WILLISTON, Vt. (BP) – The Psalm 139 Project, a pro-life ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), has donated an ultrasound machine to a pregnancy resource center in Williston, Vt., in a partnership with multiple Baptist state conventions and Send Relief.
The ultrasound machine was placed at Aspire Now Pregnancy Care Center with funding provided by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (TBMB), the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (ALSBOM), the Baptist Churches of New England, Send Relief and individual donations to the Psalm 139 Project.
Mitchell Kimbrell, senior pastor of Christ Memorial Church in Williston, an ERLC trustee and chairman of the ERLC’s presidential search committee, said Christ Memorial has supported Aspire Now for many years, and this new ultrasound is an exciting update in what can be a difficult ministry context.
“As a pastor in a state where abortion is tragically so readily available and embraced as a viable option for pregnant women, I’m thrilled that the ERLC’s Psalm 139 project has placed an ultrasound machine in our local pregnancy resource center,” Kimbrell said. “And it’s especially encouraging that Southern Baptist brothers and sisters in faraway places like Alabama and Tennessee – who might never come to Vermont or see the Gospel fruit of their generosity – have teamed up with us to make this machine placement possible.”
Rachel Wiles, director of the Psalm 139 Project; ERLC Executive Vice President Miles Mullin; Mike Jackson, ALSBOM associate executive director, and a number of other local ministry partners attended a dedication ceremony Tuesday (Nov. 18).
“This gift is the result of faithful cooperation among Baptists across the country,” Mullin said.
“Together, we are able to serve alongside Aspire Now as they walk with women and families in moments of great need, offering both practical support and the message that every life is precious and because every person is made in the image of God.”
Rick Lance, executive director for Alabama Baptists, spoke about the opportunity to help provide the ultrasound machine in Vermont.
“Alabama Baptists are glad to partner with the Psalm 139 Project and the Baptist Churches of New England as we place an ultrasound machine in Williston,” Lance said.
“I am grateful that both Alabama Baptists and our fellow Southern Baptists consistently stand strong for the sanctity of human life and against abortion. Pray with me that this ultrasound machine will increase awareness about preborn life and that unborn babies will be seen as fully human and deserving of protection from destruction.
“Thanks to our state convention family of churches for gifts through the Cooperative Program that make possible the provision of these ultrasound machines in Vermont and elsewhere.”
Randy Davis, president and executive director of the TBMB, echoed Lance’s sentiment about the importance of the placement.
“On behalf of Tennessee Baptists, it is a joy to partner with the ERLC on the Psalm 139 project,” Davis said.
“We believe there is no single tool that has saved more lives of the unborn better than an ultrasound machine. Unexpected mothers hear a heartbeat or see the form of their child in the womb and move from considering death to giving life.”
Alabama Baptists and Tennessee Baptists have been frequent partners with the Psalm 139 Project. Earlier this year, two ultrasounds were placed in Tennessee and one placement was made in Alabama. Alabama Baptists also recently helped fund an ultrasound placement in Anchorage, Alaska.
Since its inception in 2001, the Psalm 139 Project has made nearly 100 ultrasound placements. The initiative provides ultrasound equipment and necessary training to pregnancy resource centers. It does not receive Cooperative Program dollars and is instead fully funded through donations, 100 percent of which go toward the ultrasound placements and subsequent trainings.
This most recent placement at Aspire Now is part of a new emphasis within Psalm 139 called “Across State Lines,” which focuses on providing equipment and training to pregnancy resource centers in states where abortion is readily available.
These placements often feature partnerships with Baptist state conventions, as is the case with Tuesday’s placement at Aspire Now in Vermont.
Founded in 1985, Aspire Now ministers to abortion-minded women in one of the most abortion-friendly states in the country.
Abortion is legally protected at every stage of pregnancy in Vermont, and a constitutional amendment protecting “reproductive freedom” was approved by voters in 2022.
In accordance with state law, both Medicaid and private health insurance plans are required to cover abortion and related care.
Vermont created a civil penalty for using what could be considered force, threat or intimidation to interfere with another person obtaining or providing “reproductive health care.” It is also legally required for higher educational institutions receiving state funds to ensure students have access to “reproductive rights.”
The state even has a law aimed at protecting its citizens who seek out an abortion in another state, a phenomenon that has become known as “abortion tourism.”
Known as “shield laws,” this legislation directs the governor not to surrender a person charged in another state with engaging in or providing an abortion.
Deb Couture, executive director of Aspire Now Pregnancy Care Center, explained the crucial role this new ultrasound machine will play in their ministry.
“Our new 3D Ultrasound draws more women to our Aspire Center because we are the only business that offers this service free of charge,” Couture said.
“Each appointment is an opportunity to point women to Christ, as well as offer our other services; birth coaching, breastfeeding, the fourth trimester and much more.”
Kimbrell is thankful for the partnership of Southern Baptists in making the placement possible.
“Vermont is not an easy place to do biblical pro-life work,” he said. “Our state’s culture is resistant to a biblical worldview in many areas, including life. But the ERLC’s ‘Across State Lines’ initiative shows that we believe cultural hostility is a reason to press on in life-saving evangelistic labors, not a reason to retreat to safer battlegrounds.
“For years, our church has financially and prayerfully supported this pregnancy resource center because they’re clear that a woman’s greatest need is to be born again by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And they’re committed to connecting the women who come to them with healthy local churches. The ultrasound machine is, therefore, as much an evangelism tool than anything else.”
Mullin pointed to the cooperation of Southern Baptists as the key component in making the entire scenario possible.
“I am also deeply grateful for the gospel partnerships we’ve built with Baptist state conventions across the country,” he said. “Through our ‘Across State Lines’ initiative, we share a common mission: to save babies and reach vulnerable moms and dads with compassionate care, the truth of the Scripture, and the hope of the Gospel.”
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