When Leanne Jamieson discovered that more than 1,700 women were driving from Fort Worth ZIP codes to receive medical care at Prestonwood Pregnancy Centers in Dallas, she knew it was time to start thinking about expanding the nonprofit westward.
The pregnancy center started as a ministry of Prestonwood Baptist Church in 1991 through Jack Graham, senior pastor of the church. It is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization separate from Prestonwood Baptist Church, according to the church’s website.
Prestonwood Pregnancy Center provides free medical services, such as pregnancy and STD testing and ultrasounds, according to its website. The center’s website includes information about abortions but states that the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center does not perform them.
In late March, members of the seminary and church gathered to formally mark the opening of the new Prestonwood Pregnancy Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the seminary’s Fort Worth campus.
“I’m blessed to say we have a good reputation in the community, and so I think because of that, they were willing to make the drive,” Jamieson said. “But our heart is not just to see and visit with that woman one time, but to continue to walk alongside her and help her navigate her personal situation.”
The new Fort Worth Center, located off Townsend Drive, is open to the public and marks the nonprofit’s first location in Tarrant County. Prestonwood Pregnancy Center also operates in Richardson, southwest Dallas and has a mobile clinic based in Mesquite.
The Fort Worth pregnancy center provides free services including pregnancy testing and resources for women facing unplanned pregnancies such as ultrasounds and classes. Offering these services at no cost is crucial to women who lack financial resources or insurance, Jamieson said.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students will have the opportunity to volunteer with staff at the nonprofit, sharing a “deep commitment to the sanctity of life,” said seminary President David Dockery.
“It gives us an opportunity to live out that belief in action with their presence here to care for unborn children, mothers, fathers and help them with Christian care during this time,” Dockery said.
The Fort Worth center also will be used as a national training facility for other pregnancy centers. The center had a soft opening in January, Jamieson said, and “already in this building, 105 clients have chosen life.”
“Whatever you believe about abortion, the truth of the matter is, we care about the woman and we really want to make a difference in her and her significant other’s life,” Jamieson said. “My prayer is that when they come to us … something in their situation feels a little more calmer, a little more secure, a little more hopeful after coming to one of our centers.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at [email protected].
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