Celebrate Mother’s Day by Caring for the Most Vulnerable.
Join Us for Foster Care Awareness Sunday on May 10.
From the beginning, God designed the family as a foundational unit for raising, teaching, loving, nurturing, and ultimately leading their children to Christ. For at-risk children without this foundational unit, the church can and must stand in the gap for the least of these. Won’t you pray about how you can provide hope and change for these vulnerable children?
Pray
Become a prayer warrior for the 5,500 children in the Foster Care system in Virginia who need forever families. Pray that God will stir the hearts of SBCV church members to reach out and minister to His children in Foster Care.
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
—Psalm 10:14
2. Pray for foster families in your area and that the Lord will call out even more foster families from your church.
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
—Isaiah 1:17
3. Pray for your church to start a Family Advocacy Ministry. FAM is a step-by-step strategy that helps churches serve and advocate for vulnerable children and families and those called to foster and adopt.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
—Proverbs 31:8-9/p>
You can be involved in caring for others in foster care
In your community
- Become a family helper. This might include helping with yard work, bringing meals, running errands, or providing a date night.
- Become an interim caregiver. This role requires additional training and background checks, but can give much-needed assistance and care to foster care families.
- Be an encouragement to your local Social Services. See how your church can encourage and pray for them. This might include encouraging cards, an appreciation lunch, or simply a word of appreciation for the important work they are doing.
- Partner with your local Social Services on a specific project of their choosing. Ask how you can help meet their greatest needs.
Through the SBC of Virginia
- Contact the SBC of Virginia at missions@sbcv.org about starting a Family Advocacy Ministry (FAM) in your church. FAM is a great way to discover needs and make a huge impact on foster children
- Support Fostering Champions, a ministry serving teens who age out of the Foster Care system. Virginia has nearly double the national average of teens who reach 18 without being adopted. Of those who age out, less than 3% go on to earn a college degree, 70% of the women become pregnant before they turn 21, and 60% end up in the sex industry.
- Through the SBCV and Vision Virginia, your church can give to the James 1:27 Fund and provide support to Foster Care ministries throughout Virginia. You can see how one of the grants helped Fostering Champions, a ministry serving teens who aged out of the Foster Care system.
Staff Contacts
Brad Russell
Missions Strategist
Mona Hewitt
Administrative Assistant for Ministry Support
