Parenting is always challenging; parenting when you are young and alone can be extremely difficult and lonely. Lighthouse collaborates with established ministries like Young Life and Embrace Grace to offer the additional support and encouragement young moms need. With your help, these collaborations can also bring the hope of the gospel to young parents, impacting two generations with Christ’s love!

YoungLives Paterson

In 2018, Lighthouse partnered with Young Life to launch YoungLives Paterson, an outreach to teen moms in our area. YoungLives volunteers come alongside pregnant and parenting teens, modeling the unconditional love of Christ and encouraging them to become the women and mothers God created them to be. Our program combines the encouragement and hope Christ offers with practical life skills to equip these young moms for a brighter future.

National statistics tell us that teen moms are at greater risk of dropping out of school, facing additional unplanned pregnancies, and parenting alone.  That’s why we want to walk beside them letting them know that, “With God’s help, you’re going to be ok.  In fact, you and your child can experience real life.”  Check out the brochure here. 

Opportunities to partner in this program to serve these young moms and their children include:

• mentors who develop supportive relationships with individual moms
• childcare volunteers watching their children during key Club and Community times
• meal providers who prepare or donate the lunchtime meal and snacks served during Saturday Club times (meals feed about 20-25 teens and children; this can be a great small group activity!)
• prayer partners interceding for the moms’ deepest needs and for staff
• donors contributing baby gear, summer camp scholarships and ongoing ministry support

With your help, we can support young women whose responsibilities are great, and whose potential for impacting the next generation is even greater. To learn more about how you or your church group can get involved, or to refer a teen mom, please contact YoungLives Coordinator Jessica Rexford at 732-893-7353 or Jessica@LighthousePRC.org. Thank you!

Embrace Grace

Embrace Grace is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of providing emotional, practical and spiritual support for single, young women and their families who find themselves in an unintended pregnancy. The primary goal of Embrace Grace is to empower churches across the nation to be a safe and non-judging place for the girls to run to when they find out they are pregnant, instead of the last place they are welcomed because of shame and guilt. To learn more about Embrace Grace groups, visit their website or contact Jessica Rexford at jessica@lighthouseprc.org.