Based on the conversations we have with students on a weekly basis and our observations of their behaviors and the challenges they face daily, we believe there is an enormous need for the presence of qualified mentors in the lives of children and teens. Here are just a few statistics that reflect this need:

Teen Sex

• About 1/3 of girls in the U.S. get pregnant before age 20
• Lubbock County has the highest percentage of unplanned teen births of all of the largest cities in the state of Texas
• Every 10 minutes a teen gives birth
• Every 48 minutes a teen has an abortion
• In the U.S., one in four sexually active teens become infected with an STD every year

Teen Drug/Alcohol Abuse

• 40% of those who started drinking at age 13 or younger developed alcohol dependence later in life
• Teens that drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teens who never consume alcohol
• More than 60% of teens said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school
• 20% of 8th graders report that they have tried marijuana
• Alcohol is often a factor in teen automobile crashes, homicides, and suicides – the three leading causes of teen deaths
• Children who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism in adulthood than those who do not drink until the legal age of 21

Teen Smoking

• Approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18
• Tobacco is often the first drug used by young people who use alcohol or illegal drugs
• Young people who come from a low income family and have fewer than two adults living in their household are especially at risk for becoming smokers

Teen Suicide

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds and the sixth leading cause of death for 5-14 year olds

Teen Poverty

Under 18 years of age – 22.4%

One of our goals at encounterGOD ministries is to help ensure that the students we come into contact with do not become one of these alarming statistics. It has been our experience that the presence of a committed, caring adult in the life of a child can make a startling impact on the choices they make as they mature. Most successful people (not necessarily wealthy – we define success as overcoming the challenges of life) can point to a specific adult that influenced their life in a positive way. encounterGOD offers something to these students that they might not otherwise receive – a listening ear and a caring heart.

encounterGOD’s mentoring programs exist to help students develop spiritually, emotionally, and socially by connecting them with caring adults who are committed to seeing them succeed. Our goal, with time, is to place each student in a one-on-one relationship with a mentor who will invest in that student by regular, frequent, and direct involvement in their life outside of the weekly group meetings. Those mentors are individuals who will “do life” with the child/teenager, helping them with schoolwork, offering advice on the issues of life, and providing an example of success to the student they are mentoring. Our ultimate hope is to develop relationships with students that will allow us to address the spiritual issues of life from a Christian perspective.

If you are interested in getting involved with the encounterGOD mentoring program, the best entry point is through our Wednesday night large youth group, which meets at 6:00 on Wednesday nights at 7322 W 19th Street.