Getting the Word Out About NFP
Chris and Carrie Borgerding from the Diocese of Atlanta recently participated in their annual Parish Ministry Fair. The couple had a table in the parish hall with about 80 other ministries. They stayed before and after each of the three weekend Masses to answer questions and give information about CCL and its offerings. Carrie believes their consistent presence at these events is one of the most beneficial ways to share the NFP ministry in their parish. While some people may not stop for information, they see that it’s available. “If God wants to plant a seed, He will,” says Carrie. She has found it very helpful to laminate the CCL Infographics for easy display. She made a QR flyer in Canva that’s also laminated so it’s easy to display and couples can quickly scan it to get to the CCL website.
In the past, the Archdiocese of Atlanta has hosted a Eucharistic Congress where the Borgerdings had a CCL table. They found they got a lot of traffic at that event, especially with a large Hispanic population. Carrie worked with Silvia Schmidt from CCL to ensure they had enough bilingual materials to share. They can’t wait to go back to the next one!
Jennifer and Ivan D’Souza had a busy weekend in August. On August 26, they prayed with a group at an abortion clinic in Pittsburgh. The couple shared CCL and FSI flyers and cards with other pro-life pray-ers who engaged with them, all while “wearing” laminated NFP posters hung from cords draped over their necks. That left their hands free for prayer and sharing literature. They were able to convey a beautiful and hopeful message about fertility to the abortion clinic’s clients and volunteers, as well as to the ecumenical crowd that had gathered.
On August 27, they attended a monthly Church at Magee pro-life gathering across from Pittsburgh’s Magee Women’s Hospital. Quite a few other pro-life ministries were present. A handful of participants, as well as one of the day’s speakers, were eager for more information and networking with the D’Souzas! Jennifer says that “persistence really pays. Just being present at events like these over the months and years has made the local pro-life community recognize us and also begin to recognize the Good News about natural family planning and marital sexuality free from contraception.”