Resources For Churches
God has given a clear command to all Christians to take care of His orphan children—“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans…in their distress” (James 1.27). Worldwide there are more than 140 million orphans, and this population of children is steadily growing. Today, in the United States of America, there are more than 420,000 children in foster care, and many are adoptable—waiting for a forever home. With the command being clear and the need being apparent, there is an exciting new movement in churches across America to establish orphan care ministries.
If you are interested in establishing an orphan care ministry in your church, we would like to help.
Texas Support Network
Embrace's statewide effort to raise up local churches to provide encouragement and support to foster/adoptive parents through comprehensive training and accountability for support groups and respite programs. Texas Support Network (TSN) brings together local resources from across the state into one central, accessible website. www.TexasSupportNetwork.org will be live in September 2011. If you currently lead a support group or other resource for foster and adoptive families, you can partner with TSN to promote your work online and connect with families in your area.
If you are outside of the state of Texas and interested in developing an orphan care ministry at your local church, please contact our Director of Outreach, Bruce Kendrick.
Preschool, Children's and Student Ministry Training
As churches become more aware of the orphan care crisis, and families begin to open their homes to foster care and adoption, church ministries must prepare for their unique circumstances. Embrace offers training workshops for preschools, children's and student ministries in order to educate staff, workers and volunteers in a variety of areas. Workshops currently offered are:
Caring for Neglected and Abused Children - an introductory overview to understanding the foster care system, etiquette for respecting children's privacy, psychological issues and behavioral expectations and responses in organized settings.
Psychological and Developmental Issues in Children - an in depth examination of brain development as the foundation for language, behavior and expectations in a preschool or ministry setting.
Complex Trauma and the Developing Child - a detailed presentation on the impact of drugs, stress, institutionalization, neglect and abuse on children in foster care or adoptive homes and how that impacts our ministry to them.
Please contact our Development Coordinator, Kate Watson, to get more information or schedule training.
Downloadable Resources
Below are studies, guides, tools and video links your church can use to build a culture of adoption into your community. We hope they are beneficial to your church staff and core leadership in caring for these children and their families.
Download We Were Orphans Bible Study (Leader Guide)
Download We Were Orphans Participant Guide
Download Your Church Can Support Foster & Adoptive Families
Download Your Church Can Host a Respite Night for Foster & Adoptive Families
