One of the local outreach ministries Christ Community Chapel (formerly Hudson Community Chapel) supports is Blessings of Summit and Portage Counties. Blessings was founded in 1995 to offer help to teenage parents in their journey to becoming capable and independent citizens by providing practical support, role models, and Christian discipleship. Funding for child care, for example, is provided so that these young people can finish their high school education. An intimate nurturing relationship with a mentor teaches them to function as a family unit as they learn practical life skills and basic parenting skills. There are weekly and monthly accountability requirements, as well as the requirement to remain in school with acceptable grades and attendance, and attend a Bible-believing church.
Currently there are two high school girls in the Blessings program. Stephanie has a spirited little boy, Andre, and Nicole has a beautiful baby girl, Charlotte. Another gal, Janessa, has graduated from the program and is currently attending college and has come back to share what she has learned with the current participants.
Once a month, the Coordinator of Blessings, Jeanette Abell hosts a life skills dinner and meeting in her home for the participants, the children, and the mentors. Both food and child care are provided and the evening lasts about 1 1/2 hours.
In a society where an unplanned teen pregnancy can be aborted legally, it is not always an easy decision to do the right thing and choose life. Blessings exists to support those who make the choice to keep their babies and at the same time move on with their lives in a new context. Helping the girls finish high school and prepare for the future beyond the crisis of the moment is of utmost importance to Blessings.
What specific things you can do to serve this ministry now:
1) Prepare a meal for about 12, serve it, and eat at the table with the group during the monthly life skills meeting. The time commitment is 6-7:30 pm and the following dates are available:
Tuesday Feb. 8, Tuesday March 8, and Tuesday April 12.
Praise the Lord - all of these dates have been fulfilled!
Praise the Lord - all of these dates have been fulfilled!
2) Teach a cooking class for the two girls, as they have both expressed a desire to learn how to cook.
Another answered prayer - someone has stepped forward and offered to teach a cooking class for the girls! Thank you!
Another answered prayer - someone has stepped forward and offered to teach a cooking class for the girls! Thank you!
3) Teach a basic car maintenance session so the girls will be more aware of what they need to be doing to care for their vehicles.
Again - thank you! Someone has offered to teach the girls about maintaining their cars.
Again - thank you! Someone has offered to teach the girls about maintaining their cars.
4) Provide career mentoring. For example, one of the girls has expressed an interest in becoming a nurse.
5) Pray! For the girls, the children, the mentors, for the Blessings staff and for servants to come along and help the cause.
If you can serve in any of these capacities, please e-mail Jeanette at abf.sam@gmail.com with a copy to barbara.ammirati@ccchapel.com, and mention that you saw these opportunities on this blog. One of them will contact you.
A recent example of Love in Action...
This past holiday season, some members of Christ Community Chapel provided an opportunity for the girls to have Christmas photos taken with their children. A simple gift of love that will be cherished for a lifetime.
"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16
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2 comments:
As the Director of a local pregnancy care center, I applaud all who are making this ministry to young moms possible. As was stated in the article, it is too easy to abort an unplanned pregnancy, but the pain of that decision lasts a lifetime.
The Blessings Program is truly making the difference between life and death and hope and regret! May many more get involved and know the blessing of sharing Christ with young moms and their babies.
What a blessing! This touches my heart so much as the issue of teen pregnancy and teen parenting is one that is close to my heart. Being a teen parent myself and then having a daughter whom was a teen parent herself and then working for 5 years at running a daycare for teen parents at a school, this brings my heart such joy to see that your church is doing something like this. Thank you to all the people that participate in this program...you are making a very big difference!
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