Mississippi Mother Creates Church-Based Sex Ed Program Amid State Curriculum Gaps
When Wendy Pfrenger's children entered high school in Oxford, Mississippi, she faced a limited choice between abstinence-only and abstinence-plus sex education programs. Neither option guaranteed medically accurate information, leaving her concerned about the lessons her teenagers were receiving.
"Our kids are on the internet, their peers are on the internet," Pfrenger explained. "The things that are being shared on phones in that school, regardless of whatever protections are in place, are not at all addressed by the class."
Community Need for Comprehensive Education
Through conversations with other parents, Pfrenger discovered some families sought additional sex education through online classes or local pediatrician workshops. However, she envisioned something more accessible: free, comprehensive, and inclusive sexuality education available to the entire community that went beyond abstinence to include consent discussions and build trust between young people and adults.
In January, Pfrenger began offering precisely this type of education at her church, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Oxford. The program teaches accurate anatomy, discusses pregnancy options and diverse family structures, and celebrates all gender identities and sexualities.
National Context of Sex Education Standards
Sex education advocates across the United States have long hoped states would adopt more comprehensive and inclusive guidelines for K-12 students. However, according to Miranda Estes, state policy action manager at Siecus: Sex Ed for Social Change, recent years have seen increased attacks on public education, reproductive healthcare, and LGBTQ+ rights in state legislatures.
"When these hostile state legislatures try to limit or erase sex education in schools, the information doesn't just disappear. It has to move," Estes noted. "Community-based programs, including faith-based ones, are having to step in to fill the gap."
Sixteen U.S. states currently do not require sex education or HIV/STI instruction to be age-appropriate or medically accurate. Even in states mandating comprehensive sexuality education, funding often falls short, with three-fourths of all states receiving C, D, or F grades on Siecus's national report card.
Faith-Based Programs Stepping Forward
The program Pfrenger implemented, Our Whole Lives, represents a collaborative effort between the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. Originally developed in 1999, this secular curriculum emphasizes medically accurate and developmentally appropriate content while allowing for optional faith-based materials.
"One of the reasons that this partnership works so well is that our faith values are so similar in terms of reproductive justice, social justice," explained Davis, the UUA program manager. "Both of our faiths – even though we sometimes use different language – center love."
Amy Johnson, minister for sexuality education and justice for the UCC, acknowledged the unusual nature of churches offering comprehensive sex education: "It's fair to think that sex ed in a Christian context in particular would be biased and non-inclusive because it so often is."
Building Community Trust and Participation
At the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Oxford, Pfrenger and church leaders dedicated nearly a year to building community trust before launching classes. They conducted information sessions, Zoom meetings, and personal conversations, followed by adult sampler classes and parent orientations before beginning their first program for grades 4-6.
"It's essential that we move at the speed of trust," emphasized Rev. Sarah Osborne, the congregation's minister. "While the curriculum itself is secular, I think it's really important that we are offering this in a faith-based community that's really explicit about what our values are."
Following the initial meeting, both parents and children – most not church members – expressed appreciation for the program. Pfrenger, now the religious education coordinator, observed: "It felt like people needed this opportunity to talk not just about their own families, but about where we are right now as a culture."
The church plans to expand offerings to grades 7-9 next year, continuing to address what organizers describe as a critical community need for comprehensive, shame-free sexuality education.
