May is Foster Care Awareness Month. Pastor Arnold Culbreath, author of Pro-Life 101 for Pastors, wrote the following on foster care and adoption options as alternatives to abortion. Culbreath is a pastor at Peoples Church in Cincinnati, Ohio and also serves as Director of Ministry Engagement with the Douglass Leadership Institute.
FOSTER CARE & ADOPTION
It would not make sense for me to write an article condemning abortion without also highlighting the beauty of foster care, or the option of adoption.
Did you know May is National Foster Care Awareness month?
“To the fatherless He is a father.
To the widow He is a champion friend.
To the lonely He gives a family.
To the prisoners He leads into prosperity until they sing for joy.
This is our Holy God in His Holy Place!”
(Psalm 68:5-6)
FOSTER CARE NETWORKS
I serve as a Pastor at Peoples Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Peoples Church is a racially reconciling, generationally rich, life-giving Assemblies of God church thriving in the heart of the city. The Assemblies of God (AG) is intentional about influencing the culture and lifting the lives of the people around us. This includes reaching the children in the foster care system through the AG Foster Care Network.
THE FATHER’S HEART FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE
Father’s Heart is a statewide AG Foster Care initiative that equips churches to care for vulnerable children and families. What if the Church could help empty the foster care system in Ohio, or in your state? According to the Father’s Heart website, “if each church could raise up one foster family, we would be able to take all children in the foster system and place them in the care of a loving home.”
What a powerful and practical way to make a life-changing impact on a child. Perhaps The Father is calling you to consider this meaningful option. If so, a representative at Father’s Heart, or the AG Foster Care Network would be happy to help.
COALITION OF CARE
Coalition of Care is another foster care-related resource. COC is a nonprofit Christian bridge ministry, also working to mobilize a coalition of churches to care for vulnerable children and the families who welcome them.
WAIT NO MORE
The Wait No More® program from Focus on the Family prepares hearts and homes for kids in foster care—whether for a season, or a lifetime. The goal of Wait No More is to inspire families to become involved in the lives of waiting kids. The nationwide Wait No More events give families a positive place to start on this journey, offering education, spiritual encouragement and alleviating many of their fears and misperceptions.
ADOPTION IS ALSO A WONDERFUL OPTION
Adoption is changing the lives of countless children worldwide. But don’t take my word for it. Check out the testimony of Bob Bruder-Mattson who initially entered foster care, but eventually found his forever family through adoption. In addition to the Five Phases of Fostering, you’ll receive a host of additional practical action items, too. Although many people choose to do nothing, everyone can do something! Perhaps a child placed in a foster family in your city could find their forever family through adoption. Maybe your church can help!
