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Imagine a foster care system where no kids have to wait for a home. This South Carolina church is one example how church and state can work together to make it happen. Nothing brings men together like red meat. Learn how this creative strategy can get the adoptive dads in your church talking about the things most important to them. Moms need a break. See how one church has designed a casual monthly get-together for adoptive, foster (current or prospective) moms to be together and talk about issues important to them. Nobody likes to wait. One of the hardest parts of the adoption process itself is waiting for the arrival of your child. See how this church helps prospective parents come together for mentoring, support and prayer with others who are waiting alongside them. Adoptive moms and children who have been adopted need to know that they are not alone. This church has found a way to bring both groups together in a way that’s fun for the kids and supportive for the moms. Adoption/Foster Care Bulletin Board How can people know about the opportunities and needs of the foster and adoptive families if you don’t tell them? This Michigan church uses a simple tool to raise awareness of all things foster- and adoption-related to its members. There is no time like Christmas to engage your entire church in a strategy that helps kids in foster care know that someone is thinking of them. Disposable Cameras for Foster Children Find out how this Iowa church blesses children in foster care in such a way that allows them to explore their creative sides while preserving memories as they move through the system. Children are detained from their parents and taken to foster homes at all hours of the day, most often without warning. This California church has created a way for foster parents to get the supplies and furnishings they need on short notice, so the children will be provided for the moment they step into their new homes. How do you show older foster youth that there is hope for them after they age out? How do you show them they are worthy of love…from others, and from God? This church gets back to the basics…they visit them in their distress. Children in foster care too often miss out on much of the fun that other kids experience. This church in California found a way to love on some kids while teaching them a little more about music. Imagine being a small child and you’ve just been taken from your parents to a small office where strangers are on the phone looking for a place for you to sleep. This church found a small way to bring some comfort to kids as they wait for their first foster placement. What do blue ribbons hanging from trees have to do with children in foster care? Learn how a small ribbon can be used to help church members remember your city’s foster children in prayer throughout the year. Many children in the foster care system believe the world has forgotten them in their times of greatest need. Praying for the children and the adults involved in their lives is a great first step in engaging churches to remember our nation’s most vulnerable children. It’s easy to become numbed by statistics about children in foster care who are waiting for adoptive homes. Showing the children’s faces and telling their stories brings the numbers to life, helping open eyes and hearts to the possibility of adoption. Who better to help a foster or adoptive family deal with the frustrations and issues that come up than another foster or adoptive family? See how this church in Missouri has created a safe environment for these families (as well as waiting families) to nurture and bless one another. Foster Parent Support Meetings A little hospitality goes a long way. Find out how your church can bless a local foster agency by simply opening its doors a few times a year to host meetings for foster parents and workers. Foster/Adoptive Parent/Social Worker Appreciation Luncheon One of the biggest problems facing social workers and foster parents is burnout. This California church decided to extend a little hospitality to show them they are loved and valued. It’s easy for a child in foster care to forget their roots, especially when they never have time to grow and be nourished. Learn how your church can help these children record memories and important events in their lives before they are lost forever. Foster children often visit their birthparents in government offices with social workers scrutinizing every move the parents make. This church created a friendly environment where birthparents can visit their children while being monitored and mentored by church volunteers. The last thing many kids in foster care believe about themselves is that they are special to anyone. This Massachusetts church shows these kids that they are important by providing some of the things they will need as they move into a new home, as well as some extras that they will enjoy.
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