Pregnancy is an emotional time for a woman, even under the best of circumstances. She needs someone to lean on, particularly when she is young and inexperienced. During the first few months of pregnancy, the emotional roller coaster of being pregnant can cause her to go over the edge. In today's society, the "easy" solution of abortion becomes a constant temptation during this time.

When Mary, the mother of the Lord, found out she was pregnant, she hurried to the house of Elizabeth (Luke 1:39). God didn't send her into the desert to commune more intimately with Him during this time. No, she needed support, in spite of the fact that Mary's unplanned pregnancy was not the result of any sin.

Elizabeth honored Mary although the external circumstances would have caused others to seek to shame her. Elizabeth encouraged Mary by reaffirming the fact that God had a wonderful plan for Mary's life and for the life of her baby. Elizabeth even provided temporary housing for Mary during this time of crisis.

Every week, LifeSavers Ministries team members encounter pregnant women who are at risk of aborting their babies. Some of these women live in your neighborhood (if you live in or near Bakersfield).

When an Elizabeth League group has been established in your church, LifeSavers representatives can contact your group when we meet a pregnant woman in your area. This will help your congregation by providing a key mission opportunity to intensify your church's community outreach.

This would be effective in not only saving lives, but in bringing many young women and their families into the church. Every pregnancy also involves a man, so in many cases an Elizabeth League group may also have an opportunity to reach young men.

The Elizabeth League would seek to fulfill the scriptural command for older women to teach younger women (Titus 2:4). The Greek word rendered "teach" in this passage is noteworthy: "sophronizo." This means "to make of sound mind, to discipline or correct, to teach to be sober" (Strong's Concordance #4994). Sometimes young women just don't think clearly, and they need older women to help them think straight.

It should be no surprise that Mary went to see Elizabeth when she found out she was pregnant, because Elizabeth was probably the only other person alive at that time who had experienced a miraculous conception. Anybody else would have probably doubted Mary's innocence. Elizabeth's life experiences uniquely equipped her for ministry to Mary.