| At Mt. Oak, angels help women with crisis pregnancies BY BARBARA COWARDUMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT At Mt. Oak UMC in Mitchellville members are working to make sure there is room in the inn for todays pregnant women, especially those who are homeless. For a woman who faces an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy, especially someone who is homeless or without the support and encouragement of friends and family, it can be a time of deep despair and uncertainty, said Jeanne Padgett, a member of Mt. Oak. However, there is a safe haven where these women can turn. The Gabriel Project, a non-profit, national ecumenical organization, provides assistance to women facing crisis pregnancies. The 1-800 call centers are available throughout the country and provide referral services, such as phone numbers for social service agencies, housing and medical aid. It resembles the image of a concrete Internet, said Peter Nagle, client care coordinator at the Gabriel Project in Bowie. Responding to women in need any hour of the day, the call center is staffed during weekday business hours and an answering service is available after hours and on weekends for emergencies. The calls come from all over Maryland and many of the callers are homeless, Nagle said. Lately, finding shelter for those in need has been the biggest challenge for the project workers. There is literally no room in the inn for these women, which is a great source of frustration, said Nagle. In particular, there is a serious need for temporary housing in Montgomery and Prince Georges county, he said. Many churches are attempting to remedy the situation by becoming affiliated with the Gabriel Project. With the assistance of church members, callers are placed with an angel, a volunteer who provides support, encouragement and friendship throughout the pregnancy. Many of the participating churches are Roman Catholic, said Nagle, but the organization does its best to place the caller with a church that most closely matches her religious affiliation. Mt. Oak UMC has a long-standing relationship with the Gabriel Project that dates from the mid-1990s. The ministry fits with the overall mission of the church advocating the sanctity of life, Padgett said. Padgett, the project coordinator, leads a team of six volunteers within the church who stand by to serve as angels to the pregnant women, lending support to approximately 15 to 20 women in need each year. According to Padgett, the referrals from the call center reflect many different types of situations, including young unwed teenagers who are disowned by their families or older married women facing financial difficulties. The church will help in whatever way possible to make it easier for the women to continue with their pregnancies, including providing cribs, driving to doctors appointments or even cleaning homes in the case of a high-risk pregnancy. In many cases, the volunteers say, just lending an ear and being a friend is one of the most important and appreciated services that they can provide. Padgett believes that the ministry at Mt. Oak is an important one. The volunteers reach out to the women and do what Jesus would, she said. This service provides to the women, often for the first time, an opportunity to be connected to a church or to discover Jesus. For example, Padgett cites a case of when one of the Gabriel Project women and her baby were both baptized and became members of the church. That was a great blessing, she said. | 
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