SAN ANTONIO – The Sanctuary of Hope home held its groundbreaking Sunday in Bulverde.
The home is a place where a pregnant mother can have her child, but what happens after birth is what makes the home unique.
Cornerstone Church pastor John Hagee oversees the program. He said the home provides a future and shelter for an unwed mother and her child.
Hagee said he has never shied away from pro-life issues, but in this case he went from advocate to activist.
“Children will be loved. Children will be educated. Children will be motivated not to allow their past to determine their future,“ said Hagee.
Hagee said his teenage years working at an orphanage shaped the vision of Sanctuary of Hope.
His son and fellow pastor, Matt Hagee, said those who go to Sanctuary of Hope will be given a home, life-skills education and choices for the mother and her child.
Choices can include adoption or care at the home, and if that's the case, a full private school education.
“They'll receive education from Cornerstone Christian schools through the educational division of our ministry and have the chance to have a life there from the time they are born to the time they are 18,” said Hagee.
Supporters of the project include Claire Culwell, who said her mother was given no choice as a teen but to abort her.
Culwell said somehow she survived and said the sanctuary fills a gap in the pregnancy crisis system.
“It’s giving a home to mothers that might not know where to go or might not have family support to keep their child so it's giving her that avenue,” said Culwell.
If a mother chooses to leave her child there, it's with the assurance that he or she will have a home until adulthood.
The Sanctuary of Hope will open next year on 80 acres in Bulverde, and is being built almost entirely from donations.