Our Story
Who Is James Isaac?
You may be wondering why the change, and why, "The James Isaac House, A Pregnancy Resource Center." When the ministry was organized in 1988 we were only thinking of one location and we were on a mountain top. Over the years 3 satellite centers were opened in West Virginia. Each of these centers are in the valley. Over the years most Pregnancy Resource Centers have taken, "Crisis," out of their name. Our Advisory Board and Board of Directors felt this was a time to change our name.
I was one of the founders of the ministry. Many of you have heard why I do this work, but for those who don't know, I'll explain. I am not proud of this. In 1975 I had an abortion when I was 13 weeks pregnant. I attended counseling at a hospital because of my crisis. In 3 sessions my counselor did not educate me on the development of the baby. He said, "You have to hurry up and make a decision." I told him to go ahead and schedule an appointment at an abortion clinic. Like I said, "I am not proud of that." The work that I do will never bring back my child but the ministry has saved many lives in these 28 years. Part of the healing process is, to know in your heart if you have a son or daughter and give that child a name. God has given me peace that I have a son and He even gave me his name, "James Isaac." When people ask why that name, that opens the door for me to educate on abortion and how an abortion may effect a person. What LOVE!!! My Heavenly Father put this broken vessel back together and saw fit to use me in, His Ministry, to save lives. This is why the new name is, "The James Isaac House, A Pregnancy Resource Center."
Our History and Our Heart
In 1988 my husband and I joined a newly organized Right-To-Life group. For 13 years I had carried a personal secret in my heart. I had never planned on telling this group of people what I had done. But God had another plan. I was attending the monthly meeting when something was said that opened the door for me to share my secret. With tears streaming down my face I shared that 13 years previously when I was 12 weeks pregnant I aborted my child. The people who I though would turn their backs held their arms out to me with tears streaming down their faces.
That Night I took my first step toward working through what I had done. I had already asked for God’s forgiveness and had accepted His forgiveness, but because of having all this bottled up inside I was prisoner. When I left that meeting I felt free and clean for the first time since the abortion. I was told that night, “You have a story to tell.”
My husband and I, with this group of people, felt we should be doing more for those who find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. We went to visit the Frederick County Crisis Pregnancy Center in Frederick, MD. We came away with a new vision and a book called “How to Organize a CPC.” This book was published by, “The Christian Action Council,” which is now called “Care Net.” A group of Christian leaders met with Rev. Billy Graham to discuss what they could do to combat the abortion issue and from this meeting the Christian Action Council was formed.
Before starting to organize the CPC we sought the council of the States Attorney to see what needed to be done to go from a political group to non-profit 501C3 tax exempt ministry. We were advised to disband and send all money to the Maryland Right-To-Life.
As I was driving down the road one day thinking of all that needed to be done and if we should continue organizing a CPC the Lord spoke to me and said, “But can you take the adversity that will come from doing this?” Out loud in the car I said, “Lord, for you I can,” and we haven’t stopped in 29 years.
We had open meetings at Garret Community College to see how many people would be interested in opening a CPC. From this group of people we had 12 who wanted to serve on an Ad Hoc Steering Committee to properly organize a CPC. We worked for 10 months with the hardest thing being – patience. We wanted to start helping people right away. The Ad Hoc committee applied for the bulk mailing permit, wrote our articles of incorporation and our by-laws. They also did community surveys and met with pastors, doctors, and agencies to let them know what we were doing and to see how we could work together. The last thing the Ad Hoc Committee did before disbanding was to elect our first Board of Directors.
We opened our first Center in Mountain Lake Park on July 8, 1989. We received calls from other communities wanting CPC’s. We opened a center in Keyser, WV on September 22, 1991, a center in Kingwood, WV on November 12, 1995 and a center in Petersburg, WV on September 12, 2008. Since the first center opened we have touched the lives of thousands.
`It is never easy to share that I took the life of my child. I share my personal testimony to let you know my heart because in knowing my heart you get to know the heart of the ministry of The James Isaac House. I am only able to share this because of God’s grace, His love, and His forgiveness. For all the lives that have been saved and changed through the ministry of The James Isaac House, we give the Lord the praise and the credit. We are just willing vessels to be used by Him in His ministry.
Nellie Ashby
Founder