Alabama Baptists Help Bring Ultrasound Machine to Pregnancy Center in Alaska

In a formal ceremony on Sept. 24, Alabama Baptists joined with the Psalm 139 Project and the Alaska Baptist Resource Network to place an ultrasound machine at the Community Pregnancy Center (CPC) in Anchorage, The Alabama Baptist and Baptist Press are reporting.

The Psalm 139 Project, a pro-life initiative of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), donated the machine. Attendees included Bobby Reed, ERLC’s Chief Financial Officer; Rick Lance, Executive Director for Alabama Baptists; and Randy Covington, outgoing Executive Director of the Alaska convention.

“The Scriptures tell us that every life is a sacred gift, and we’re honored to stand alongside the Community Pregnancy Center in this vital work,” Reed said. “We’re grateful to support CPC’s decades-long commitment to serving women and families in Anchorage with compassion and truth.”

Lance emphasized Alabama Baptists’ firm stance on life and their desire to partner beyond State lines. “Alabama Baptists – by conviction and without reservation – are among those who stand for the sanctity of all human life.”

“We have done so in linking arms with the Psalm 139 Project to help provide ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers in our own state. Now, because of our state convention’s missions partnership with churches in the Alaska Baptist Resource Network, we have the privilege of placing a machine at the Community Pregnancy Center in Anchorage. To God be the glory as the Psalm 139 Project, Alabama Baptists and Alaska Baptists continue to advocate for the protection and care of those who are the most defenseless among us,” Lance said.

Founded in 1984, the Community Pregnancy Center began when pastors and concerned individuals in Anchorage sought to counter rising abortion rates. Over time, CPC has operated from six different locations and in 2024 served more than 800 women and men.

In Alaska, abortion remains legal without gestational limits or parental consent. In 1997, the State’s highest court recognized a constitutional right to “reproductive choice.” More recently, in September 2024, an Alaskan Superior Court struck down a law restricting abortion to physicians, allowing advanced practice clinicians—such as nurse practitioners or physician assistants—to perform the procedure.

Greg Monrad, CPC’s Executive Director, spoke of the role an ultrasound image can play in advocacy. “We are firm believers that the ultrasound image changes the conversation with the women and men we serve, especially those who are at risk for choosing abortion,” he said. “The new ultrasound machine … produces amazingly clear and impactful images … we are blessed by the support and knowing there are people from across the U.S. that stand with us in supporting life.”

This placement is the latest in nearly 100 contributions made through the Psalm 139 Project, which began in 2001. The non-profit supplies ultrasound equipment and training to pregnancy resource centers. It is fully supported by private donations; none of its funding comes from Cooperative Program dollars.

Reed offered a broader view of what the donation means. “The Psalm 139 Project exists to equip pregnancy centers with machines that offer a window into the womb so we can see the smallest of humans who bear the very image of God,” he said. “An ultrasound machine is more than technology; it’s a tool that provides hope and dignity to the most vulnerable among us.”