After Sue and I graduated from college and got married, I landed a great job in the publishing industry. I thought my college days were over. Little did I know that God had other plans for our lives. Plans that involved more schooling to prepare us for our future. Our journey started with prayer, discussions, …
Foster Care
I hear it at least weekly— “If it weren’t for my church… ” This is the chorus of an ever-growing choir. What follows varies from a simple statement to tragic stories met with timely redemption. You might expect stories of individuals trusting in Jesus because a local church pointed them to Him. You’d be right. …
When I first began working in child welfare over 17 years ago, the Lord had not yet captivated my heart and radically changed my life. Because of this, I had an exceptionally critical eye for the Christians. Especially ones who were foster or adoptive families, and the Church. I saw the Church as an organization …
They blazed a pathway to connect prospective families with the child welfare agency.
Pure and undefiled religion, as defined by James 1:27, is to look after vulnerable children and widows while maintaining our gospel message. If our churches will embrace care for vulnerable children through US foster care, we must do more than supply new foster homes. We need churches committed to mentor broken families, children with special …
The trajectory of my life changed forever when my 18-year-old, unwed birth mother came to know Jesus Christ as her savior. She didn’t have the resources or family support to raise me. Knowing this, her pastor helped her make the loving choice to terminate her parental rights and put me into foster care. After a …
How To Start A Foster/Adoptive Family Ministry Equipping the Church for Lasting Impact in Child Welfare Eight of ten children were off to school, covering four campuses, three cities, and five grades. She stared with disbelief at the city official. It was mid-morning. The house was almost quiet except for the pair of three-year-olds in …
God is calling His church to enter this battle right now. Somewhere on your watch, there’s a child that needs you.
“Where does she live?” We ask this so we know which church to call to get the mom connected.
I can imagine how his day started. At eight years old, I suspect Noah woke up, fed his dog, and left for school. He walked solemnly to the bus stop, feeling a small ache with every step. He thought about the night before, his mom’s cries colliding with screams from his three-year-old sister. And Gary, …
When it comes to post-adoption support, churches are an often-overlooked solution. In these unique times of racial injustices and a global pandemic, families search for new ways to respond to the world. A research company, the Barna Group, shows that practicing Christians are more than twice as likely to adopt. Many adoptive parents identify their faith as …
Children and youth in foster care can move an average of seven times before the age of 18. Usually, they leave abruptly and with very few personal belongings. In some cases, there is no time to find a backpack or suitcase, so they collect their items and compile them into a trash bag. Imagine the …
Foster care is a silent epidemic that is overtaking so many lives. Over 440,000 children and youth have been removed from their homes and experienced immense trauma. Children being born into a survival situation. Youth who are susceptible to moving schools more than seven times before they graduate. I have wept for the souls of …
As Jacob handed his apartment keys over to me, I beamed. On this sunny May morning, Jacob was completing Olive Crest’s program for Transitional Age Youth, or former foster youth aging out of foster care. After spending four years studying and working after high school, he was ready to launch onto his own, having secured …
If you have had the opportunity to care for a child or children from foster care or adoption, you know the trauma they have experienced. It is difficult to look into the eyes of a child affected by trauma and not want to find help for the child. For seven years, A Home For Me …
We were sitting on the edge of our seats. Our hearts were beating a little faster by the minute. We exchanged nervous smiles. I had rehearsed what I was going to say…in the car, in the mirror, during my evening walks. Still, I had a checklist to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Finally, I …
Working in foster care is both rewarding and extremely challenging. It reaches out to the most vulnerable children. The children who have been disappointed by their birth parents. The ones who should care for them the most, helping them to know and believe that they are precious and valued! Foster Care establishes hope in a …
Not everyone can be a caseworker or a foster family, but everyone can do something. Growing up in a pastor’s home, I believed God had called me into full-time ministry. I went to Bible college, thinking my ministry would be as a pastor’s wife. (It was 1979, and there weren’t a lot of opportunities for …
I heard a slap, followed by an infant’s cry, as I approached the front door. The voice on the other side of the door said, “There. That’ll give you something to cry about, Chloe Renne”. The voice belonged to Stacey, a 20-year-old single mom. The child was 8-month-old Chloe. Chloe didn’t have a bed, …
Often, the experiences that bring children into foster care are frightening and traumatizing. They have never a experienced a love that never fails.
