Jim Sprague (B.A. ’84) and his wife, Jody, are the parents of three “gifts”: Jacob, Madison and Kevin. All three of their children are adopted from birth mothers who had the choice to abort their children.
Organizations like Pregnancy Resource Center, the largest center of its kind in Michigan and one of the largest in the country, provide a better way forward for women who find themselves with a crisis pregnancy. During his 20 years as CEO of Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC), Sprague has cultivated judgment-free, life-giving resources for those who have had abortions, are struggling with sexual health or are pregnant and do not have the financial means to provide for a child.
Sprague describes PRC as having three “buckets” of care: proactive education, responsive medical care and compassionate support services. PRC staff are involved in preventative care by educating churches and schools about optimal health in sexual relationships, and Sprague and his team—including dedicated board members such as Joe and Martie Stowell—are committed to giving women the health care and counseling assistance they need to make a choice.
“It’s irresponsible to simply say,’You should choose life,'” Sprague said, which is why PRC also offers passionate support services for women who may not be able to afford raising a child. PRC has a 5,000-square-foot space in Wyoming, Mich., that is dedicated to clothes and food for families to access.
“We want to come alongside these moms,” Sprague said. “We want to communicate to them that God is not mad at them. Recently, a woman came to Christ over the phone, which I’ve never witnessed before.”
One of the most alarming statistics Sprague has learned is the number of abortions that occur in churched families. According to a study by LifeWay Research, 40% of abortions are from Protestant or Evangelical women who have attended church at least two Sundays in the past month.
“That’s my church,” Sprague said simply. “Those are our kids.”
PRC does not exist only to support the unchurched who feel they have no other option but also women in the church who feel they might be judged by an unplanned pregnancy. Sprague says that in the past five years this has become the main pillar for what PRC stands for—to serve the bride of Christ.
“We want our community to have a life-giving response to crisis pregnancy,” Sprague said. “We are here for the church and community. We want this to be seen as a spiritual issue. Every life has been made in the image of God.”
ABOUT JIM
Jim Sprague (B.A. ’84) has been CEO of Pregnancy Resource Center since 2001. He and his wife, Jody, live in West Michigan with their three children.
