Tel (585) 235-0690

Fax (585) 235-0011

Origins of our ministry

Historical Background

For nearly two thousand years abortion was considered to be murder in the Judeo-Christian culture of the Western world. However, at the height of the "sexual revolution" in the early 1970's Western nations began legalizing abortion, and since then over 48,000,000 preborn infants have been killed in the United States alone, leaving a trail of blood and traumatized women that cries out to heaven for relief.

Early Days

After the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, the abortion rate rose rapidly. In response, pro-life groups began to spring up around the country. In Rochester, a group with the unlikely name of "Citizens for Public Morality, Inc." formed and came to us at His Branches with the concept for a crisis pregnancy center. Dr. Morehouse and his Board of Directors were completely supportive and offered space in a storefront at 344 Arnett Blvd. Over the years this ministry grew, moved to Chili Avenue, then to Alexander Street and on to East Avenue, changing its name from Crisis Pregnancy Center to Crisis Pregnancy Services and finally to CompassCare in the process.

Later Developments

In 2002 CompassCare decided to "go medical" with the addition of ultrasound services and came full circle by opening an office upstairs at 342 Arnett Blvd. in conjunction with His Branches and Grace Family Medicine. A year later CompassCare developed a particular focus on reaching abortion vulnerable college students and moved its office to White Spruce Blvd. where they are faithfully serving the community.

Formation of Embracing Options

In December 2004 it was revealed to us through NYS statistics that our Zip Code (14619) has a whopping 1 in 2.5 abortion rate among woman reporting pregnancy. That number is staggering and represents 155 aborted babies in our neighborhood! With Grace Family Medicine having offered pro-life medical care and other intervention and programming to our community for 25 years, we determined that this statistic was one that we could no sit idly by and allow to go unaddressed. His Branches, Inc. is ideally suited to offer crisis pregnancy services to our neighborhood since we host an established family practice in our building and our staff has all been trained to offer crisis pregnancy counseling to women considering abortion. We have the ability to offer limited informational ultrasounds and are seeking to obtain another machine through a grant from Focus on the Family. More than 90% of woman who see their baby through an ultrasound are likely to keep their child versus abort them.

Our goal is to eliminate the incidence of and need for abortion in our neighborhood. Obviously, we cannot do that without good structure, strong financial support, and committed staff and volunteers. We are affiliated with Care Net, a national organization that has resources to add to our effort and offers great incentives for centers that want to focus on urban areas. One of the amazingly sound strengths of Care Net is their commitment to standardization, and one area of that is their requirement to adopt a statement of faith. Care Net centers across the country are known for their witness as well as their success. Women are presented the Gospel as part of their visit, and life-changing moments occur during each and every encounter.

While our primary goal is lofty, there are secondary goals that include offering direct peer counseling, pregnancy testing, support via material aide, and offering other services such as post abortion counseling for women who have already made the difficult decision and proceeded with the procedure. Education will take place that ultimately will include abstinence education in schools and other community settings. Public awareness campaigns will highlight the sanctity of human life and raise awareness for our community about the dangers inherent with abortion and the alternatives that are available for anyone willing to give birth. We will place an emphasis on the male partner involved in the pregnancy to be sure that men receive the intervention and education they need to be supportive and caring partners/fathers. Many other opportunities will be created for this ministry to make an impact and transform lives.

Psalm 71:6

From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mothers womb. I will ever praise you.

Where We're Headed

EO Short Term Vision

• Establish a Crisis Pregnancy Center at 342 Arnett Blvd. (done)

• Provide pre-abortion counseling (active)

• Provide post-abortion counseling (active)

• Our own ultrasound machine (we have one on loan) and training for 2 ultrasound technicians (in process)

• Abstinence counseling and education (active)

• Bible studies for clients and area women (sexual healing study pending)

• Placement of clients in area churches to be nurtured and grow in Christ's love (active)

• Presently serving over 100 clients per year and growing

EO Long Term Vision

• Add STD testing for both young men and women (Spring 2008)

• Establish more satellite counseling centers surrounding the inner city of Rochester to share Christ's love, forgiveness and guidance.

1. Goodman Bay area at Gerhardt Ministry Center, the Number 2 Abortion Zip Code in Rochester (opened in March 2008)

2. Other neighborhoods in the crescent, yet to be identified

3. Etc.

is an urban

ministry of

that is

affiliated with

© Copyright 2007 by Embracing Options. All Rights Reserved. For more information please read our 
Privacy and Use Policies or e-mail us. Website material gathered from a variety of sources listed here.