Prenatal ministry to launch tomorrow

FRANK M PORTER, best known as the author of reading books used in local primary schools, has embarked on a new project which focuses on pregnancy and childbirth.

Porter, a prolific writer who is the National Director of Youth for Christ (YFC) in Trinidad and Tobago, will tomorrow launch The Prenatal Thrust with the accompanying CD Song for the Womb and Beyond. The launch takes place at the Learning Resource Centre at UWI, St Augustine, at 4 pm.

The PreNatal Thrust is a ministry aimed at saving the nation’s children from the moment they are conceived in their mother’s womb. It will operate as a three-fold movement. At the proactive level The Prenatal Thrust will be actively involved in educating young people in schools throughout the country about pregnancy and childbirth.

The programme will also involve educating expectant parents.

Porter explained, “We need to educate mothers and fathers, especially the young ones, about their responsibilities for preserving the child in the womb, including not exposing the unborn child to dangerous environments.”

He explained that the aim is to ensure that parents are prepared for all aspects of childbirth, preferably even before the child is conceived.

“We now know that a woman needs to be prepared to be pregnant,” explained Porter. He added that the aim was to ensure that expectant couples are prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for childbirth and parental responsibilities.

At present a range of audio and visual material is being prepared for use in this part of the ministry. There are plans to distribute printed material to maternity clinics, as well as to host regional seminars and workshops to assist women to deal with the critical months of their pregnancy.

Another strategy for the ministry will be prayer.

“We will get the names of expectant mothers and prayer intercessors will be assigned to pray them through their pregnancies,” said Porter.

“We cannot over-value the importance of continuous prayer for the child.”

The resource material being produced for The Prenatal Thrust includes the CD Songs for the Womb and Beyond. The album features 12 tracks written by Porter and produced and performed by Marge Blackman Mohamed and Isaac Blackman, children of the late Ras Shorty I.

The CD is aimed at promoting an awareness of “the importance of the seed from within the womb” as well as an appreciation of the “growing and birthing processes of a child.”

Porter said the idea for the pre-natal ministry is part of an overall vision for the development of YFC in this country. He was first inspired to develop the ministry after attending a Benny Hinn prayer conference in Dallas, Texas, four years ago. He said he visited a Christian bookstore and purchased a CD of lullabies. The CD was playing in the background one day while he was talking to a sister in the US. She expressed interest in the music as she was pregnant and realised that her unborn baby reacted to certain types of music.

That motivated Porter to pen the lyrics and come up with the melodies for the songs on the CD that is part of the ministry.

The idea of a prenatal ministry is not unique — such programmes already exist, Porter explained. However, it is being introduced into TT for the first time.’