Praise God!
We are pleased to announce that we have closed on the new Killeen Center property at 3106 WS Young, Building A-103! This 3,000 square feet property (positioned steps from Hope's administration office) will afford much more space to respond to the growing needs of new parents and their babies in Killeen and surrounding areas!
Here are just a few ways this new purchase will bless the community:
Additional 1,000 square feet of ministry space that would provide added consultant room(s) and ultrasound room
Dedicated, private space for the growing abortion recovery ministry (many women and men are on a waitlist)
Larger, more functional Hannah’s Closet to welcome an increase in clientele and store more donations of baby essentials and maternity clothing
Much-needed administrative space to hold private meetings and confidential conversations
Multipurpose conference space to host parenting classes, internal events, staff meetings and for continued education opportunities
We are finalizing logistics for the move in date this Fall. We will keep you updated on the progress and any volunteer or in-kind needs.
Prayer Needs:
Sell Florence Road building to pay off most of A103
Pay remainder of loan for new facility
That we are able to then purchase the former abortion clinic (that neighbors Hope Administration Office) to house Abortion Recovery Ministry and expand our reach.
New Killeen Center Gallery
(use arrows to scroll through photos)
To make a financial gift toward the expansion of our building donate online here.
Rooted in Prayer: How God continued to honor the prayers of one man and his wife
Supporters Marc and Anne LeGare prayed for the ministry of Hope and the futures of unborn children as they walked around the (now former) abortion clinic just doors away from Marc’s office. Only God could have known that Hope would not only be moving into his former office, the source of so much prayer—but that we’d also being in prayerful pursuit of the former abortion clinic office to advance abundant LIFE!
Marc’s personal recollection is below:
Proactive Communications occupied A-103 for many years, 2003 to 2013. Once I was aware that an abortion clinic was just across the parking lot, I would spend time during my lunch hour prayer walking around the clinic, its front sidewalk and the parking lot behind. My normal routine was to walk 7 times around the clinic. Six times I would prayer in a soft voice, and the 7th would be in a normal voice. I asked God for His supernatural intervention to close the clinic. I asked for His great resources to overflow Hope Pregnancy Centers staff and bank accounts. I was first a board member, then secretary (I think), treasurer, then president. After I left the board, I gave parenting classes at the Copperas Cove center. During the years of prayer walking, Thomas Baird bought the office that shared the south wall of the abortion clinic. He gave us free rent and later outright gifted the office to Hope. Later, the clinic shut reduced hours and eventually shut down. In 2013, my company moved to a new office building.
My wife Anne also walked with me. She would bring me lunch and also worked at Hope at the Cove center and occasionally at the office that shared the wall with the clinic.
Fast forward to 2022—Hope has now purchased Marc’s old place of work where so much prayer began. What’s amazing is that we were unaware that this backstory would be a part of the new facility until the new center was purchased! Amazing, still, is that we now have our sights and are praying for the additional purchase of the former abortion clinic to serve as the Abortion Recovery Ministry office! Please join us in praying that this comes into fruition. May Marc and his wife, Anne, but a reminder to trust in God’s promises and His vision.
Foundations of Prayer: The beginning of Hope’s ministry as told by the personal recollection of longtime supporter and former Executive Director Cathy Mellon (shared with permission).
Editor's Note: While a lengthy passage that goes back decades, each part is a glimpse of God’s faithfulness, and we wanted to share every word.
Hope Pregnancy Centers is a perfect example of praying God’s powerful promises and declaring them into existence on the earth.
It was the Holy Spirit that planted the idea in my heart of working in the ministry to pregnant women. Jim & I were married in Buffalo, NY on January 26, 1973. I was 2 months pregnant with our first child at the time, and abortion was already legal in New York State before Roe v Wade was passed that same month. Many of my friends were encouraging me to have an abortion since I was in the middle of nursing school at the time. We even knew Drs who would have done the surgery as “a favor”.
But instead, because we had both been raised in families that valued human life, we decided to move our June wedding plans back to January and we settled into married life.
I gave birth to our first son on August 14,1973.
I would later tell him that he was one of the abortion survivors of that year.
On night as I was rocking him in my arms, I was overwhelmed by how much I loved him, and how easily his life could have been snatched from me. I felt the Lord speak to my heart that He wanted me to share with other women, the joy of motherhood, despite the struggles, or pressure to make a choice to end the life of their child. When I think back in this moment, I’m reminded of the scripture in Psalm 127:3 “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward.”
Years later, I would be sharing that scripture with pregnant women in the counseling room.
So that night, as I rocked my baby, the Lord birthed the idea of pregnancy center ministry in my heart. At the time, I had no idea what that looked like, or what He had in store for me.
Jim and I were born again in 1974 within a week of each other. It was a radical experience of repentance, awareness of God’s amazing grace and acceptance of His forgiveness for both of us. We had never experienced the kind of love that only God can pour into our hearts by His Holy Spirit. Our lives would never be the same!
We moved to central TX in the spring of 1977. We were invited to stay with a friend Jim had met while serving in Vietnam a decade earlier. That year was the worst blizzard Buffalo had seen in decades. Also, Jim needed a better job, and I was pregnant with our third child. So, we both agreed this would be a good move for us. We packed up all our belongings that we could fit in our van, sold the rest, and drove to TX.
Our friends were also believers and we began attending their church. The Lord soon provided a rental house for us and a good job for Jim.
In September 1977 our daughter was born. At the hospital we met a couple who also had a daughter that day. We became friends and began attending their church.
We immediately felt at home there and we were immersed in fellowship, worship and the Word of God. We experienced community life as we were surrounded by other families seeking to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
One day in 1983, I felt the Lord say, “it’s time to do something about abortion.
I want you to start a pregnancy center.” I was terrified!
But after speaking to Jim and praying together, we were reminded of Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak, up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and the needy. “ The next day I asked the Pastor if I could have 5 minutes during our Sunday morning service to share with the congregation what was on my heart and to ask for volunteers.
He agreed. Sunday morning he invited me up to speak. I shared some of my personal story as well as the state of our country under the liberal abortion laws that were in place. I shared that there are many Christians involved in March for Life, picketing abortion clinics, and neighborhood canvassing.
But that what I felt the Lord put in my heart was to minister to the women who are making the decisions about whether to abort their babies. I also felt it would be a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel and the love of the Lord with them.
I shared Proverbs 24:10-12
“If you falter in the times of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death. Hold back those staggering towards slaughter. If you say “but we knew nothing about this”, does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?”
To my surprise, the response was overwhelming! A businessman donated an office suite, a lawyer donated his time to serve on our board. A nurse offered to help me organize the ministry, train counselors and serve clients. Many others signed up to donate, be trained to counsel, do administrative work.
I came away thankful but fearful about leading this effort. That night the Lord highlighted this scripture for me: Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
My heart and mind were settled in the Lord’s peace.
We named the ministry “Mother and Unborn Baby Care.” We attended counselor training in a life-affirming ministry in Austin and opened our doors 2 months later in downtown Killeen.
We immediately filled the facility with clients. Since we were located in a poor neighborhood, we ministered to single mothers, prostitutes, exotic dancers, and others who had many needs. We developed a resource notebook so we could refer people to local help organizations, government agencies, adoption agencies, maternity homes, and churches.
Many of these women were open to the message of the gospel, the sanctity of their own lives, and the lives of their babies. Their eyes were opened to the possibility of a life blessed by God and a lifestyle free of shame and guilt. They had no idea what God could do in their lives until we prayed with them and they invited Him in.
Isaiah 40:11 says “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”
After 3 years, I found out I was pregnant with my 6th child and had to resign.
The center stayed open for 8 more months when Board President ( who was also the landlord), moved to Florida and closed the facility.
My heart was torn after all the hard work that was put into that small ministry. But I trusted the Lord’s timing and thanked Him for all He had done in the lives of so many clients and in all of us who were privileged to be a part. One thing I knew for sure “the harvest was plentiful in Killeen.” LK 10:2 In 1992 I found out there was a pregnancy center ministry in Temple, TX, about 30 minutes from us. They were advertising an upcoming volunteer training. My spirit was moved, but I hesitated because of so much family and church responsibility.
So I went up to my bedroom and asked the Lord if He wanted me to do this. I immediately felt Him remind me of Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
And Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said: “Here I am, send me.”
As sure as anything I’ve sensed from God, I knew I was called to go. I also invited my friend, Barbara to come with me. So we attended the training and started volunteering one day a week at the Temple Crisis Pregnancy Center.
As the weeks went on, we added a second day per week. On the trip to Temple we would pray for the center staff and volunteers to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be led by Him as we shared with the clients. We prayed that God would lead those clients that He is calling, to be paired with the volunteer who would best connect with her.
On the way home our hearts would be full of thanks for those who had come in, and tender for their circumstances. We’d pray that every word of truth that was spoken to them would be remembered and bear fruit in their lives. We would pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 2:17 We would pray God’s protection over them and their babies.
We would pray for each other too, that our hearts would remain steadfast in faith and in the joy of the Lord.
After a few months, we noticed that there were many women coming from the Killeen area. Some days, there were actually more Killeen clients than those living in Temple. And the Killeen clients seemed to be more abortion-minded. Many were connected ( not necessarily married to) a soldier. This made sense because Killeen is home to the largest military base in the free world. But the urgency to “get rid” of the baby they were carrying, made them at high risk for choosing abortion. Many of the clients from Killeen had moved there from other parts of the country to be near their soldier. But when they got pregnant, their soldier would break up with them. So they no longer had financial support or a place to live.
I think of those counseling sessions when I could easily place myself in my client’s shoes…the fear, the rejection, the shame, the anger she must be feeling. I would silently pray that the Holy Spirit would give me wisdom, compassion and grace in sharing how very much God loves her and sees her, and will provide a way for her and her baby through this situation. The Lord’s presence and peace would always be there with us as I met with clients…listened to their stories, cried with those who grieved, worked through specific problems, shared God’s plan of salvation, gave accurate information on fetal development and abortion, assured them of God’s love for them, and our commitment to walk with them. We would always look forward to follow-up calls, especially when a woman reported that she had decided for the life of her baby, either to parent or place for adoption. Then we could truly rejoice with those who rejoice.
Over the course of the next few years, we prayed about starting a satellite center in Killeen. The board and staff in Temple prayed with us for God’s guidance and confirmation whether this would be His will.
There was a wonderful support base in Temple of donors, volunteers, supporting churches and businesses. But the question was, “would there be the same support in Killeen?”
So my wonderful husband, Jim and I formed a search committee in Killeen whose task it was to survey the community. We used a questionnaire provided by CareNet, a national pregnancy center network, which the Temple center had joined recently.
We met monthly with the search committee members gathering data and reported back to the board of directors and Temple staff. The Killeen community seemed to be supportive and excited about the idea of a center. There was certainly a need, but the financial support was not as promising as it was in Temple.
We held a small fundraiser, dessert and silent auction at the Park Inn Ballroom in Killeen in September 1999. It was only about 30 people. But Lord reminded me not to despise small beginnings. He had bigger plans for us. There was a second fundraiser in the spring where Carol Everett spoke and encouraged the Temple donors to embrace the Killeen/Ft. Hood community.
In 1999 had been approved to start a center in a small building on 4th Street in Killeen. I was asked to serve as Center Director and asked Barbara Crockett to serve as Assistant Director. We had our first volunteer training in Killeen. The staff in Temple was so supportive and helped run the training. We offered free pregnancy tests, counseling, baby items, and referrals for pro-life medical care, supportive churches, government agencies and help organizations.
We were constantly seeing answers to prayer. Daily prayer with staff and volunteers to start the shift and end the day were such an encouragement. God was answering the smallest request for baby clothes, as well as huge requests such as heart changes we saw in initially abortion-minded clients deciding for life!
I was reminded of Philippians 4:5-7 “Leroy your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving , let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”
After a few years downtown, we felt the need for growth. The Killeen client numbers were increasing daily!
An opportunity came in a large older home located close to the highway on Florence Rd in Killeen.
It took a lot of work to refurbish, but volunteers and donors were willing to give us the help we needed. And we opened our doors in 2002.
We immediately experienced growth in client numbers and the need for more volunteers and donors. The Lord had already prepared his people to step up. There was also a change of heart among the board members and Temple donors. They began to see the need for a united bank account for both centers. The vision the Lord gave was that Killeen was a mission field that needed the support of both Temple and Killeen.
One ministry, two locations. This brought a new sense of purpose and unity throughout the ministry.
Some of benefits of a larger Killen center allowed us to have more counseling rooms, Hannah’s closet, parenting classes and post abortion ministry. We could also host Open House events, board meetings, staff meetings and volunteer trainings. The administration staff also increased, so had room for that growth as well.
At some point one of our volunteers from Copperas Cove asked me when we would open a center in her city. My response was “when will you open a center in your city?”
Little did I know that Annette Kemp, the pastor’s wife of First Baptist Church in Copperas Cove, would take me up on that!
By this time, I was serving as Program Director for both Temple and Killeen.
I began to feel overwhelmed at the thought of another center. So I went to the Lord with my fear. He gave me Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known, have you not heard, The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints, nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength.
Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
So I rested in the presence of the Lord, and then shared this scripture with Annette and told her I would take her request to the Board.
Their response was that if Copperas Cove could do all the work, and raise all the support, we would open another satellite center in Copperas Cove.
It took one year for the churches in Cove, especially 1st Baptist, to do all that was necessary to raise the funds, and find a building to open their center. We held a volunteer training and appointed Annette to be the center director. They were also immediately serving many women. So the Lord, once again did the work all across the two counties to unite hearts of believers to reach out to more and more hurting women and their families.
During this time, also, our Executive Director, Deborah Johnson, resigned and I was asked to take over her position. My husband Jim was on a mission trip to India at the time. It was my habit to go up to our bedroom and close the door to pray for him every morning. As I knelt in prayer for Jim, I immediately heard the Lord speak in a still small voice, “I want you to take the Executive Director position. I have called you, and I will be with you.”
I knew in my heart that this was His will. So I let the Board know that I would take the position.
The need for volunteers grew as our centers increased in client numbers every year. My husband, Jim and I would pray the prayer in Luke 10:2 where Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers into His harvest field.”
As we began to pray this prayer, we began to see volunteers coming in for training in all three centers. What a blessing! The work of this ministry isn’t possible without our many volunteers. And the Lord of the harvest calls each one.
At the same time that we began the long process of qualifying Hope Pregnancy Centers to add ultrasound services, an Abortion clinic opened in Killeen. It was a huge shock to have that clinic open in our city!
We began to pray: Isaiah 41:10-13 Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Behold all those who are incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced. They shall be as nothing. And those who strive with you shall perish.You shall seek them and not find them, those who contend with you, those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a non-existent thing. For I, the Lord your God, Will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”
So we continued ministering as we had been all those years. In the meantime, we had gotten certified to offer ultrasound to our clients. We hired a nurse manager, acquired a Dr who agreed to serve as our Medical Director, and completed the process to have an ultrasound machine donated to Hope from Focus on the Family ministries. We contracted with a trainer who oversaw the training of RNs by one of our Copperas Cove volunteers who was a sonographer. At this point there is ultrasound available in all three cities!
The Lord knew we would need this technology in order to serve our clients who now had access to a local abortion clinic. One day, one of our major donors called me to offer the office space next door to the abortion clinic!
He owned the space and said he would give us a very reasonable cost to rent if we agreed to open our fourth center. His goal was that one day the abortion clinic would close. But in the meantime, he asked that our staff would reach out with the love of Christ to the abortion clinic staff.
I took this offer to the Board and there was a unanimous agreement that the Lord was making this possible.
This experience of ministry on the other side of the wall from an abortion clinic was something I never thought I would experience. But we had such access in prayer as we’d lay our hands on that wall and pray for the staff next door that their hearts would be softened by the Holy Spirit to see the truth of what they were doing.
Our center Director, Marcy, would take them cookies and share with them what we have available to their patients if they need us.
At several points during that seasons the nurse would send patients to us who weren’t sure they wanted an abortion!
She came over once to talk to Marcy and the staff, and at one point confessed that she didn’t want to work there anymore.Many clients came through our door because they were confused about where the abortion clinic was. Marcy and her staff would tell them that Hope PC is not an abortion clinic, but offered them a free ultrasound. Babies were saved in those situations, and many parents accepted the Lord’s gift of salvation.
It took 10 years before the abortion clinic closed in 2014.
Not only was our Center a part of that event, but believers from all across the city gathered for prayer at a weekly prayer meeting every Monday night in that center for 10 years. They are still praying because abortions are still happening even though The Supreme Court reversed the Roe v Wade decision this past year. This battle for life is ongoing and our prayers will be heard by our loving Father God, the Creator of Life.
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