Tennessee Newspaper: Calvary Baptist Church Dickson Launches Ministry To Single Mothers

We were excited to see this write-up in a local Tennessee Newspaper about Calvary Baptist Church in Dickson, Tennessee, 's ministry to single mothers!

To view the full article visit: https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/dicksonpost/calvary-baptist-church-dickson-launches-ministry-to-single-mothers/. 

Here is a portion of the article:

According to the United States Census Bureau, 17.8 million children in America, or one in four children, live without a biological, adoptive or stepfather in the home. According to the Fatherhood Initiative, children growing up in fatherless homes are more likely to face certain perils such as increased risk for poverty, teen pregnancy, alcoholism and drug abuse, having a criminal record and dropping out of school.

Sean Teis visited CBCD in 2020 sharing his vision of helping the fatherless and the widow, as the Bible often commands believers to do. CBCD Pastor Jason Betts caught on to that vision and gathered a team to launch the local GIMD chapter in Dickson. Betts said he came from a family that took the command to help the least of these seriously, and he said he saw great transformations as a result.

“My family lived in a children’s home where we helped teenage young ladies who were going through difficult situations. Later in my teens, my parents transitioned from that position and have been working with foster parents in the upstate of South Carolina until the present. I have seen firsthand how lives have been affected by absent fathers. I want to see lives changed by helping these moms and young people,” Betts said.

Verbruggen knows what it’s like to be both a child of a fatherless home and a single parent, and she credits her relationship with God, who refers to Himself in Scripture as both a father and a husband, as the turning point for her.

“Sometimes life can be a negative and hopeless cycle, especially for the single mom, but the Lord broke the cycle for me many years ago, and His faithfulness in my life continues! I want to share my experiences with other moms and encourage them with the fact that no matter their background or personal history God wants to step in and be their hope and help,” she said.

Epley said she got involved because, while she’s not experienced single motherhood, she speaks to single moms regularly and hears their challenges.

“With the help of the God is My Dad program, I pray we can help them with some of those struggles,” she said.

The single mom support group meets every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church Dickson, located at 1424 Old Charlotte Pike. For more information, email [email protected] or call (615) 326-5950.

To learn more about launching a single mothers ministry at your church, visit: https://www.godismydad.com/start-a-single-mom-support-group.