QUESTION &
ANSWER
CAPSS is an affiliate of the EFC
( www.TheEFC.ca/Affiliates). Find more
Q and As at www.Faith Today.ca/QandA.
What is the mission of CAPSS?
We are a Christ-centred national
ministry dedicated to providing
support for life and sexual health by
partnering with pregnancy care
centres across Canada. We are a
best-practice affiliation helping to
establish, equip and encourage local
pregnancy care centres, so that
every person in Canada impacted by
an unintended pregnancy has access
to the help and support they need.
What role does CAPSS play in the
Canadian Church?
Pregnancy care centres serve a local
mission field. They are an expression
of the Church in action – the hands
and feet of Jesus in service to those
facing an unplanned pregnancy,
either presently or in the past.
These centres are parachurch
organizations and provide a meeting place for different denominations to connect. For example, at
our local centre on any given day
there will be three to four local
churches represented among our
volunteers and staff, all sharing the
same desire to help support vulnerable individuals and families in our
community. It’s an incredible
blending of Canadian churches all
coming together to serve in love!
CAPSS serves behind the scenes
by providing leadership support
and resources to equip local centres
to do their work with excellence.
CAPSS provides information and
resources to local churches. We want
to help equip the local church to
compassionately care for women,
men and families in their community
impacted by unplanned pregnancy.
What are the most important ministry
lessons you have learned?
So often when we serve others, that
is when we learn and grow the most!
I’ve learned that it’s not about me
and it’s not up to me. Ministry is a
manifestation of the Body in action
and not about a person or title.
Sanctification and transformation never end, and sometimes the
process is painful and messy. We
need to surround ourselves with
people we trust, who hold us accountable and who complement our
giftings. I’ve learned that we need to
be honest about the fruit of our work
and recognize when we have forgotten the greatest command, which is
to love.
What is your leadership advice to
emerging leaders?
Leadership is about serving others.
If God entrusts you with a position
of leadership, use it well to help and
to release those around you into
their unique God-given destinies.
What is the biggest misconception
about crisis pregnancy centres?
A pregnancy care centre is not
about an ideology, but it’s about
compassionate help and truly making a difference in someone’s life
– it is unconditional love.
When a woman comes to a centre, she knows that the staff and
volunteers care not only about her
baby, but also about her. We know
that both have a God-given destiny.
It is our desire that every community in Canada would have access
to the unconditional love, support
and education that a pregnancy
care centre provides. /FT
Dr. Laura Lewis is the executive director of the Canadian
Association of Pregnancy Support Services (CAPSS)
Compassionate care for women
63
NUMBER OF CRISIS
PREGNANC Y CEN TRES
ACROSS CANADA IN
THE CAPSS NET WORK
P
H
O
T
O
:
C
A
P
S
S
