A Message from Joanne Mellish, Kernan Center Director
Since moving to the Kernan Center in 2022, our client visits have increased by over 40%! Last year we had nearly 1700 client visits. These visits include pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, men’s mentorship sessions, and Earn While You Learn sessions. As a result of the increase in clients, we have now opened another shift so that we are open five days a week! Even through the difficult days, we see how wonderful God is and how He is moving in this place.
We are so blessed with the support the Kernan Center has received from the community and the area churches. We are especially thankful for your prayers. This past year, we have been especially encouraged by the various pastors from different churches in our community that have graciously come into the Center each week to pray with our volunteers and staff. We welcome those that would like to come and pray with us here at the Center. We know and can feel that God hears your prayers for the ministry!
“Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:33
We are also excited that the male client visits from 2022 to 2023 have increased by 112%! We know that a woman’s chance of choosing LIFE for her baby increases exponentially when her significant other is present at her ultrasound.
With the ever changing and challenging climate of our culture and community, we are so grateful for the time, commitment, and compassion of our dedicated volunteers. We could not do this without them!
We are also grateful for YOU! Pictured here are just a few of the many lives you’ve helped save at the Kernan Center through your support of First Coast Women’s Services. Together, we are making a difference for LIFE on the First Coast.
Thank you for being a part of this life-saving work.
Volunteer Spotlight
Debbie Lucas, Client Advocate
“What keeps me passionate and committed is having the honor and opportunity to come alongside women who are in crisis mode and feeling completely overwhelmed. Seeing someone respond in a positive way to genuine love (which comes from the Lord) is a tremendous blessing. There are disappointments along the way, but victories are what make it all worthwhile. I also love it when our parenting classes lead to a sweet relationship with a client. I’m humbled to be a tiny part of what God’s doing through this incredible ministry. I never feel worthy or adequate, so the fact that He sees fit to use me here blows my mind.”
– Debbie Lucas
Devo: Holistically Pro-Life
By Pastor Kieth Dickerson, Christ Church East
When abortion becomes a politically charged debate, we lose sight of the vulnerable people caught in the middle: women and unborn children. We serve a God who is holistically pro-life. We don’t have to pick between the woman and unborn child as to who is vulnerable and in need of protection. Both are! And God calls us to contend for the lives of both….
