− 17 million single moms in the United States currently
− 27% live in poverty, 24% receive government assistance
− 78% of our current prison population were raised by a single mom!
− 50% experience some type of abuse in their homes-- emotional, physical or sexual
− children of single parent homes are 5 times more likely to commit suicide and 10 times more likely to quit school
− 67% do not actively attend church!!! Why?! They do not feel they belong.
RESOURCES:
1. See challenging article “The Church and the Single Mom” featured on CBN.com here http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/churchandministry/Maggio_Church_Single_Mom.aspx.
2. Check out our new You Tube 7-minute video to get you fired up with serving single moms at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6H7EbfKqJ8.
3. We recommend Overwhelmed: The Life of a Single Mom as a starting resource for your single moms. This book is an autobiography written by Jennifer Barnes Maggio that takes the reader on a journey with gut-wrenching detail through homelessness, poverty, teen pregnancy, and severe abuse. It is the ultimate story of God's redemptive power, as you discover the author's life becoming one full of hope. It is complete with a 12-part Bible study, ideal for small groups.
4. www.thelifeofasinglemom.com has numerous financial and Spiritual resources for the single mom.
TOP 4 AREAS FOR SINGLE MOMS:
1. Financial instruction – how to budget, clean credit, financial assistances, etc
2. Parenting advice – Parenting Alone 101
3. Emotional support – anger, bitterness, loneliness, unforgiveness, low self-esteem, etc.
4. Spiritual growth - Who am I in Christ?
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO DO TO LAUNCH YOUR GROUP:
− Have a 1.5 hour meeting 2 times monthly (any more than that is too much, any shorter & it isn't worth their time to drive to it!)
− Always pr
ovide childcare and a meal at the meetings – non-negotiable!! Your meetings will grow when you do this.
− Have a specific teaching on one of the 4 above-referenced areas (This is NOT the time to have some in-depth Bible study on the book of Ruth! You must stay on topic with those 4 areas. Ruth is important, but we have to work with both the churched & unchurched!)
− End each meeting with give-aways, whereby each single moms leaves with a bag of “goodies” (These items can range from groceries to clothes to toiletries to baby items to make-up, etc. Local stores such as Walmart and Target will donate discontinued items upon receipt of a letter.)
− Get into the “trenches” and start looking for single moms. Look for the unchurched single moms, the battered women's shelters, homeless shelters, prostitutes, strippers, the grocery store clerks. They are everywhere.
− Be consistent. HPC Single Moms Ministry in Baton Rouge started with 2 members and stayed there for MONTHS. Eventually, in 2.5 years, we have grown to 270 members, but it is God's timing. Be faithful with 5 or 500, whatever God brings you.
BE READY FOR THE HARVEST:
As word gets out that you are giving away free items, ministering to single moms, YOU WILL GROW. As you do, be prepared with faithful volunteers to cook, babysit, pray, mentor, greet, work sign-in table, teach, etc. Start preparing for that early. You will need people to answer emails, call new single moms and pray, visit with single moms, have coffees and lunches. No 1 person can do this.
BIBLICAL INSTRUCTIONS:
− Psalms 146:9, Luke 14:13, 1 Timothy 5:3.
“Used with permission by Jennifer Maggio. Copyright (c) 2010 The Life of a Single Mom. www.thelifeofasinglemom.com. All rights reserved.”
