Mission Statement
Heaven’s Gain Ministries’ mission is to provide for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of families experiencing pregnancy loss: before, during, and after the delivery of their precious baby.
Heaven’s Gain Ministries has three ministry pillars – support, supplies, and education. Support includes our 16 hour a day hotline, our peer support appointments (virtual or in-person, the mom or couples), and our monthly virtual peer support group. Supplies is our products available for order to families all over via shipping and includes miscarriage kits, caskets, urns, and more. Finally, our education effort reaches the church, burial organizations, medical organizations, pro-life organizations, and other pregnancy loss groups.
SUPPORT – HOTLINE, PEER SUPPORT, SUPPORT GROUPS
SUPPLIES – MISCARRIAGE KITS, CASKETS, URNS, and MORE
EDUCATION – APPL CERTIFICATION, CUSTOM TRAININGS, STATE LAWS
Why Support
With a team of advocates, our ministry provides help to those suffering a death of a baby from miscarriage, stillbirth, or early newborn death just after birth. Our goal is to support the family in their time of grief, to acknowledge the dignity of the baby, and to assist in closure for the family.
Families need to receive loving support when suffering the death of a baby at any gestational age including premature birth, or at the newborn stage. Pregnancy loss is not rare. One in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage during the first trimester. In the second trimester, one out of 33 babies is miscarried, stillborn or dies prematurely. In the third trimester, one in 160 babies is stillborn or dies after being born prematurely. If you are facing pregnancy loss, you are not alone, and we are here to help. Parents who have lost a baby in miscarriage are still parents to that child. The baby just resides in a different place, which we believe is heaven. We are here to help. Please read our information pages for more help or give us a call.
We offer support before, during, and after the birth of the baby, as well as a birth plan template with suggestions for you to fill out on your own or with the help of our staff. The best, most informed choices help enhance the short but very important time with your baby. We strive to help our clients through instruction, giving advice, consolation, and comforting parents and all family and friends who are grieving the loss of a baby. These special and meaningful moments help create lasting memories that bring comfort.
Our goal is to support the family in its time of grief, to affirm the dignity of the baby, and to assist in closure for the family. With a Certified APPL (Advocates for Parents of Perinatal Loss), we offer non-medical information that supports those suffering pregnancy loss at all stages of pregnancy.
Why Supplies
In our founder’s Catholic faith tradition, burying the dead is a Corporal Act of Mercy. At Heaven’s Gain, part of our mission is to provide products that give dignity to the deceased baby – at whatever stage – to bring the family closure and peace. When parents lose a child, no matter the age, they have only one opportunity to do something special for that baby. They can preserve their baby’s memory by giving them a beautiful final resting place that emphasizes how much they are treasured, and even though small, deserve great dignity.
We are called as part of our mission to provide burial products that honor the dignity of the deceased baby at any developmental stage. Our unique line helps bring families closure and peace.
When a family loses a child, no matter the age, they have a unique opportunity to preserve that child’s memory.
Heaven’s Gain provides a dignified, proportional burial vessel that will serve as a beautiful final resting place. The beauty and quality of our products give glory in the creation of each little one who, even though small, is treasured and is deserving of great dignity and respect.
We believe it is healing for parents to be given choices of caskets and urns so they can choose a special casket or urn for their baby.
Appropriate sized burial products including caskets, urns, and vaults are part of this support. We also offer our miscarriage kits that assist the family in delivery of their miscarried baby.
Our goal is to support the family in its time of grief, to affirm the dignity of the baby, and to assist in closure for the family.
Why Education
In order to really change the culture in the way we treat pregnancy loss, several audiences need more education.
Many caregivers simply have never been trained on how to properly accompany a client/patient through their grief.
At Heaven’s Gain Ministries, we educate the following audiences.
- CHURCH: Priests, pastors, leaders, and all believers. They long to minister to families in grief.
- BURIAL: Funeral homes and cemeteries. They want to help families bury their babies with dignity.
- MEDICAL: Hospitals, clinics, and medical professionals. They want to help provide their patients with more practical and emotional care during pregnancy loss.
- PRO-LIFE: Pregnancy centers and other pro-life organizations, who have seen why pregnancy loss as a pro-life issue.
- PREGNANCY LOSS: Other pregnancy loss support organizations, who want to learn from us about birth planning and share other networking and best practices.
Who We Serve
We serve families who have found out that their baby has died in the womb or who is going to die shortly after birth. Parents who lose a baby at any point in pregnancy have the right to decide disposition of their child’s remains. Grieving parents should be offered support services along their grief journey and as they heal. Parents will always miss their child and that loss will leave a permanent missing piece of their heart but there is healing.
Non-Discrimination Statement
Heaven’s Gain Ministries (HGM) is a Christian based ministry. HGM employees, support staff, and volunteers do not discriminate by faith, age, skin color, or sexual preference.
HGM does not push any religious beliefs. It is our goal to exemplify Christian Love as we serve, support, and advocate for parents and families experiencing the loss of a baby.
Who We Do Not Serve
We are not qualified to provide support services for families who are suffering the loss of a baby who has left the hospital and then died later (SIDS/SUID etc.) nor those whose baby died in the NICU. Though our supplies are available for babies of all gestations and up to about a year old, our support services are specific to pregnancy loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, and very early neonatal/newborn death in the hospital shortly after birth). We also don’t serve those who have lost toddlers, older children, or adult family members. We are happy to refer to many other child loss support organizations. Please contact us or look through the various tabs on our support referral spreadsheet.
We do not provide caskets, urns, or support services for animals. We are not qualified to provide support services for those whose pets have died. Our donors and volunteers understand that their hard work and financial donations are for human babies who have died.
Because we believe life begins at conception and that all human life must be protected, we do not provide support services for families who choose termination of pregnancy. We do provide support services for families who carry a baby to term with a prenatal diagnosis. We can also refer to healing ministries and organizations who do specialize in abortion/termination loss.
Statement of Faith
We believe human life begins at conception and that parents who lose a baby at any point in pregnancy have the right to decide disposition of their child’s remains, and to grieve and heal.
Because we believe life begins at conception and that all human life must be protected, we do not provide support services for families who choose termination of pregnancy. We do provide support services for families who carry a baby to term with a poor pre-natal diagnosis.
We are not qualified to provide support services for families who are suffering the loss of an adult, toddler, or older child family member.
We do not provide caskets, urns, or support services for animals. Our donors and volunteers understand that their hard work and financial donations are for human babies who have died.
History
Since 2008
Heaven’s Gain Ministry is determined to provide for the emotional and physical needs of families experiencing pregnancy loss. Every child is precious no matter the length of gestation. Families deserve sensitivity, compassion, and proper preparation.
We know grieving families are not just losing a hope or a dream. They are losing a child that can never be replaced. Parents in need of support must be cared for with respect when saying “hello” and “goodbye” to their precious baby. Heaven’s Gain supplies information, instructions, and tools to guide parents in making informed decisions promoting peace without regret.
This site will help navigate all we have to offer. We can connect families with a certified Advocate for Parents of Perinatal Loss (APPL), and provide burial baby caskets and baby urns for miscarried or stillborn babies of any gestational age.
We pray the variety of resources provided by Heaven’s Gain helps acknowledge and uphold the dignity of each precious baby, informs and instructs parents, and brings comfort and closure to each grieving mother, father, and family member.
We strive to help our clients through instruction, giving advice, consolation, and comforting parents and all family and friends who are grieving the loss of a baby.
Our goal is to support the family in its time of grief, to affirm the dignity of the baby, and to assist in closure for the family. With APPLs on staff, we offer non-medical information that supports those suffering pregnancy loss at all stages of pregnancy.
Jim & Donna Today
Founders
Jim & Donna Murphy
Jim and Donna’s experience with multiple miscarriages led them to start Heaven’s Gain out of a deep personal need. Their frustration in not being able to find appropriate caskets for their miscarried babies highlighted a gap in available resources for families experiencing such loss. They believe strongly that each miscarriage and stillborn child represents a significant loss and deserves a dignified burial.
Their own difficulty in finding caskets or tiny coffins motivated them to create Heaven’s Gain so that other families wouldn’t have to face the same challenge. Their mission includes not only providing dignified caskets and urns but also offering support, advocacy, and guidance to grieving families.
After feeling the call to start the ministry, Donna and Jim researched during the entire year of 2007, and opened the ministry in February of 2008. They contracted skilled wood crafters to make the baby caskets.
By sharing their story and providing these services, Jim and Donna aim to support others in their healing journey through the difficult process of grieving for a lost baby. Their personal experience has driven them to create a compassionate and supportive resource for families going through similar hardships.
What started out in their home is now located at 3728 St. Martin’s Place in Cincinnati, Ohio. Donna and Jim continue to work as volunteers with Jim continuing to craft urns and caskets, as well as being Vice President on the Board of Directors. Donna is the Executive Director, Certified Advocate for Parents of Perinatal Loss (APPL) and Certified Baby Loss Family Advisor (CBLFA).
The Founders’ Family
Donna and Jim are the parents of eleven children: three in Heaven, and eight on Earth. They have seven biological children. Their rainbow baby (baby after the storm of a loss), grew in their hearts and not in Donna’s womb. They adopted a little girl in December of 2009 whom they had fostered since she was two days old. She is a blessing to their family. Since many of their children are married, their family continues to grow with in-laws and grandchildren.