Witin minutes of meeting Stephanie Smith, it’s easy to see her passion for helping teens who are in danger of going down the wrong road in life. It was her own experience that led her to start a program called Grace on Fire, a ministry for teenage mothers and their children.

Smith, who has three daughters, started a Bible-study program at the church she attends last October. The ministry has now grown into a full-time job for her as she heads up the non-profit organization. Getting pregnant as a teenager is just one of the reasons she is so passionate about helping others avoid the pitfalls she has faced in life.

Giving young women a chance to turn their lives around and teaching them how to lean on spiritual beliefs is a mainstay of the program.

“Grace on Fire is centered on a healthy relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and Proverbs 31, Chapter 10, Verse 31, the principles of being a woman after God’s own heart. Grace on Fire is committed to breaking unhealthy cycles of abusive and single parent homes and government dependence,” said Smith.

She said in North Carolina there are 24,000 teenage pregnancies a year. She said of those 408 are teens between the ages of 10 and 14 years old.

“There are 1,000 churches in Surry County, but people just go to church and lock the doors and that’s it. I wish more people would get involved in what’s going on in their communities,” said Smith.

Smith said many of the teens are surrounded by bad influences. By introducing the teens to a Christian environment, she hopes to make a positive difference.

“We try to show them a better way than using drugs and alcohol. Turning to God is a better alternative. God fills in the gaps,” Smith said.

When school is in session, Smith works with troubled teens at Mount Airy High School. All of the work she does is funded through grants and donations. She said none of the grants are state or federally funded, because when the government gets involved, she said, she isn’t allowed to teach her religious beliefs.

The high school kids she works with struggle with learning disabilities, promiscuity and most of them have traumatic home lives.

Smith’s next big project is to find a home where the pregnant teens can find refuge and support throughout their pregnancies.

“Many times these girls are just bounced from home to home and don’t have anywhere to turn. One girl started getting sexually abused when she was just 10-years-old. So she has already learned to start wanting the attention of a man. We want to provide positive female role models for these young women, to teach them there is another way,” Smith said.

For troubled teens, Grace on Fire offers the following programs: Esteem building workshops, One-on-One Directional Coaching, Classroom Directional Coaching, Teen Pregnancy and Parenting classes, At-Risk Family Intervention, Teen Mom Classes “Nurturing Parent” Curriculum, GOALS Curriculum.

For people who volunteer to help with the program, Smith offers three programs: Recognizing Risk, Esteem Building, and Teen Parenting and how you can help.

While she has been able to use one of the church vans from Fellowship Baptist Church — her home church — she is looking for a van she can use exclusively for the program.

Smith is in need of donations and volunteers.

For more information about Grace on Fire, look up www.graceonfire.net or contact Stephanie Smith at stephanie@graceonfire.net.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.