Long before he became Executive Director of Ministry Partnerships at Care Net, David Mortimer had firsthand knowledge and great admiration for the organization’s critical role in supporting pregnancy centers and saving unborn lives.
In high school, he witnessed the birth of a pregnancy center in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Curt and Karen Mortimer, his parents, co-chaired the steering committee that started Apple Crisis Pregnancy Center in 1981. The Christian Action Council, which later became Care Net, played a vital role in the formation of Apple.
As Care Net celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2025, David is thankful, not only for his family’s legacy, but for all the pregnancy centers that have impacted countless lives and communities with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.
“It’s an incredible privilege to work for the organization that helped to launch and sustain more than 1,200 of these pregnancy center ministries across the United States. Each one has its own unique story,” he said.
Apple’s story is a compelling one. Concerned that a Planned Parenthood facility was coming to their city, a local Christian Action Council (CAC) chapter was formed. Led by Curt Mortimer, a former pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the chapter included representation from various churches.
David recalled how the CAC chapter was started after community members attended a film series by Francis Schaeffer and Dr. C. Everett Koop entitled, “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?”
“The awareness about abortion created a groundswell of support to start a pregnancy center,” he said.
David also noted how the Christian Action Council flew in two staff members from its Virginia headquarters and provided support every step of the way, including resources to develop the board of directors and write job descriptions, and guidance to help Apple incorporate as a nonprofit. The trailblazing work would help launch other pregnancy centers over the years.
“Once established in 1981, the formation of Apple was used (along with the formation of other centers) by the Christian Action Council as pilots to design volunteer training manuals and videos used to help other pregnancy centers that were being launched,” he said.
As he reflected on those early days for Apple, David is struck by how the unity of the local body of believers was instrumental in impacting a city.
“I watched churches come together to support the new pregnancy center. [The group] included Baptists, Lutherans, nuns from a Catholic Hospital and some younger, long-haired ‘Jesus people’ who had recently come to Christ,” he said. “It was a beautiful example of the Church, in all its variety and various traditions, coming together despite differences and being the Church.”
The nuns provided free office space inside the hospital and supported the center with free pregnancy tests. One of the Jesus people, John Emberson, designed the Apple CPC logo.
The acronym APPLE stands for “Aiding Problem Pregnancies with Love and Encouragement.” The name came from Proverbs 25:11, which compares words “fitly spoken” to “apples of gold in a setting of silver.”
“This wisdom verse summed up the mission and vision of a ‘crisis pregnancy center,’ as they were called back then. It was also practical—the name Apple placed it first in the phonebook, which meant many women saw their number before they ever got to Planned Parenthood,” said David, who later served on Apple’s board and helped the organization write its first grant application.
Today, Apple Pregnancy Care Center remains firmly rooted in Eau Claire. The organization “is here to support, equip and empower women and men to make life-affirming choices.” The pregnancy center stands as a testament to what was accomplished 44 years ago when a group of concerned Christians collaborated with Care Net to breathe much-needed life into their city.