By Interim CEO & Board Member, Cynthia Wenz 

Part One: When Breakthrough Rings Like a Bell 

I still remember the first time I encountered Serenity Retreat. It wasn’t at a gala or a board meeting. It was at a memorial service, a sacred gathering for mothers like me who had experienced the deep grief of abortion.  

I had just completed my very first post-abortion healing class, and Serenity was still in its infancy, meeting in an Upper Room in Garden Oaks. I can still see Kathryn Eason, our gracious host, leading us as we gathered to grieve, to pray, and to lay down the burden that had weighed on our hearts for so long.  That day I wept freely.

Tears seemed to ring through my heart like a bell. It was a holy sound, the sound of grief colliding with hope, the sound of a heart breaking open so healing could begin.  

That healing became a turning point in my life. Soon after, my simple volunteer role at a local pregnancy center became a full calling. I found myself stepping into the CEO role at a pregnancy center just 10.4 miles away from the massive 78,000 square foot Planned Parenthood facility that was being built—the largest in the western hemisphere at the time. 

As that building rose, my heart rose in response. World Magazine even featured my reflections in an article called Taking on Goliath. That season was my personal battle with Goliath. But like David, my weapon wasn’t a sword, it was prayer. My heart’s cry to the Lord became my sling and stone. 

We served women and families with the hope of life in Christ. We educated. We prayed. We adjusted our business hours to match the rhythms of the abortion industry. And behind every act of service was a tear-stained prayer that Goliath would fall. 

And now, 15 years later, that Goliath has fallen. 

The massive facility that once cast its shadow over our city is finally closing its doors. Even still, I’ve learned through the years that while laws can change, doors can close, and buildings can be torn down, there yet remains the battle for hearts. 

Now in my service as Interim CEO of Serenity Retreat, I can see clearly why the Lord has brought me back to this sacred space. Because breakthrough has a sound—and that sound is incepted in the prayers of God’s people.