Mississippi Mother Launches Church-Based Sex Ed as Schools Scale Back Comprehensive Programs
When Wendy Pfrenger's children entered high school in Oxford, Mississippi, she faced a limited choice between abstinence-only and abstinence-plus sex education curricula. 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-Driven Solution Emerges
Through conversations with other parents, Pfrenger discovered some were seeking additional sex education through online classes or workshops led by a local pediatrician. However, she envisioned something more comprehensive and accessible for the entire community.
In January, Pfrenger began offering the sexuality education she wished her children had access to 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.
"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," said Pfrenger, who now serves as the church's religious education coordinator.
National Context of Sex Education Retreat
Sex education advocates across the United States have long hoped states would adopt more comprehensive and inclusive guidelines for teaching sex ed to K-12 students. However, recent years have seen increased attacks on public education, reproductive healthcare, and LGBTQ+ rights in state legislatures.
Miranda Estes, state policy action manager at Siecus: Sex Ed for Social Change, notes that advocates increasingly settle for sex education that is "medically accurate and age-appropriate at the very least."
According to Siecus, sixteen U.S. states do not require sex education or HIV/STI instruction to be age-appropriate or medically accurate. Even in the few states where comprehensive sexuality education is mandated, funding often falls short. Three-fourths of all states currently receive a C, D, or F on the organization's U.S. sex ed report card.
Faith Communities Fill the Void
"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 emphasized. "Community-based programs, including faith-based ones, are having to step in to fill the gap."
Examples include Heart to Grow, a Muslim sex education and advocacy program, and Our Whole Lives, the program Pfrenger trained in, which was designed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ.
Both progressive faiths have long emphasized LGBTQ rights and reproductive justice. They collaborated in 1999 to create a curriculum that is medically accurate and developmentally appropriate.
"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," said Davis, the UUA program manager. "Both of our faiths – even though we sometimes use different language – center love."
Building Trust Through Careful Implementation
At the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Oxford, Pfrenger and other church leaders spent nearly a year building trust with parents and the community before offering any classes. In March 2025, after fundraising for the program, the congregation sent four members to training to learn how to facilitate the course.
"We could have hit the ground running in August. But we spent months talking to adults, having information sessions, having Zoom sessions, having personal conversations in the grocery aisle," Pfrenger recalled.
The church hosted a sampler class for adults in the fall, followed by an orientation for parents in early January, before starting its first program for children in grades 4-6. Plans include expanding offerings to grades 7-9 next year.
"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."
Countering Opposition and Stigma
Much of the state and national legislation working to restrict sex education across the U.S. has been authored or backed by other Christian groups. In a report titled Exposing Hate: The Truth About Attacks on Our Kids, Schools and Diversity, Siecus identifies a "regressive minority" organizing against inclusive programs in public schools.
These organizations aim "to eliminate all comprehensive sexuality education and instead label any conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity as pornographic," Estes explained.
Amy Johnson, minister for sexuality education and justice for the UCC, acknowledges that many Christian spaces have perpetuated shame and stigma around sexuality, particularly for LGBTQ people.
"Our Whole Lives is really about dismantling shame and stigma about bodies and relationships, and we know that shame and stigma can be fatal," Johnson stated. "If we're not doing this work in our faith communities, I feel like it's a sin of omission."
Parental Involvement as Core Principle
In recent years, opponents of sex education in schools have cited "parents' rights" to control what their children learn. The Our Whole Lives program actively supports this principle.
"We support parents as their children's primary sexuality educators," Davis affirmed. Parents are invited to attend program orientations, learn how to facilitate classes, and are encouraged to discuss the material with their children.
This community-driven approach in Oxford, Mississippi, represents a growing trend as faith communities nationwide step in to provide comprehensive sex education where schools have retreated from their responsibilities.
