On Oct. 6, the Rev. Ed Peterson baptized the twin baby girls to whom his wife, Cindy Peterson, had given birth.
Although a happy occasion, this story doesn't seem newsworthy on the surface. But the twins Cindy Peterson bore are the daughters of Cathy and Andy McCollough.
Easton and Rachel are the daughters of the McColloughs but they started life in the womb of Cindy Peterson, their surrogate mother. The babies are not genetically related to the Peterson's. Cindy served as the "incubator" for the twins.
This is the story of two families, brought together by faith and prayer.
Cathy and Andy McCollough have been married for 13 years and always dreamed of having three children.
Cathy nearly died during the birth of their 3 1/2- year-old daughter Summer. Cathy suffered several difficult pregnancies that ended in miscarriages. Having another child would have been life threatening for her.
"We always dreamed of twins, but would not allow ourselves to hope for such a precious gift," says Cathy. "We lost twin boys before Summer's birth when I was 5 1/2 months pregnant."
Cindy is the mother of three children: Jonathan, 16; Joseph, 12; and Amanda, 9. She is married to Ed, pastor of Lake Brady United Methodist Church, Brady Lake, Ohio. She is a mother who knows the joy of having children and wanted to share that joy with another couple.
The idea of being a surrogate was born in Cindy's mind when her older sister and her husband found out they could not have children. Her sister decided not to start a family but the thought of being a surrogate mother was never far from Cindy's mind.
The idea germinated for two years and she searched for a reputable agency that would pair the family with a couple wanting to have a child. They talked about the ethical implications of being a surrogate family and Ed consulted with a professor of ethics at a seminary about beginning and end of life issues.
"We searched in the Book of Discipline and in the Book of Resolutions for what the United Methodist Church may have said on the subject, and found nothing directly pertaining to surrogacy," he says. They also talked with their children about becoming a surrogate family. The children were all for the idea so Cindy and Ed took the next step and contacted a surrogate agency.
"Through the agency, we met the McColloughs and hit it off immediately," Ed says. "We could see that they loved each other and loved their daughter Summer and desperately wanted more children. Perhaps we could see ourselves in them."
The agency both families used is the Center for Surrogate Parenting, which has been in existence for more than 20 years and has offices in California and Maryland. The agency places a strong emphasis on the idea that it is not just a decision for the surrogate mother but one for her husband and children as well.
The Petersons also included their church family at Lake Brady United Methodist Church in their decision. The McColloughs worshipped at the church a few times to give the congregation a chance to get to know them.
"We believe that God is the beginning of everything and faith in him will guide and direct us down our life's path. Also, because their church is such big part of Cindy and Ed's life, we thought it would be important that the church get to know us and understand how much we appreciated the sacrifices the Petersons' were making on our behalf," Cathy says.
Ed answered the call to ministry six years ago and was appointed to Lake Brady as a student local pastor while completing his degree at Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio.
"I graduated from seminary on May 18, two days after the surrogate twins were born," Ed says. "Cindy had the twins by cesarean-section, so she had to remain in the hospital for a while."
The McColloughs did not let that event go uncelebrated. When Ed and the children returned from the graduation activities, they were greeted with a surprise party from the McColloughs and their parents in a conference room at the hospital.
"These children will always know how much love and effort was put into their creation," says Cathy. "We also want to teach them that, even if the start of their lives was not 'traditional,' that they are part of a wonderful loving family with an extended family in Ohio. They will then understand how very special they are."
For the Petersons, life has returned to normal. Cindy is back to work as general manager of a motel in Kent. The family is back in a regular routine, Ed says.
"Our surrogacy experience has been one of the most incredible periods of our lives. Perhaps this is because we were in it for what we could give, not for what we could get," he says.
"The goal for our family from the very beginning was to unite the twins with their parents. We never had any pangs about 'giving them up,' because the twins were never ours to 'give up' in the first place. The greatest joy for us was to see their family together."
"We are just living out our faith in the way that God has called us...nothing spectacular about that," he adds.
# # # *Kathy Gilbert is news writer for United Methodist News Service.
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