Church Partners
Let The Kids & Me help you as you help Single Mom Families.
The Kids & Me
Statement of Faith
Church Partners...
Zoom Info is below.
...represent a collaboration among The Kids & Me and churches in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties of any denomination recognizing the need for ministry to Single Moms and their children.
Pooling efforts together, Church Partners establish their own in-house ministry to Single Mom families (as simple as a twice-per-month support group meeting) while also benefiting from the network of churches to provide services they may not be able to provide on their own (like mentoring or minor home repair) .
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Church Partnership:
Establishes a Single Mom ministry in each Partner Church which
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Recognizes a part of the church – the Single Mom - which is often overlooked
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Reaches out to unsaved Single Moms and their children
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Casts a net to provide a path to salvation to children while they are young
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Provides fellowship for Single Moms
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Provides a place of networking for Single Moms
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Serves Single Moms’ unique needs
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Provides opportunity for Godly men to mentor boys without a present father
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Delivers specific ministry for Single Moms most churches are unable to deliver alone
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Provides a cost effective way of ministry
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Promotes church membership
Church Partners provide...
Church Partners recruit VOLUNTEERS from their church family to serve:
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as leaders for their own church's Single Mom support group which is recommended to meet twice per month either in person or by virtual means
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as childcare providers during the Single Mom support group meetings (if in person)
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as team members for The Kids & Me Single Mom assistance groups providing support ranging from minor home repair to mentorship to tutoring for children to car maintenance.
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as event production support people when their church hosts their large group event (see the VOLUNTEER tab at the top of this page for a complete listing of volunteer opportunities)
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as The Kids & Me general volunteers
Church Partners provide MEETING SPACE to host:
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a twice per month small group Single Mom support meeting - virtual or in person
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a large group The Kids & Me sponsored community event to help establish and grow their Single Mom ministry
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teaching sessions or seminars as interest is demonstrated.
Church Partners if capable may provide SPONSORSHIP for their own Kids & Me Events.
NEW!
3-Minute Informational Video
now available for Pastors
to introduce The Kids & Me
to their congregation or
Church Leadership
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/mS2mfQ-RW80
Dear Pastors
and Women's Leaders,
Please join us for a virtual meeting via Zoom to find out how you can effectively share the gospel and minister to Single Mom families.
It's easier than you think!
Upcoming Zoom Dates
2022
Tues. May 24 @ 10:30am
Weds, June 1 @ 2:00pm
Thurs, June 9 @ 7pm
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Single Mom Ministry
Training for Lady Leaders
of Church Partners
Class I: Get-Going-Guide
for Single Mom Ministry
An overview of how to prepare the
Lady Leader, the support Volunteers,
the Audience (Single Moms and their children), the materials, and the environment for successful ministry
Register below to schedule
a class time.
Class II: Think-it-Through
Hosting & Maintaining
a Single Moms Support Group
A detailed look at the planning and dynamics of a successful meeting and ministry for either an in-person or virtual approach
Register below to schedule
a class time.
What Part does
The Kids & Me play?
The Kids and Me establishes community for Single Mom families connecting them to one another and church families across Charlotte/Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.
The Kids and Me shoulders the cost of promotion and event production and brings Single Moms together through a large, highly-publicized fun event: Mom's Moments.
The Kids and Me supports each Church Partner in establishing its own Single Mom Ministry with Lady Leader Training which includes advising and pointing to resources to maintain support group meetings. Recommended discussion topics focus on Biblical instruction in parenting, finances, and health & wellness. The Kids & Me offers a LENDING LIBRARY for Church Partners to explore ministry helps and to choose curriculum.
The Kids and Me coordinates volunteers across Mecklenburg and surrounding counties to provide support services to Single Moms and their children.
The Urgent Need
for single parent Ministry
The Sheer Number of Single Parents
and
their Children
As of 2019, almost 42% of babies born in North Carolina were born to Single Mothers. 1
In the area encompassing Mecklenburg County and the surrounding 10 counties (Union, Stanly, Cabarrus, Rowan, Iredell, Catawba, Lincoln, Gaston, Lancaster SC, and York SC), there are 72,000 Single Moms representing children 18 and younger.2
Statistics show that 2/3 of single mothers are unchurched. 3 Knowing the probability of a child receiving salvation decreases as a child gets older brings an intense sense of urgency to our effort. 4
Potential
Effects
of Single Parenthood on Children
The problems single moms face bear greatly on our community. Thirty-three percent of single mothers with children under 18 in Mecklenburg County live in poverty. 5 Along with poverty come higher rates of crime, violence, suicide, drugs, and incarceration.
According to a National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools, 71% of all high school dropouts come from a single-parent family. 6
70% of gang members, teen suicides, teen pregnancies and teen substance abusers come from single mother homes. 7 70% of youth in state juvenile detention centers serving long sentences are raised by single mothers.8
The Call of the Church to the Widow & Orphan
"A church with a single moms’ ministry has a 58% higher chance of reaching and retaining single mothers from the community. Did you know that 65% of single moms’ who connect to a single moms’ ministry attend for more than 6 months?"9
"Some studies suggest that as many as 67% of single moms currently do not attend church--many citing fear of being judged as key. Of course we offer them food when they are hungry. We may occasionally perform a home repair or provide toys at Christmas. But do we stop there? Dare we open a Sunday school class exclusively for single moms? A Bible study? or even a full scale ministry?” 10
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27
Sources Cited (Nov 2, 2021) :
1 Center for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics, 2019
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/northcarolina/nc.htm
2 StatisticalAtlas, Cedar Lake Ventures, Inc. of Excelsior, MN https://statisticalatlas.com/metroarea/NorthCarolina/Charlotte/Household-Types based upon US Census Bureau figures from the 2010 census and from the 2012-2016 American Community Survey
3 Maggio, Jennifer. The Church and the Single Mom. Baton Rouge, TLSM Publishing, 2017, (p.11).
4 Global Ministry Center of the Church of the Nazarene http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/ages.htm
5 Charlotte Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force. “Leading on Opportunity.” 2019. https://forcharlotte.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/10-Facts.pdf
6 US Department of Justice. “What Can the Federal Government Do to Reduce Crime and Revitalize Communities?” Panel Papers, 1998, (p.11) https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles/172210.pdf
7 U.S. Census Bureau, 2009-2011 American Community Surveys, 2012 Condition of Children in Orange County, America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2012 by Jonathan Vespa and Jamie M. Lewis https://post.ca.gov/portals/0/post_docs/publications/Building%20a%20Career%20Pipeline%20Documents/safe_harbor.pdf
8 Wade Horn, “Why There Is No Substitute For Parents”, IMPRIMIS 26, NO.6, June, 1997 https://fixfamilycourts.com/single-mother-home-statistics/
9 Maggio, Jennifer. “Why the Unplanned Movie is Necessary but Not Enough.” April 2019. https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/jennifer-maggio/why-the-unplanned-movie-is-necessary-but-not-enough.html
10 Maggio, Jennifer. The Church and the Single Mom. Baton Rouge, TLSM Publishing, 2017, p.11.
Thank You for Your interest in
sharing the gospel with single moms and their children.
Please contact us if you would like to become a partner in tHe kids & me network
