Foster care is something that many churches are aware of. But a lot of us simply aren't sure what practical steps our ministries can take to help.
On Episode 20 of the podcast, we were grateful to connect with Jami Kaeb, Director of The Forgotten Initiative, a faith-based organization that exists to help people support the foster care community through awareness, encouragement, and advocacy.
We loved having this conversation. Jami is a great leader and she has so much practical wisdom to share when it comes to supporting the foster care community. This conversation is one that dives into some mistakes churches make when they approach missional opportunities like this, practical ways to get involved, and some of Jami's heart for church leaders. It's absolutely worth the listen:
Here are some key takeaways from today's conversation:
- Foster care is complicated and it's important not to stand alone in supporting the foster care community. Jami shares some great wisdom in the podcast about understanding who all is part of the foster care community and getting connected to local agencies and organizations already involved so you know your support is actually filling a need.
- Foster care and other missional opportunities can't be emphasized just to ease our conscience. If God is convicting you about getting involved, there is no temporary fix to that. This is an incredible opportunity to fill needs in your community, but this needs to be woven into the fabric of who you are as a church.
- This conversation brings us back to fighting an insider focus in our church. A majority of churches struggle to welcome new people. We need to be intentional about supporting foster parents in our congregation, welcoming new children into our churches, and fighting the natural response to ignore people who are different than us.
Links to Resources Mentioned or Related
- The Forgotten Initiative
- Become a TFI Advocate
- 12 Days of Encouragement for Foster Parents
- 95Network Membership
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