Ministry helps PCUSA families dealing with pregnancy loss By Paula R. Kincaid The Presbyterian Layman Volume 33, Number 3 Posted May 22, 2000 Christine Shaw “We want people to know that there is a resting place that provides godly wisdom and Scripturally-based counsel to help them address the very painful and complex emotions they experience with their grief and loss,” said Christine Shaw, founder and executive director of Quickenings: Presbyterians Concerned With Pregnancy Loss and Procreation. The ministry helps individuals and families who have lost a child to early infant death, miscarriage, abortion or stillbirth find the comfort and love of Jesus Christ, through prayer and intercession, one-on-one counseling, memorial services, group support and retreats, seminars, literature and resources. Pregnancy loss, said Shaw, impacts every member of the family including siblings and grandparents. “All those need to know that their grief is valid and that these children had a purpose in our lives even though their time on earth was brief,” she said. Shaw, who lost two children to abortion, said she is grateful for the needed work of reconciliation that God has blessed her with and for her restored relationship with Jesus Christ. She said she did not see the same kind of healing available to others who had suffered the loss of pre-born or infant children. “A unique part of Quickenings is that it works with all pregnancy loss because there has not been enough of the stories shared and pain understood,” she said. “Unfortunately, pain can create walls where there need to be bridges built.” His sister’s memory The ministry began in September 1995, when Presbyterian elder Carl Schartner approached the session at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, Pa., for its blessing on a ministry that focuses on families within the Presbyterian Church (USA) who have suffered the loss of a child. Schartner lost his four-month-old sister Amy to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome when his parents were in their first PCUSA pastorate. He sees his ministry as a Quickenings board member as a way to honor her and as a way to express his concern for all in the church who have lost children. Assembly activities The Rev. James (Jim) H. Logan Jr., pastor of South Tryon Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C. will be the speaker at the Fourth Annual Memorial Service to Honor Pre-Born Children lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion and early infant death, scheduled for 6 p.m. June 28th, during the Long Beach General Assembly. “It is a service that acknowledges the blessing of these children and the grief of their passing for the PCUSA this year,” said Shaw. There will be an emphasis on ministering to the city of Los Angeles and the Presbyterian churches within the Southern California area. “It is a time to pray for God’s healing work in the lives of the families that are hurting from the loss of precious ones,” said Shaw. The ministry will also have a booth in the exhibit hall at the 2000 General Assembly “as a place of prayer and comfort.” Quickenings’ new internet site “Our Father’s Garden” will be formally dedicated and introduced at the booth. Shaw said the internet site will be a “place where families and friends can acknowledge the date, loss and name of children lost to miscarriage, abortion, early infant death, and stillbirth.” A newsletter and resource list for pregnancy loss will also be available by June 2000. Quickenings’ mission is to present Christ’s hands and hearts to the hurts of the past and to equip the Church to take its rightful role in the ministering during the various stages of bereavement connected with pregnancy loss within the family. Quickenings is located at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, 5450 Friendship Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. The confidential telephone and voice mail number is 412-661-4145. The email address is plc.quickenings@usa.net.

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