Dream Big Mattress Drive

"Each November, thousands of events will echo across America and around the globe, all sharing a single goal: that God’s great love for the orphan will find echo in our lives as well. Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan." - orphansunday.org - An Initiative of the Christian Alliance for Orphans

Please join WEPC orphan care ministry, Love on a Mission, on Orphan Sunday (Nov.2), by thanking God for your family and praying that God will bring hope to the children waiting for families.

There are close to 5300 children in Virginia's Foster Care System. Beginning Nov 2 through Nov 23rd, money will be collected for the "Dream Big" mattress drive for United Methodist Family Services. UMFS provides many services to children in the local foster care system including a therapeutic transition home for children here in Richmond. Donations can be made to WEPC, please include “mattresses’ in the memo. 

Twin sheet sets and waterproof mattress covers would also be appreciated. A collection table will be set up in the gallery through Nov. 23. 

There will be a representative from UMFS in the gallery at WEPC on Nov 2 to answer any questions folks might have about foster care training or respite care training. More information can be found on their website umfs.org

New Foster Care Resource from Hope for Orphans!

Safe Harbor:

A Christian's Guide to Foster Care

Safe Harbor Guide

OR

sign up here for Hope for Orphans updates and Safe Harbor guide download:
Hope for Orphans
 

New RVA Group for Adoptive Moms (or Moms to be) and Foster Moms

Calling all women whose families have grown through adoption (or going to!) and/or involved in foster care! Regardless of where you call your church ‘home’, we welcome you! 

The purpose of this group is to encourage women to fellowship together, be reminded of the gospel and love of Christ, and share some tangible ways to love our families and children in light of our unique family stories. 

We will have an initial kick off time on September 22 at 9am at West End Presbyterian Church (WEPC)*, rm 35 basement level.
Going forward, mark your calendars for every 3rd Sunday of the month (again 9am at WEPC).

We will be using the Created to Connect: A Christian’s Guide to the Connect Child. You may purchase the guide online, place your order at our kickoff or download a free pdf at: http://empoweredtoconnect.org/guide .

Excited for this opportunity and hope you will be too! Invite your friends and join us!

Questions/Comments, please email Cindy at 1blessedfam@gmail.com
*feel free to use the nurseries and Sunday school available at the same time

Local Foster Care Programs

We wanted to provide a place to see many of the upcoming training opportunities in RVA to reach out to children who need the love of Jesus and  someone who cares about them! By no means is this a comprehensive list, but includes where we have contacts and experience. Each meets a unique need in the community so note their area of focus. There are some wonderful folks in these organizations advocating for kids and need folks to come alongside them!

The basic requirements for becoming a foster parent are as follows:

• Be 21 years of age and older, single or married

• Be financially self-sustaining 

• Participate in a home study 

• Have adequate space for sleeping and indoor activities 

• Attend specialized training for dealing with abused or neglected children 

• Agree to background checks for criminal history and child abuse and neglect
• Obtain a tuberculosis test (TB)
• Permit home fire and health inspections
• Have pets vaccinated annually

Adoptive families go through chosen adoption agency for home study and adoption process.

Henrico County Social Services
Sharon Wilkerson-Gilpin, B.S.Foster Care & Adoptions Assistant
8600 Dixon Powers DR Henrico, VA 23273(804) 501-5518
wil29@co.henrico.va.us

Offer PRIDE training to be eligible for Fostering with ability to proceed to foster to adopt.

We have a great need for prospective foster parents willing to parent tweens and teens.

Henrico County's CASA program
CASA volunteers are Court-Appointed Special Advocates, trained communityvolunteers appointed by a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge to advocate in court for children who are abused, neglected and otherwise in need of services. CASA volunteers offer children encouragement, stability, and hope during a complex and critical time in their lives.

UMFS - United Methodist Family Services
3900 West Broad Street
Anyone interested in learning more about Treatment Foster Care can contact:Tammy Franges, Resource Parent Liaison
(804) 353-4461 ext. 1310
tfranges@umfs.org

Adoption and foster care agency that offers PRIDE training; Will conduct a MA (mutual assessment) where families can ask ?s and determine if this is a good fit.
*need is for preteen and older teen families

Upcoming Richmond Training:

Sat. 10/27           9am-5 pm

Sat. 11/3             9am-5 pm

Tues. 11/6           6 pm- 9pm

Sat. 12/8             9am-5pm
Sat. 12/15           9am-5 pm

Tues. 12/18        6pm-9pm

Chester Training:
Sat. 11/3             9am-5pm
Sat. 11/10           9am-5pm
Tues. 11/13        6pm-9pm

Lutheran Family Services

Katie Sitterson, Adoption Worker(804) 288-0122
Email: ksitterson@lfsva.org

Offers adoption and treatment foster care services
*need families for children 10 years and older

CHSVA - Children!s Home Society of VA
Laura Ash-Brackley
4200 Fitzhugh Ave, Richmond, VA 23230-3829
(804) 353-0191

Adoption agency focused on adoption of children from foster care*need families for adoption of older children

CHS typically schedules training 6 sessions in a row. Families are invited to participate in training and we scheduled trainings in the fall and spring depending on the need. When families complete our training/home study they are eligible for foster to adopt. If families want to provide foster care they need to participate in DSS's training.

BAIR foundation
Kara Brooks
(804) 288-8210

Christian Foster Care

Classes are offered free of charge and there is no obligation to become certified if you attend the courses. Both parents are required to attend all classes to become certified with Bair, however classes do not have to be taken in order. Please have people call the office at 804-288-8210 or email kbrooks@bair.org with questions about the classes or to RSVP.

Rally Recording

If you'd like to watch the Rally we attended go here. You'll be blessed!

Foster Care Month

This Weekend!!

Team Unity

"If we would all just come together
And let the Lord lead our way
There is nothing that we can't do
There is nothing we can't face
We've got to come together
'Cause in the end we can make it - alright"
lyrics from Come Together by Third Day

There is nothing quite like putting on a team uniform. I played field hockey in high school. On game days we would wear our uniforms the entire school day. We thought we were hot stuff. It was an incredible feeling belonging to a team.
I am reminded of those days each time one of my sons stirs me from my Saturday morning slumber fully dressed in his uniform for a game that won't happen for several more hours.
There is excitement in getting suited up for the team.
Our Missional Community Group (MCG) has matching t-shirts. We ordered them for Orphan Sunday last year.


I know it's not actually a uniform, but I very much feel like part of a team when I wear it. To be on a team for orphan care is pretty amazing. Sure it's daunting ALL the TIME. But it's exciting too.

On May 5th, we will be suiting up and attending the Change Who Waits Foster Care rally. This is an extremely exciting opportunity in which over 20 churches are gathering together.
"The purpose of these rallies is for Christians to come together to be inspired and informed about the great need and opportunity for foster care/adoption in the Commonwealth. The rallies will feature some teaching and a lot of stories and testimonies from foster parents and from kids who have grown up in the foster care system.
At the end of the rallies, everyone will get an opportunity to connect with local foster care agencies to start the process of becoming a foster parent." from www.changewhowaits.com

One of our group members, Rene, will be on stage sharing testimony as a foster and adoptive parent. Some of us will be manning a table in hopes of helping other churches start orphan care ministries.
It may not seem like much to stand together with our matching t-shirts, but we are excited to see God at work. We are excited for the opportunity to advocate for the fatherless and hopefully learn how we can join forces with other church congregations in our area.

Join us in praying BIG prayers.

• Pray that followers of Jesus would see and know how to practically care for the widow and the orphan.
• Pray the children featured with Heart Gallery photos would be adopted.
• Pray for those who work in the Foster Care system and for currant foster families
• Pray God would give courage to couples who have been considering foster care or adoption.
• Pray God would bless those who have worked so very hard to make the rally possible.  

Please consider joining us. We will be meeting in the foyer at 9:45 of Grove Avenue Baptist Church. Look for the shirts ;)


Written by Ali Fogarty, group member