Ruth Harbor: Our Story
To understand the mission and calling of Ruth Harbor, we must begin with the three women who founded this ministry: Carrie Leiran, Jessica Dunker, and Becky Zemlicka (in photo below). In 1996, God began to work in the hearts and minds of these women individually. Without speaking to one another, God placed on Jessica's, Carries, and Becky's heart to open a home for unwed mothers. God used a Point of Grace concert, the book, Echoes of Mercy, and the song Safe Harbour to speak into this vision. When they shared this calling with each other, it was clear confirmation the Lord was at work.
Ruth Harbor Founders Carrie Leiran, Jessica Dunker, and Becky Zemlicka.
A Pro-Mom Ministry
From the beginning the founders envisioned a place of peace and rest where a woman can grow and thrive without shame. At the center of this vision was a Christ-centered ministry where the gospel was lived out and Jesus is the One who brings redemption and healing to the body, soul and mind.
It is important to understand that Ruth Harbor was not founded to be a pro-life ministry, but pro-mom. The desire of the founders was to help women when they chose to give birth to their baby. This distinction is important because then and now there are many pregnancy resource centers seeking to help women before they make this choice, but few, if any, organizations at the time ready to help women when they say "yes" to keeping their baby. This is the gap Ruth Harbor would step into and fill.
More Than a Home… A Family
While the founders began talking and praying in 1996, it would not be until 2001 when the first home was opened in Des Moines. The model was to provide a home where the family would be seen the way God designed the family: with a mom and dad working in cooperation to care for their children.
When Ruth Harbor was opened, the founders envisioned the type of woman who would come to Ruth Harbor: she would be someone similar to themselves, but who had become pregnant, and the father was not interested in being involved with the mother or child. They saw women who received shame from their family due to the unplanned pregnancy, not support.
After a couple of interim executive directors during the first year, Mark McDougal was hired as executive director. He would serve the ministry in this role for the next 20 years.
Adjusting to Changing Needs
Over this period of time, Ruth Harbor saw the needs of the women calling for help change. One of these changes was the reality that women needed help after their child was born. This led to the addition of the Mother-Child Program in addition to Maternity Care. With this addition was the purchase of a home in Carlisle to serve mothers and children.
In 2022, Ruth Harbor recognized the need to continue the journey with women after they leave the residential care of the Mother-Child Program. The Ruth Harbor Family was added to provide aftercare for our alumnae. Through this program, we are able to continue providing ongoing support through educational classes, relationship support, and community. This is a growing area of ministry for Ruth Harbor.
Looking back at Ruth Harbor's history, one of the founders compared it to a tapestry--beautiful on top, but with a lot of messy, interwoven knots underneath. Providing care and support for women coming out of generational poverty is not easy. Their life has been difficult and helping them unravel all of the knots of their life can be difficult, but in the process, God is weaving a beautiful tapestry. This is where Ruth Harbor 2.0 is heading. Thank you for joining us on this journey!
Key Lessons
The cornerstone value for Ruth Harbor is to be a Christ-centered ministry.
Our focus is to help pregnant and parenting women who choose life for their baby but need help.
Ruth Harbor was founded as a Pro-Mom Ministry.
Over the years, Ruth Harbor has changed its model and methods to meet the changing needs of women while staying true to our mission.
Resources
Echoes of Mercy: Truth, Grace, & Hope by Nancy Alcorn - Amazon | Free PDF
Founders' Video (27:14 min) - YouTube. This video is from the 2000s and is not the best quality, but it tells the story of Ruth Harbor's birth when it was still fresh in the minds and hearts of the founders.
RuthHarborCares.org (our website for those interested in joining Ruth Harbor as a financial partner).
RuthHarbor.org (our website for women seeking help).
Ruth Harbor Insider is a special eNewsletter documenting the journey we are on towards Ruth Harbor 2.0. If this email was forwarded to you, please subscribe to join us on this journey by entering your email address here.
Become A Financial Partner
Join us in providing essential help to women who are pregnant or parenting and choose life for their child. Many of the women come to Ruth Harbor with nothing more than the bag they carry. We are able to provide shelter, feed, safety, access to medical care, counseling, and much more because of our faithful donor family. Every dollar given makes a difference. Through Ruth Harbor, you can impact lives two generations at a time.
