearest pregnancy resource center.”
To learn more about how OCLife is building an Orthodox pro-life movement, see www.oclife.org, or contact Elyse Apel at elyse@oclife.org.
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