Launch of the Baxter County Call
All are invited
East Side Baptist Church
Mountain Home, AR
Sunday, November 4th
3-5 pm
Who We Are
An exciting Foster Care Church Initiative has rapidly emerged as
churches are joining together with an unprecedented level of support from the
top levels of leadership of the Arkansas DHHS’ Division of Children and Family
Services. This Christian non-profit is named The CALL -- Children of
Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime -- because of God's call on the Church:
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to
look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27.
Why did we form? There is a desperate need for more foster,
adoptive and respite care homes for children in the Arkansas foster care
system.For instance, there are about 7,000 children in foster care in Arkansas
within a year, and there are only about 950 foster families available to care
for those children! Plus, there are over 500 children and
teens available for adoption through foster care in our state. Those
numbers alone are an indication that this situation is in crisis. We must find
more loving homes for these hurting children.
Our Mission
To educate, equip and encourage the Christian community to
provide a future and a hope for the children in foster care.
Our Vision
To have no waiting children in Arkansas foster care, but instead
to have waiting, Christian families ready to take them in!
This is truly a God-sized vision. God is moving as things
continue to fall into place quickly and barriers from the past have been
overcome. It is nothing short of miraculous!! It is obvious that He wants these
hurting children cared for…now. As Christian families responded to
"The CALL" in Pulaski County, this model is now being applied in
various counties statewide across Arkansas!
The CALL is unique because it provides the opportunity for
prospective foster, adoptive, and respite care parents to go through
state-approved training WITHIN a church setting. They will have an automatic
“support group” as they go through training with other Christians. Plus, The
CALL will walk them through every step in the process, easing the burden on
these prospective foster and adoptive parents. We have a church liaison within
the state agency who will help in making sure these homes are opened in a
timely manner. Then, once they have invited a child into their home, The
C.A.L.L. encourages support from their local church family.
Your prayers are greatly
needed for this initiative -- that God will move in the hearts of His people to
step out in faith and care for the hurting children in foster care. It is clear
from James 1:27 that He calls us, as His followers, to reach out to them in
love.
BE
PART OF THE SOLUTION
God does not
call every Christian to serve as a foster or adoptive parent, but He does call
each of us to care for the orphans in our community in some way. The CALL
encourages you to use your gifts and talents to serve children in the foster
care in our county.
·
Organize
a prayer vigil
·
Get
your church involved- hold an information meeting and/or have a steering
committee member speak of the need at your church
·
Volunteer
to conduct home studies
·
Support
your local CALL with a tax-deductible gift
Local
statistics: Around 35 children in foster care in Baxter County and we have only
FIVE foster families. That means around 86% of OUR kids are being sent out of
county to receive care! It is TIME for the church to step up and meet the needs
HE has called us to meet!
