"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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PPL has achieved Guidestar's highest level of transparency. You may donate to PPL at Guidestar for a small transaction fee.
learn more at
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
August 2021
The Consequences of Distance Learning
By Deborah Hollifield, PPL Executive Director
Children of all ages are returning to the classroom this quarter after a year of what was optimistically referred to as “Distance Learning.” Some fortunate students had at least one stay-at-home parent who could organize and supervise their on-line and photocopied lessons. Most probably had frazzled parents, run ragged from trying to cope with having the family cooped up together all day, multi-tasking on laundry and Zoom meetings, while making sure the kids were doing their lessons and not gaming on their laptops. “Distant” or not, there wasn’t a lot of learning going on, and there is a lot of catching up to do. Sadly, some may never catch up.
One day a little three-year-old boy, who was a regular attender at our church, came into one of our classrooms with a Lego figurine sword. As you can imagine, it was very small. www.destinyimage.com
From our Archives: PPL Enews, July 2015
Teach the Children Well
By Marie Bowen, PPL Administrative Director
Every seven years Israel was to read the law to all the people, men, women, and “little ones.”
The reason for this?
...That they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God... —Deuteronomy 31:12-13.
Teaching Scripture to children is essential if we are to pass on our Christian faith.
This online resource includes written questions, games and on-line flashcards.
Q. 22. What is a covenant?
A. An agreement between two or more persons.
Q. 23. What covenant did God make with Adam?
A. The covenant of works.
PPL has achieved Guidestar's highest level of transparency. You may donate to PPL at Guidestar for a small transaction fee.
learn more at
PRESBYTERIANS PROTECTING LIFE
PO Box 5239
Lancaster, PA 17606
