This past August, Africa Cares for Life (ACFL) held its 13th Annual Conference in Illovo Beach, South Africa, welcoming 60 pregnancy help center directors, board members, staff and volunteers from around the nation to better equip themselves to serve women and families.
The theme, “Salt and Light,” highlighted the role of pregnancy help centers as individual lighthouses for their regions, providing clients with a place of hope and guidance by shining in the dark places.
While at the conference, attendees took part in praise and worship, networking with co-laborers in the life-saving mission and personal prayer ministry opportunities. The event incorporated keynote speakers and workshops with topics including:
- Client Intervention Track - Flourish (Adverse Childhood Trauma)
- Client Programmes Track – Teen mom support groups
- Leadership Track – Intentional living and leading
- Fundraising Track – Crucial conversations around fundraising
- Spiritual Refreshment – Intimacy before impact
- Medical Matters – HIV and the pregnant woman
- Spiritual Refreshment – Coming back from feeling burnt out
- Client Intervention – Reaching and connecting with the abortion minded client
- Staff Track – HR in the NGO Sector
Here are just a few examples of the feedback ACFL received from attendees:
“This was an opportunity to grow, be refreshed, network and refuel.”
“I loved how God used the speakers to meet my needs—especially spiritually.”
“I am writing to you with such an overwhelmingly grateful heart - to you guys for creating this truly wonderful conference … in this one God has really been dealing with me personally and highlighting a few things that I as a person should work on to become a better child of God and ultimately a better leader for my centre. So thank you (once again) for being obedient to God when He called you to this ministry.”
“[The conference] reminded us that we are not fighting this battle on our own.”
“[I] came away from those sessions feeling rejuvenated.”
In order to pour into the lives of others, pregnancy help center staff must themselves be filled to the brim. Whether through a speaker, workshop or simply spending quality time with others in the pregnancy help community, in-person gatherings like ACFL’s are specifically geared to “fill” pregnancy help workers to get back to the mission with a renewed sense of vision and purpose.
