ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
One of Liberal’s pregnancy care centers now has a second building, and the journey to get that building is one of time and patience.
Started in 2019 with a schedule of two days a week with the purpose of exercising love, kindness, mercy, favor and service to some and families who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy, Grace Place Pregnancy Care Center is now open five days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As the services and the number of people receiving those services continues to grow, the need for more operating space has grown as well, and starting in 2023, Grace Place officials began raising funds for an ultrasound program.
In April 2024, Director Cindi Lyddon said center leaders were ready to order an ultrasound machine and hire a registered nurse sonographer. However, in order to get an ultrasound program started, more space was needed, and Lyddon said center officials asked leaders at the neighboring First United Methodist Church, the owners of the former Genesis Family Health building at 121 W. Third Street, if that building could be used to house the ultrasound machine and limited medical services.
“The United Methodist Church, they have been incredibly kind to allow us to use this building, 311 N. Grant, utility and rent free for the past five years,” she said.
However, Lyddon said FUMC trustees voted to not allow a limited medical clinic or use of an ultrasound in the building on Third Street.
“They were at that point where allowing us to use this building rent free of charge was not working for them, and they did not want to rent the properties,” she said. “They wanted to sell, so we had to quickly start looking for another building.”
Soon, though, FUMC changed pastors, and Lyddon said leaders with the church and Grace Place began talking about the center purchasing the building.
“The buildings we looked for weren’t fit for our services, so we made an offer for the buildings, and the church accepted that offer,” she said. “We waited for the church to give us their approval through the proper channels in their church system.”
As 2024 drew to a close on New Year’s Eve, Grace Place closed on purchasing the building, which meant for a great start to 2025.
“That was a blessing,” Clinical Services Director Letty Hernandez said.
Lyddon said getting to the point of purchasing the building has taken a lot of work to say the least.
“We were already invested since we already had the ultrasound program started,” she said. “We looked for properties for sale in the area before we began negotiating with the church, but nothing matched our needs as much as the location where we are. We spoke to our donors. We put out our need in the newsletters, and we talked about it at our banquet in 2024.”
Lyddon said the work included not only finding funding for the building, but also the ultrasound machine.
As the center was founded on Christian principles, both Lyddon and Hernandez have sought such principles for patience regarding the purchase.
“We remember Ecclesiastes 3:1 – ‘There is a time for everything’ – and knew when God is ready for this expansion to happen, it would,” Lyddon said. “This is His center, not ours, so He will change it as He sees fit. We just go along with what He is doing and watch Him work.”
When the purchase finally came to fruition, Lyddon said she simply stood in awe of what she felt was a divine happening.
“There is nothing like having the faith God will provide for something and then watching Him do it,” she said. “We knew the Lord would provided. When funds were all raised, I want to say it was amazing. However, that isn’t the right word because we knew God would be there providing for what we needed. We have an awe of what God provided. Nothing is too big for Him.”
Lyddon compared the experience to that of the delight of a child who had just received an eagerly awaited bicycle.
“Imagine, just for a minute, the awe, wonder and joy the shepherds must have felt when they saw the angels singing and Gabriel told them to go to Bethlehem,” she said. “Can you feel a bit of that awe when the angels left them? That’s the part we feel as we work with the wonderful women who come to Grace Place every day. We were ecstatic to put it mildly.”
Lyddon said the purchase was necessary as Grace Place has outgrown the building on Grant Avenue, as the center has seen 50 clients or more some weeks for lessons and shopping in the center’s Wee Boutique.
“We need volunteers to work with clients on the worksheets and show the videos,” she said. “Clients really appreciate having one-on-one attention when they come in, which means we need more women volunteers. Our busiest days are Wednesdays and Thursdays. We need help on some of the other weekdays as well.”
To volunteer at Grace Place, pick up an application at the center, go online to graceplacepcc.com, or call (620)655-8050.
Along with the ultrasound machine, Lyddon said the new building will allow Grace Place to have a limited medical clinic.
“All the pregnancy tests and ultrasounds will be done in that building,” she said.
In addition, Lyddon said Grace Place plans to start a teen ministry this year, and the west end of the Third Street building will be used for a teen classroom.
The boutique workroom and storage will remain in the original building, and Lyddon said plans call for enlarging the Wee Boutique and creating some individual classrooms and offices.
“I believe the women who shop our boutique will love the expansion of the boutique,” she said. “Our boutique is like a top-end shop. We work really hard to make it an enjoyable reward to shop at Wee Boutique.”
For now, Lyddon said Grace Place is in the process of hiring an RN.
“She will need to do some online training and taken an in-person certification for performing ultrasounds before she will be ready to jump in and take the reins,” she said. “Once she gets on board, we will order the equipment. The building will get some light renovations like paint and moving some walls. We are looking forward to that getting started this month.”
With the building purchase done and other plans in place, Lyddon said the future looks bright at Grace Place.
“We will always have women who find themselves in unplanned pregnancies,” she said. “As long as women need help and want to know more about their bodies and prenatal care, delivery, breastfeeding, baby’s first year and toddler issues, we will be available for women offering free practical help. We also look forward to teen communication programs starting within the year. We are here for the long haul.”
In turn, Lyddon said she is excited for the center’s future.
“Each day, we get up and ask God what He has in store for us today,” she said. “Each day is exciting to see God work. This project will be fun to see come to completion, and we are eager to see what He has for us next.”
