By Sammy Robben
Sports Editor

There are hundreds of high school girls packed into a living room, listening, absorbing and growing together. Seven years ago when Sharon Mankin started the program as a middle school Bible Study, she never dreamed Coffee Talk would impact so many lives.

Mankin first started Coffee Talk as a Bible Study for young girls and their moms when her daughter, Oklahoma State University sophomore Emily Mankin, was in middle school. After the Bible Study had been happening for two years and Emily was in eighth grade, Ms. Mankin wanted to find a way to continue to the mentoring program into high school, as well as find a way to reach other girls.

“We knew that there was a really big need for [Coffee Talk] in the community because at about eighth grade girls are finding out that they are rubbing up against all kinds of things that conflict with what they thought was true in the world,” Ms. Mankin said. “The decisions they are making get more difficult, and high school is tumultuous, and in order to stand strong we felt like they needed to build a group together that would study God’s word, and that would help them make better decisions in life.”

Sharon looked to Young Life director Christian Hemberger for help in building the program and was brought into contact with current Coffee Talk director Amy Weber.

“After we had been going on for about two years, our girls were getting older and we really felt like they needed to move out from under their moms and find some young adult women mentors,” Ms. Mankin said. “We called these mentors a third voice, another voice in their life that was helping them understand and reflect on the same idea and vision we had as moms.”

Coffee Talk consists of three different groups that meet together once a month, and individually throughout the month. There are freshmen and sophomores who make up the small groups, juniors and seniors that serve as leaders for their group and moms that serves as mentors for the juniors and seniors. The program is meant to help girls of every age grow in their relationship with God, and create lasting relationships to help through their years in high school.

“Coffee Talk is a group of high school girls that can come and just grow together and talk about girl things,” Weber said. “It is all girls so everything is specific to being a girls and being a Godly girl, and living a life like Jesus wants us too.”

For Coppell High School junior Lexie Davidson, Coffee Talk helps her get through some of the most difficult times in her life. Davidson attended Coffee Talk throughout her freshmen and sophomore year before continuing on to become a leader this year. Constantly stressed and overwhelmed with the many activities in her life, Coffee Talk helped rearrange the priorities in her life.

“One time I was having a really bad day because I was stressed out and completely overwhelmed,” Davison said. “I considered not going to Coffee Talk to give myself more time, but once I went it helped me overcome my stress and made me realize that there is so much more to life than school and grades. It has helped me regain sight of what is truly important.”

Davidson credits some of the most important and influential relationships in her life to Coffee Talk.

“Coffee Talk helps me connect to people I do not get to see everyday and form friendships with people I may have never met,” Davidson said. “I have learned that I am not the only one going through certain things. These girls understand what I am going through and will always be there for me.”

The Beginnings of Coffeetalk from Coppell Student Media on Vimeo.