Baby Steps: Bible Institute alumni share passion for saving families.

There’s something about the Bible Institute experience that brings alumni together — no matter how many years pass between graduating classes. Just ask Laura Grosvenor Squier, Class of 1982, and Rachel Fetterhoff Pratt, Class of 2003. They’re the forces behind Care Net of Northeast Pennsylvania, a free crisis pregnancy center that serves women facing unplanned pregnancies. Laura and Rachel didn’t know each other before Care Net, but as Bible Institute alumni, they knew they had a shared mission: serving God by saving families.

Laura, Class of ’82, says her involvement with Care Net began with a call to action. In church one Sunday, she and her husband listened as the pastor encouraged the crowd to take “baby steps” for God by volunteering with Care Net. Deeply motivated by the sermon, Laura began what would be a long journey with the organization, first as a volunteer, then as a board member (a position she held for three years).

After dedicating many hours as a volunteer, Laura took some time off. But it wasn’t the last she’d see of Care Net.

Like most Christians, Laura says she loves watching “the way the Lord works.” She had one of those classic moments that reminded her He is in control one day after her time on the board ended. She was washing dishes, contemplating getting involved with Care Net again. As she explains it:

“I’m sitting there washing dishes, thinking, ‘If I’m going to get back in that ministry, I’d want to be working with the girls. Not in a board room.’ And what do you know, it was at that moment the phone rang.”

On the line was the chairman of Care Net’s board. Laura couldn’t believe it.

“I was so amazed, because the Lord had just prepared me for this moment,” she says. “He asked if I would come be the executive director.” She didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Three years later, Laura says she’s experienced “tons of personal growth” from her time at Care Net. Being able to apply Scripture to situations involving people with no concept of Jesus Christ is more powerful than she’d ever imagined. She and her staff work hard to marry grace and truth. As she sees it, “Truth without grace can be very harsh, and grace without truth can just be compassion.”

Rachel’s attraction to the pregnancy center was similar to Laura’s.

“God has given me a passion for (those who are hard to reach) — the people that aren’t necessarily going to come to church on their own,” she explains. “They’re in desperate need ... the need to know they can be loved even though they’ve done something (they may view as) unforgivable.”

Her perspective was shaped at the Bible Institute, which she says she appreciated for being very ministry-focused — a philosophy she holds today.

Rachel looked to make her work her ministry when she moved to Northeast Pennsylvania, and it wasn’t long before she found a place where she could do just that. Rachel began a part-time job at Care Net, working one day a week reaching out to local high schools.

With time came the expansion of Care Net, and a new position opened for Rachel — to lead a Care Net branch in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, a half-hour away from Laura’s location in Montrose.

With Laura and Rachel leading the way, Care Net is providing Christian services to hundreds of women who desperately need to hear the Word of God. Laura remembers one case in particular.

A young woman who had just moved to the area was afraid she was pregnant and turned to Care Net.

“She kept saying ‘I can’t do this. I don’t want to be pregnant,’” Laura explains.

Pregnancy test results were confirmed, and Laura walked the woman and her boyfriend through the baby’s development. After a lot of coaching, the couple decided to carry the baby to term — but they were considering putting it up for adoption.

It was then that Laura and her team started working with the young couple every week. They connected the father with assistance to get his GED and receive career training so he could support his family, and they worked with the mother on parenting, life skills, and more.

In the middle of working to ease the couple’s crisis and support them, Laura and her team were able to do many Bible studies to help them find the strength in Christ they so desperately needed.

“For many (clients), no one else is providing a positive message in their life,” Laura explains. “To see the Lord peeling the layers away from their heart, as they built trust with us and started to understand Who God was and how much He cared for them ... was incredible.”

It was Laura’s first “abortion-vulnerable” couple — and one she’ll never forget. The woman and her boyfriend, after receiving Care Net’s coaching, decided to get married and raise the child together as a family.

After their baby was born, the couple came straight to Care Net to share their joy with Laura.

“To know that baby had been given a chance at life — and a chance at eternal life — it was amazing,” she says.

Care Net’s ministry has more than doubled since Laura took over as executive director — it’s clear that the demand for Christ’s love is as present as ever. Laura and Rachel both envision Care Net continuing to expand its reach each year. Right now they’re even working on developing a jail ministry.

They each say they’ve already experienced tremendous personal growth serving their shared mission — and they agree it’s all the better with a fellow Bible Institute alumnus by their side.