Many people in our Church family have been counselors at Royal Family Kids Camp. Pray about signing up to be a camp counselor for Royal Family Kids Camp this year! Click the Royal Family Kids Camp logo to learn more!

Organic? I wouldn’t call it that. Planned? Perhaps, but not by me. I never dreamed of pastoring a church that was known for foster care.  My wife and I never aspired to become foster and adoptive parents ourselves. As a Church planter it was always my vision to follow Jesus and believe God for great things, beyond that it was God’s place to show me what He was doing so we could get involved. I have always believed that He is the Good Shepherd and it is our job to follow Him. What an honor it is that God has granted our church family the charge to be sentinels over the care of these forgotten and neglected children. “He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing” Deut 10:18. 

In 1980 a Chicago pastor felt impressed that if every Church found a family to foster and/or adopt one child, and the Church would come along side that family to support them, that the orphan crisis in their city would be answered. He and a group of pastors formed an organization to recruit these churches called One church One Child. A few years ago One Church One Child came to Idaho and what they discovered is that it is no different in our state, there are still hundreds of children, especially teens, waiting to be adopted and thousands in foster care needing placements. So too, If every congregation in our state would take up this cause to support one family to foster or adopt one child, we would easily meet the need.

In 2009, before we knew any of these statistics, before One Church One Child even came to our state, God used the Sund family to call our Church family to action to take care of these fatherless Children. To my knowledge our Church family currently has 7 foster kiddos in placement and numerous adopted kiddos. We have numerous foster families and folks who minister to foster kids at the Patriot Center as well as Royal Family Kids Camp.

It is true more foster families are needed, and I realize not everyone is called to be a foster parent, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take part.  I would encourage you to pray how you might be a support to foster families in our Church.  Here are some ways you might be able to help:

Prayer: We need everyone to pray for our foster parents, kiddos and their birth parents. Usually these are tough situations and the kiddos have complex needs. We need wisdom to address their needs and lead kiddos and birth parents to Jesus.

Baby Sitting: Foster parents get few breaks. If you are over the age of 18 please consider signing up to watch kiddos for foster parents one evening out of your month. It would be a blessing to see foster parents get a much needed night out. If you don’t have time to donate for baby sitting consider providing a date night or get away gift card.

Meals: Often placements come unexpectedly, and foster parents are scrambling to gather up the basics. Pray about being a part of our meals ministry to bring a meal to a foster parent during their first week of placement.

Supplies: the kiddos don’t come with much and often the foster parents have to run to the store to buy shoes, clothing, diapers, car seats, cribs etc. We are always looking for items such as extra children’s clothes (infant through 18 years old), back packs, cribs, high chairs, toiletries, blankets, pillows etc. We need help to put together back pack go-bags with essential supplies for kids of all ages. We are also looking for a place to store such items.

Mentoring: Foster kids sometimes need a friend, someone who can mentor them that isn’t a parent figure in their life.  Taking a foster kid out for ice cream, talking to them about Jesus, and just listening to them can go a long way. Sometimes mentors are needed for birth parents to help them work their case plan. financial, spiritual, recovery, and parenting are typical mentoring needs for parents trying to reunify their family.  

Would you like to help? Let us know by filling out the form below.