Initiatives

Why does Jesus care so much about children and welcomes them in radical ways?

Foster children need healing. Exposure to drugs in the womb, neglect, violence, loss of parents, abuse, tragedy, abandonment, and trafficking can all lead to their current condition. Please look through these revealing statistics and open your heart to becoming part of the solution.

Here are some statistics:

  • Over 437,000 children and youth are in foster care.
  • 118,000 children and youth in America are waiting to be adopted.
  • Children in foster care wait 3-4 years or more to be adopted.
  • The average age of a foster child entering foster care is 7 to 8 years old.
  • 44% of foster children are White, 23% African American, 21% Hispanic.
  • 26% of children entering foster care are under the age of one.
  • 61% of children removed from their home due to abusive neglect.
  • 34% of children removed from their homes due to parental drug abuse.

What Does the Bible Say About Adoption?

God’s Word brings lots of encouragement with adoption.

God’s Word a is a source of strength when the adoption process is challenging, people make negative comments, or you have adopted a child and feel stretched beyond what you expected. God is a healer, restorer, redeemer, and the lifter of your head.

You can read these Bible verses alone or study and discuss them with a group of family and friends. Notice that God Himself adopts and His character is displayed through how he treats us and the plans He has for us. There are three major themes found in Scripture regarding adoption.

1) God loves, protects, and pursues orphans.

2) God adopts us into His family through Jesus.

3) God wants us to build relationships with and care for orphans.

How Can You Help?

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. – James 1:27

Your Availability

Your availability is often more important than your ability. Many people are unaware of what foster kids endure, others are indifferent, and some are procrastinating before they make a difference. Love includes sacrifice. The best opportunities in life can also be the most difficult endeavors. No one is saying that becoming involved in the life of a foster child will be easy or simple. Prayer for foster kids is important, but love also takes action. A small effort can make a big difference in the healing and transformation of a child.

Your Next Step

Here are five ways that you can be involved:

  • Provide Foster Care For A Child
  • Mentor A Child
  • Support A Foster Care Family
  • Care For A Child’s Biological Family
  • Adopt a Child

Resources

Find local resources and agencies on the map that can assist you and provide information about how you can participate. If you don’t want these private services, you can contact your state and explore options that way too.

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