{"id":277930,"date":"2022-10-17T18:41:19","date_gmt":"2022-10-17T23:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=277930"},"modified":"2022-10-17T23:13:54","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T04:13:54","slug":"jennifer-maggio-ministry-single-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/jennifer-maggio-ministry-single-mom\/","title":{"rendered":"Once a teen mom, she used her painful past to launch a ministry for single moms"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Jennifer Maggio\u2019s young life was marked by heartbreaking loss, emotional trauma, abuse, and multiple unplanned pregnancies \u2014 obstacles that would seem impossible to overcome, except she had a powerful weapon: her faith. Raised by a father who struggled with addiction and married six times after the sudden death of her mother when she was just 17 months old, Maggio longed for a loving, stable relationship. Instead, she gravitated toward an unhealthy alliance with a young man who would eventually father her pregnancies. She miscarried twice, but at 17, gave birth to a healthy boy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maggio told Live Action News, \u201cAfter my son was born, just a year later I got pregnant with my daughter. I was so embarrassed and ashamed, I even considered abortion, but I was raised in the church and knew it was wrong. A friend who had an abortion shared about how she was tormented by nightmares of screaming babies. That, too, was impactful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While she was grateful she chose life for her babies, those close to her wondered why she did not remain abstinent, given her religious background. Still, many questioned why Maggio didn\u2019t terminate the relationship with her abusive boyfriend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth was, I was a broken woman who was drowning in devastation, wandering through life seeking joy and hope, peace, and restoration,\u201d said Maggio. \u201cMost days I felt as if I could barely breathe or function, much less think clearly. I knew I had disappointed my family and felt sure I was excommunicated from God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At 19, Maggio was raising two children, living in government housing, and relying on welfare and food stamps to live. Alone, without much money and isolated from her family and friends, with few parenting skills, Maggio struggled to move beyond her circumstances. Though she graduated high school as valedictorian and was offered college scholarships across the country, she says she squandered the opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Faith Renewed Results in a Transformed Life of Service<\/b><\/p>\n

Maggio said, \u201cI was broken-hearted, a victim of my poor decisions once again. The breakthrough came when I decided to go back to church. But this time, I was going to truly commit to the Lord by reading the Bible, tithing, and attending worship regularly. As a result, I became more on fire for God and less interested in worldly things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As her life turned around, Maggio flourished in a successful career and met her husband, who adopted her two children. Later, the couple became parents to a third child.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThings were going well,\u201d Maggio said. \u201cBut I never forgot the lonely, dark moments huddled on a bathroom floor in government housing as a single mom. I had a passion for helping single mothers thrive, so I started a Bible study in my living room in 2007, and from that, The Life of a Single Mom<\/a> ministry <\/span>was birthed in 2011.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Maggio started the ministry to ensure every single mom has the support and resources she needs to prosper, and that no single mom walks alone. An advocate for abstinence and sustaining marriages, Maggio partners with churches of various sizes and denominations to start or improve single moms\u2019 Bible studies, support groups, and ministries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maggio said, \u201cWe first teach the body of Christ about the data, meaning what we face as a nation regarding single-mom parenting. We then work with churches on effective strategies to launch successful single mom groups which can teach parenting classes, divorce recovery, addiction, and unwed pregnancy classes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

READ<\/strong>:\u00a0New study adds to body of research showing negative effects of abortion on women<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The pro-life movement often faces criticism for lacking a holistic, long-term approach, Maggio points out. The Life of a Single Mom model seeks to bridge the gap by offering resources and online life skill educational classes, conferences, and events to single mothers of all ages and life stages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery church should be involved in single mothers\u2019 ministries, and it should encapsulate long-term parenting, financial, spiritual, and emotional health education, as well as mentoring and discipleship,\u201d said Maggio. \u201cMany churches just offer single events like donation drives but don\u2019t understand the need to support moms long-term, beyond the pregnancy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Through serving single mothers, Maggio came to understand that their stories were multi-faceted and complex. She was spurred to write her\u00a0first book in 2008, “Overwhelmed: The Life of a Single Mom<\/a>,” after realizing that there were no Christian books on the market that adequately addressed their varying circumstances and offered encouragement.<\/span>\u00a0Maggio has since written three other books, including a guide to parenting and a 50-week devotional.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maggio said, \u201cToo many books and resources were heavy on theory and psychology and light on experience and authenticity. These women needed to know that God is real, loves them, and has a plan for them. They needed to know others, too, have experienced their pain and desolation but God is a redeemer and a restorer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Equipping Faith-Based Organizations<\/b><\/p>\n

In a new post-Roe landscape, Maggio is discovering that faith communities and churches are seeking solutions, realizing they may have taken a stance against abortion but don\u2019t have a plan in place to aid mothers beyond birth. Pregnancy resource centers, too, need curriculum \u2013 all of which has impacted Maggio\u2019s ministry as it plays an increasingly vital role in the pro-life movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maggio could not have known that when she left her lucrative corporate career behind, more than 750,000 single mothers would be helped through the Life of a Single Mom ministry. While the ongoing goal is to continue launching single moms\u2019 ministries in churches, new curriculum is now offered through Single Mom University. Every year, the ministry provides an array of resources including videos, podcasts, articles, online chat rooms, boot camps, and eBooks to assist moms and ministry leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to provide innovative ways for churches to serve single moms,\u201d Maggio said. \u201cWe\u2019re very excited that our most recent national single moms conference was the largest in history. I would have never dreamed that the moments of pain, suicidal thoughts, shame, lack, and devastation I suffered would be used for good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jennifer Maggio\u2019s young life was marked by heartbreaking loss, emotional trauma, abuse, and multiple unplanned pregnancies \u2014 obstacles that would seem impossible to overcome, except she had a powerful weapon: her faith. Raised by a father who struggled with addiction and married six times after the sudden death of her mother when she was just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":277931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[10446,1279,378,19300],"yoast_head":"\nOnce a teen mom, she used her painful past to launch a ministry for single moms<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jennifer Maggio used the difficult circumstances and experiences of her past to create The Life of a Single Mom ministry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/jennifer-maggio-ministry-single-mom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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