“May all who enter here leave with hope.”
This mission-driven welcome sits atop the entrance of the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home in the town of Portales. Since 1919, the organization has provided residential care, counseling, adoption services, and family support programs to help children and families in crisis.
The New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, which operates two campuses in the state, recently made headlines when it donated a former ministry building in Portales to the Pregnancy Resource Center of Eastern New Mexico. On April 8, the organizations hosted a dedication celebration in that facility, where the focus on care will change, but the emphasis on hope will remain.
“This gift is not the end of a chapter. It is the continuation of God’s work through new hands and hearts,” said NMBCH Executive Director Serenity Richard in a Baptist Press article. “We are deeply grateful for what God has done in and through this place, and we are confident that the Pregnancy Resource Center will carry that legacy forward with excellence and grace.”
Jessica Van Leuven, executive director of the Pregnancy Resource Center, told Baptist Press that the organization was “humbled by this extraordinary gift and the deep trust it represents.”
“We look forward to honoring the building’s history by continuing to provide compassion, hope, and help to every person who walks through our doors.”
The Pregnancy Resource Center of Eastern New Mexico, a member of Care Net’s national network of centers, serves women and families by offering support during unplanned pregnancies. With current locations in Clovis and Portales, New Mexico, the organization provides pregnancy testing, ultrasound services, STI testing, parenting classes, and abortion recovery support.
Clients often point to the personal care they receive as what sets the center apart. Many describe being treated with dignity and genuine compassion, not just as another appointment. As one client shared, “They treat me like a valued life and not just a number. They have gone above and beyond for us.” Others highlight the consistency of that care, noting that staff members take the time to remember their names and make them feel seen and important. The environment itself is often described as welcoming and family-oriented, with team members who are “kind and so helpful” at every step.
In an interview with ABC News, Richard noted how the services offered by Pregnancy Resource Center will help many women and men in need.
“There’s not a lot of ministries in this area that are caring for kids from hard places,” she said. “And to be able to donate this building to another organization that’s doing great things to help children. It just warms our hearts.”
The Children’s Home operates two campuses, and the donated building previously served as a separate site for its counseling and job training ministries. The Portales building, originally constructed as a hospital before being used as a doctor’s office, was purchased by the organization in 2018.
“We wanted to bring those services under one roof, which freed up a great location that is well-suited for another ministry,” Richard said in the Baptist Press article. “We considered selling the building, but then we learned that the Pregnancy Resource Center [needed one]. Both ministries help children, and we felt this was a natural way to honor the history of the building where so much ministry has taken place.”