Jacksonville YoungLives

Our mission is to introduce teen moms to Christ and help them grow in their faith. Our ministry models the unconditional love of Christ, encourages the teen moms to become the women and mothers God created them to be. Using Young Life’s time-tested methods, our moms are empowered to make positive choices and live a future rooted in Christ. In Jacksonville, 54 teen moms attend our weekly club meetings.

YoungLives was established specifically to mentor teen moms, who struggle with many challenges— among them poverty, isolation, depression, and abandoned education. YoungLives builds trusting relationships with the girls using “tried and true” Young Life methods of reaching teens. Leaders help them to view their circumstances through the lens of the Gospel. These volunteers want them to know that their worth is in Christ and that their babies are blessings. Three top priority goals are to introduce the teen mothers to Jesus, encourage them to complete their education, and discuss the wisdom of avoiding a second pregnancy. Jacksonville’s YL teen mothers have been remarkably successful with meeting these goals over the past ten years.