Learning about Love, Sex, and Relationships at Church

At the SC Campaign, we focus on different types of people who have an impact on teens.  Lately I have been working on a flyer for faith leaders with information on preventing teen pregnancy.  This is close to my heart because I got all of my information about sex and relationships from the people at my church.

My parents didn't really talk about sex; my dad mostly just said that if I got pregnant it would ruin his retirement.  As I got older, it started to be a common issue among my friends.  Since my parents weren't talking about it, I wasn't sure which way was up.

My youth group had an entire series on sex and Biblically based relationships.  We were all divided up into small groups and we each had a leader who went through everything with us.  I remember thinking it was awkward at the time, but looking back on it – I know it impacted me a great deal.  Our leaders shared personal stories with us that helped us see the importance of having healthy relationships.

The series lasted for a couple of weeks, and from what I can remember, we had different leaders talk to us about sex during a particular week.  I remember one lady, who had been a teen mom, was open and honest, telling us exactly how she got into the situation.  On the other hand, I also remember my great aunt telling us to think about her if we ever wanted to have unprotected sex.  This was obviously a joke, but I knew that if she took the time to talk to us about it she obviously knew what was best for us.

Having many different women talk to me about sex was important.  The lady who was a teen mom was relatable and although I only remember my great aunt making a joke- it still had a great impact on me.  The main thing was that these women took time to talk to me about sex, and had they not, I wouldn't have known the importance of a healthy relationship.

by Ella Brittingham, Graphic Design Intern, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy