"Compelled by the Gospel, PPL equips Presbyterians
to champion human life at every stage."
May the joy, peace and love of Christmas be yours today
and into the New Year!
A Blessed Christmas!
from the PPL Staff and Board of Directors
PRESBYTERIANS PROTECTING LIFE
PO Box 5239
Lancaster, PA 17606
Compelled by the Gospel, PPL equips Presbyterians
to champion human life at every stage
PPL ENEWS
October 2021
Ministry When There is a Miscarriage
By Sue Cyre
This article was originally published online with Juicy Ecumenism
Recently, several couples have publicly spoken of the deep emotional pain they experienced at the death of their preborn child. When Chrissy Teigen and John Legend suffered a miscarriage last September, Teigen shared on Instagram:
We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before… we for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. Jack worked so hard to be part of our little family, and he will be, forever….We will always love you.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also suffered a miscarriage last summer. Although pro-choice, Markle expressed her deep grief in losing her child writing in a New York Times op-ed [1] piece:
Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few. In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.
Yet despite the staggering commonality of the pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.
This Fall, Josie Bates Balka, from the reality show “Bringing Up Bates” too shared that she and her husband lost a child they were expecting:
…Our hearts have been completely broken. I’ve never experienced the type of pain and loss that I’ve had these past weeks. There is an empty spot in our hearts and in our home.
How to Help Someone Experiencing a Miscarriage
Miscarriages are very common, but the frequency of the tragedy does not reduce the weight of death. Here is how you can be a support through your friends' grief.
By Emily Carrington
In April 2014, I was 11 weeks pregnant with a little one we call Baby. Only four weeks earlier, my husband and I had watched Baby’s healthy heart flicker on the screen, and I was still experiencing awful morning sickness. We had no reason to believe anything was wrong.
We sat in the doctor’s office waiting room and planned our public pregnancy announcement while I nibbled on saltines. But after that appointment, we faced a different announcement. Our Baby had died, and most people did not even know we were pregnant.
Worship Resources for Pastoral Care
PPL's Pastoral Care Resources
Presbyterians Protecting Life - P.O. Box 5239 -
Lancaster, PA 17606-5239 - (412) 487-1990
Worship Resources for Pregnancy Loss & Infertility
Many church members stay silent about miscarriages and other common reproductive losses. Yet Christian traditions contain many helpful books and worship resources to aid those who have experienced reproductive loss. Your church can start with these resources to engage this issue more. (worship.calvin.edu)
Brick Pavers to Remember Miscarried Children
The National Memorial for the Unborn gives you the opportunity to honor your child by purchasing a brick paver to be placed along the path of our private gardens.
Being comforted by God we are equipped to comfort others. 2 Cor. 1:3-7
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PRESBYTERIANS PROTECTING LIFE
PO Box 5239
Lancaster, PA 17606
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