Why Youth Are Turning Away From God, Work, Marriage, and Children

When most people think of a pregnancy center, they think we’re here only to help stop abortions. We work very hard to do just that. But there’s so much more to our pregnancy center. Every day that we’re open, we minister to all sorts of people struggling in all sorts of ways. In doing so, we’ve discovered something very telling about young people today.

We saw it when Mark and Susan (we changed their names to protect their privacy) walked through our doors. This young teenage couple were facing an unplanned pregnancy and didn’t know who to turn to for answers. They came to us hoping we could help. We shared the Gospel with them, tried to minister to their immediate needs, and showed them how they were better together than apart. The couple eventually married. But because of what we see time and time again, their marriage ended in divorce.

SO WHAT DID WE SEE IN THIS YOUNG COUPLE AND SO MANY OTHERS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS?

Today’s young people have a really hard time committing to anything. Statistics will show you just how bad this situation is. For instance, in 2008, over 50% of people between the ages of 20 and 24 had been with their current employer for less than 12 months. This generation isn’t willing

to commit to just one vocation and stick with it. The result is continued dependence on their parents and increasing poverty. But it’s not just vocational.

Marriage is suffering even worse. The U.S. Census data shows that young adults are marrying later than ever before – if they marry at all. Back in 1960, only 9% of those over the age of 25 had never married. Today, that number is around 20%. But it’s not just young people who don’t commit to marriage. In 1960, only 7% of men and 6% of women had never married by the age of 45. In 2012, those numbers went up to 19% of men and 14% of women – more than double. And those who wait until after the age of 32 to get married are far more likely to get divorced – cementing their inability to remain committed.

This lack of commitment reaches even further. It’s destroying our churches. Like their music lists, today’s young adults are picking and choosing which aspects of the faith to adopt. The end result is a faith that’s unique to them. It’s a religion created in their own likeness.

WEIGHT LOSS SO ADVANCED IT’S SIMPLE

As seen in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Therein lies the problem. People are growing more and more committed to themselves, but not to anything external. They don’t commit to jobs, to people, or to God.

THE END RESULT IS A CULTURE THAT’S FALLING APART.

At the North Georgia Pregnancy Center, we see this in just about every person who comes through our doors. When abortion is the issue, the lack of commitment to a child is obvious. But the problems are so far reaching with each person that we felt the need to change our name to the North Georgia Pregnancy and Family Resource Center. We wanted to be able to meet the needs of an entire generation that lacks commitment.

While our counseling ministry remains focused – we minister to young people and couples in unplanned pregnancies and to families with young children – the need for financial, relational, and spiritual direction remains a constant. Drugs, alcohol, pornography, and poor family situations never stop pulling these people away from the Lord and other people. They’re focused on pleasing themselves and we have to show them a different way to live that’s completely foreign to anything they’ve ever been taught.

The ministry of our little Center is growing rapidly to meet the needs of these people in our community. They need help, direction, and the Gospel. The Lord has changed lives through the work of the Center and we’re looking for partners who can come alongside us and commit to helping us meet these needs. Whether you volunteer at the Center, give resources to help us meet needs, or simply pray for us, we will continue to thrive by God’s grace as He uses you to further His kingdom.

HOW WE ARE MEETING NEEDS

• APPROXIMATELY 48 CLIENT VISITS A MONTH (ONLY BEING OPEN PART TIME)

• AVERAGE AGE OF CLIENTS IS 24

VickieWhite MichaelWhite

14MarkWhitfieldStreet Jasper, GA30143 706-253-1418 HOURS: Monday - Friday: 10am - 5 pm Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm Sunday: CLOSED www.reviveusagainjasper.com jwhite3775@aol.com