Expanding Our Ministry
Dear Supporters,
EXCITING NEWS…Crossroads Pregnancy Center is expanding! God has been leading us to open a new location in the city of Altoona, PA. The city has no medical pregnancy resource clinic available at this time. We see this as a great opportunity to increase our ability to reach out to more abortion-vulnerable women and have more opportunities to share Christ’s love and truth.
With the addition of our new marketing strategy this year through Google Ads, we found that at least 25% of all contacts were from women in Altoona. These women were seeking abortion services and needed medical confirmation of pregnancy.
According to the most recent abortion statistics in 2020, induced abortions for Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Juniata County residents combined totaled 69. Blair County saw a total of 106 abortions in 2020. (PA Dept. of Health) Those numbers don’t reflect all abortions that occurred. Abortions done by taking the abortion pill are often not reported or counted accurately.
These stats also show that of the 32,123 abortions in Pennsylvania that year - 21,934 (68%) were by 8 weeks gestation or less. The abortion pill, which is very readily available, must be taken by 10 weeks gestation. Having a medical clinic for early confirmation of pregnancy means women can come to Crossroads for these necessary services and be truly empowered to make a well-informed choice instead of feeling like abortion is the only alternative.
We can also offer them STI testing and treatment and offer to provide all the material items they need through our Bridges Program (Earn While You Learn). We can give them trusted referrals to adoption agencies that uphold Biblical standards…and more.
This additional location would double the general population we currently serve.
As you know, we already serve Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Juniata counties. The total population of those counties is 113,744. Blair county, where Altoona is located, has a population of 122,822. (https://www.census.gov Population Census April 2020).
As God has been opening the doors, we have been walking through them in prayer and in faith.
There is one other center in Altoona called Precious Life. For those of you who God has led to support that ministry – we want you to continue as He leads. They are doing commendable work within that city and in the country of Romania. After discussions with them, we respect that they do not feel called to add medical services at this time. This makes what we plan to bring to Altoona very different. We have two office locations in Huntingdon County that stay busy. Huntingdon and Mount Union have a combined population of less than 11,000 so we are sure that the two centers in Altoona will be an improvement in reaching out to their population of 43,963.
Every Life Matters (ELM) Pregnancy Center of Tyrone is in Blair County. The ELM Board of Directors and their Executive Director met with our Board of Directors and myself a few weeks ago. We had an amazing time sharing what the Lord has been “speaking” as we discussed this expansion of Crossroads. We prayed and praised the Lord together! We fully commit to working together for the same cause of life and the Gospel in Blair County. We want to saturate Blair County with life-affirming truth!
So why now?
With the overturning of Roe, pregnancy centers are tasked to provide more resources than ever to our communities. Not much has changed in the laws surrounding abortion here in Pennsylvania, so women are still seeking where they can go for abortions. In some surrounding states, more laws are being put in place to restrict abortions so we could even see more women crossing our state line seeking terminations. The abortion pill is readily available and women are reaching out at an alarming rate. This means confirmation of pregnancy is vital. Because women need to be sure about three things before making any choices and our clinic can provide this confirmation through our limited ultrasounds: 1. Is the pregnancy viable? (healthy) 2. How far along are they? (gestation) 3. Is the pregnancy in their uterus? Occasionally, the pregnancy is located somewhere else. (ectopic)
With everything happening right now, you may have heard about the attacks against pregnancy resource centers around the nation. So your prayers are needed and appreciated.
We serve a great God that protects, provides, and calls us to be bold and courageous!
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
No matter what, we will continue to assist women in need and provide life-affirming options and care. We will give them choice when they thought they had none. We will continue to provide education and material assistance. We will continue this important work despite unjust vandalism and threats from our opponents. As long as there are women in need, we will be there to offer help, hope, and healing in Jesus’ name.
We are currently seeking connections with possible new donors in Blair County. If you know anyone from those areas that might be interested in supporting us in that community, please ask them to contact me or Stephanie Dye, our Development Director, at 814-643-3570.
If you would like to donate specifically to help support this effort, we would truly appreciate it! Just designate your donation to “Altoona” and send it to our Admin office at 119 S. Division Street Mount Union, PA 17066 or go online to give: https://cpcforlife.org/give-now and select the “Altoona fund” in the drop-down.
We are in the process of painting and furnishing our new office at 212 Frankstown Road in Altoona. We hope to be open to the public by September 1st, Lord willing. I will be sending out updates and more details through our emails, newsletters, and website (www.cpcforlife.org). We are also putting together an Altoona Prayer Team that will commit to praying specifically for this growth in all aspects. If you would like to be added, please contact Stephanie at stephanie@cpcforlife.org.
God bless you for all that you do to protect life and share the Word of Life with those around you.
All For His Glory,
Cindy Mansberger,
Executive Director
Updated on August 10, 2022