Menu
All summer long, members of the Girls Bible Study at Prestonwood Baptist Church have been examining what it truly means to be “rooted in Christ.” And in their final week of study, their leaders planned a Girls’ Serve Day, because a life rooted in Jesus means a life devoted to serving others.
The girls, from grades 7 through 12 and from a variety of schools, all serve on what their leaders call the “cultural front lines.”
“We couldn’t think of any place that serves others better than the [Prestonwood] Pregnancy Center,” said Stephanie Williford, Director of the Girls’ Ministry. “Our girls are on the front lines at their schools every day dealing with cultural issues.
“We agreed that spending an afternoon serving at the pregnancy center was the perfect way to help equip our girls to be lights in a dark world.” Stephanie said. “But it was also an opportunity for them to see a picture of God’s love and redemption!”
Director of Prestonwood Pregnancy Center Leanne Jamieson gave the 55 girls a tour and—with the permission of a friend of the center—the opportunity for them to watch the young mother’s baby on a monitor during a sonogram.
“God is the creator and giver of life,” Leanne said, “so we talk about what we do here, why we do what we do, and we show them.
“And we spent some time on how they can be great advocates for the center,” she said. “Sometimes we have to serve their peers—they might have a friend who made some choices, and we talk about what you do say and what you don’t say.”
On this particular day, Leanne said, the center had 20 to 30 clients with great needs. It was a day when clients are able to “shop” for maternity and baby items that have been donated.
“We probably had 30 girls working on that project, and the others working at the center,” she said. “They asked a lot of great questions and they worked hard.”
Holiday Helms, 15, said she came away thankful after her visit to the pregnancy center.
“I was thankful to God for all that He has done in the lives of the women who come to the pregnancy center, whatever their mindset is and whatever their past looks like,” she said.
“I was also thankful that we have the resources to help these women in tough situations, and also thankful that we, as a girls’ ministry, could make a difference,” Holiday said.
Leanne said she loves when teens serve at the pregnancy center.
“I think the teenage years are a time of exploration, in what they believe and why they believe it, and in the value of life,” she said. “I’d rather have them come to the [pregnancy] center before they go off in the world, to college, and they hear a different message.”
The staff at Prestonwood Pregnancy Center often hear young women say that they don’t want their life to change just because they’re pregnant.
“We want to take head-on some of the misconceptions these young women have,” Leanne said. “A lot of what they think is not true.”
At the end of their day of service, the girls knew that their efforts would make a difference in the lives of new mothers and their babies.
“I learned a lot of things walking away from serving at PPC,” said Kyndra Samaniego, 17, “but one thing that stood out to me in particular was how the staff takes such sweet care of every woman or young lady who walks through the doors.
“No matter the background or age of the woman walking in, the staff loves them just as Jesus would!” she said.
The young volunteers stayed busy during their visit—organizing, folding, and storing baby clothes that had been donated so mothers can provide for their babies, said Kate Barclay, 14.
“But the amazing thing about the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center is the amount of love and support they want to give the new mothers,” she said.
Like many of those young volunteers who came to help on this day, Brinley Russ, 14, hoped to share the love of Christ with every woman they met.
“The Pregnancy Center is such a great ministry and they put all the ladies who go there at ease and just share the love of Christ with all of them,” Brinley said.
“I loved just serving them and helping sort and fold baby clothes for all the women who need help providing for their children.”
Published: August 7, 2019
Author: Michael Young
As believers, we are called to give of our talents – not only financially, but also our spiritual gifting through volunteering. We have safe and secure ways to give and opportunities to bless others through legacy giving, and a myriad of volunteer opportunities.
Simple and secure. Give a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.
Give Now
Prestonwood offers many ways to use your gifts and talents in serving others – from cameraman to choir member, technician to teacher, parking attendant to prayer warrior. Click here to find out more.
Learn More
Besides opportunities to watch services, we’re pleased to provide a variety of incredible opportunities to plug in to resources for young believers and mature Christians.
Prestonwood.Live, our online community, exists to fulfill the our mission of Prestonwood for those who cannot attend a Prestonwood campus.
Visit Prestonwood.Live
Miss a Sunday Worship Service? Want to catch up on a sermon series? Click here to see past recorded services at Prestonwood. Search for titles, filter by speaker or series, or browse by dates.
View Messages
To find out more about the ministries at Prestonwood, click on any of the links below.
Through our LifeGroup Bible Studies, small-group ministry, every person who comes to Prestonwood is provided an opportunity to build key relationships that can last a lifetime.
Find a Group
We want to help men, women and students recover from emotional, physical, relational and spiritual wounds through the power of Christ. Through classes, small groups and individual discipleship, the Life Recovery Ministry will help people pursue, overtake, and recover a life of peace and purpose.
Learn More
We are a dynamic congregation, with people from all over the North Texas region who have come together for a common purpose—to study God’s Word, to worship Him, to do His work, and to reach the world with the Gospel message.
We unapologetically value six core areas in the life of our church. Together, these shared values identify who we are, rally us toward all that we desire to accomplish, and unite us in fellowship.
Learn More
The most important decision in your life will be whether you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.
Learn More
No matter which campus you attend, you’ll find warm smiles to greet you; vibrant, worshipful music to lift your soul; and powerful teaching from God’s Word that will transform your life.
You’ll feel welcome from the very beginning of your visit to Prestonwood. We have something for everyone in your family so let us help you plan your first visit.
Plan Your Visit
This class serves as the centerpiece for helping new members and those considering Prestonwood plug in to the life and ministries of our church.
More Information