Foster Care & Adoption

What would it look like if EVERY church committed to prayerfully raising up at least ONE family to bring at least ONE eligible child into their home through foster care or adoption, and provide a network of nurturing care for that family?

What if EVERY church committed to filling one of the many gaps in the child welfare system in their local community? Everyone in your church has a role to play. Watch how God takes simple acts of obedience and uses them to help transform the lives of vulnerable children in your community, while transforming members of your congregation and the culture of your church!

FOSTER CARE:

Thousands of children are removed from their families annually due to abuse and neglect. The primary goals of foster care are keeping children safe and reunification with the birth family, whenever possible. However, lack of resources, support and families in the foster care system often leads to compounding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and challenges that can last for generations.

THE GOOD NEWS? God is moving his people to transform foster care in every community across the U.S. and Canada.

Hephzibah62:4 is proud to partner with More Than Enough, a collaborative movement with the goal of 10% of churches in every U.S. county involved in foster care by 2025, to ensure there are More Than Enough loving homes for every child in foster care — including foster, kinship, adoptive and restored biological families — with church-based support for all four.

READY FOR A NEXT STEP?

• Check out this resource that our team created with 25 things you or your church can do to multiply the Hephzibah62:4 mission!
• Explore More Than Enough and sign up for e-mail updates.
• Like and follow the More Than Enough Facebook page for the latest resources, updates, and inspiration.
• Canadian Churches, connect with CareImpact, a trusted partner dedicated to equipping churches with tool and best practices to effectively journey with vulnerable children and their families in your Canadian context.

SEEKING DIRECTION FOR YOUR PERSONAL FOSTER CARE JOURNEY? Become a Great Foster Parent

ADOPTION:

In situations where parents have died, or when reunification or parenting by birth parents is not best or possible for a child, identifying a loving adoptive family is often the best choice.

ADOPTION EXPENSES: Most adoptions from foster care are free. Private domestic and international adoptions meet vital needs of orphans and vulnerable children, but the related expenses can make them cost-prohibitive. To help make these types of adoption affordable for Wesleyan families, we offer our Hephzibah62:4 Adoption Fund.

OUR RECOMMENDED FIRST STEP: Find direction for your personal adoption journey through Loving Shepherd Ministry’s Adoption Assessment.

ADOPTION-RELATED RESOURCES: Check out this incredible list of recommended resources from our friends at Lifesong, to be equipped in all stages of your adoption journey.

FAMILY GRANTS: Check out our Grant Opportunities page to find out some unique ways Hephizbah62:4 can help support Wesleyan families impacted by foster care, adoption and special needs.

HEPHZIBAH62:4 LOCAL CHURCH MINISTRY PARTNERS

Kentwood Community Church, Kentwood, MI

Families of Promise

Since 2004, Families of Promise has been dedicated to raising up and equipping believers to live out the biblical mandate to care for orphans and vulnerable children and bring them the hope of Jesus Christ. We provide education and resources to match your passion with the needs of children in our community and beyond, and offer support through all stages of the process.

• Website: Families of Promise
• Contact: Jodi Lewis

Glenwood Wesleyan Church, Glenwood, SC

Care Connection

Glenwood Wesleyan Church in Easley, SC recently established Care Connection, a ministry to kinship families. This ministry is housed in the church parsonage and coordinates with the local Department of Social Services to identify families in need. Kinship families in SC do not receive government assistance, as licensed foster families do. These families are invited to visit the Care Cottage and select brand new clothing, once a season. God has provided miraculously for this small church’s ministry! As they identified this gap in services and began plans to start a ministry, they had concerns about finding partners to help with the initial supply of clothing and sustaining the ministry. God met their concerns by blessing them with access to a clothing donation from Walmart worth $700,000! These efforts have given their aging congregation new purpose and increased unity, as they fulfill their calling to serve the vulnerable in their community. 

• Contact: Joy Haithcock

FEATURED RESOURCES