How Care Communities Meet the Needs of Foster and Adoptive Families
National Adoption Day is November 20th in 2021, and as we near this season of thanks and celebration, we observe our adoption through Christ into the eternal family of God, while many families bring orphans into their homes for adoption or foster care.
The beautiful picture of adoption is easy to see on a screen, scrubbing the socials. It is a different picture when you live it out. Likely, you know of a family that has responded to the high need of families to serve vulnerable children with one of the greatest gifts they could give: a safe, loving home.
After 14 years of being foster parents, adopting 6 children and having 14 come through our home, we have noticed that there are more opportunities to support families that do say ‘yes’ to the call. Truth is, God will always be our supply and shepherd as he has promised since the dawn of creation. Sometimes that provision comes in the form of you.
Missio Dei Church Cincinnati is launching Care Communities to come around families in our church that have become foster and adoptive homes. Families that say ‘yes’ to this call face unique needs, some of which can be met by others. Most families that say yes, however, are terrible at asking for help! (I know we have been)
It was miraculous to us the first time someone showed up to our house after arranging time to take our 4 kids. Two families actually “paid us” to go out on dates while they watched our kids! You don’t have to do that (but you could.)
A Care Community is a team of 6-10 people who come around a family to help support them with meals, childcare, and general help around the house. Let’s not forget the most important commitment of every care community member; praying for the family they are partnered with.
Here’s a breakdown of the vision:
Meals: a team member would provide 1 meal every 4-6 weeks to the family. It’s surprising how much bandwidth this has saved us in the past, and allows a family one less thing to think about.
Childcare: working with the family, the team will provide help at home for date nights, time alone, appointments, etc for parents while also getting time to build positive adult relationships with the children, allowing them to sense what ‘community’ really means.
Housework: yes, the house will need cleaning and fixing. We have an average of 1 dent/week here, and stuff just breaks when you have kids. If meals and childcare aren’t your primary way of serving, but you can patch drywall, help with landscaping, paint a room or clean a toilet, this is another way our Care Communities will meet practical needs.
Finally, we believe that God uses our prayer to build strong community. Time invested in prayer creates community as well as affection for God and His heart of adoption as we set out to launch Care Communities.
We are starting small, with a single family that has needs, and then we will build after we find success there. If you’d like to join the work of being part of Care Communities, sign up HERE.
If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to us as well HERE.
It takes more than one family to care for the orphans in our city. We are proud to be part of a church that is committed to seeing orphans find homes, strong community and the hope of Jesus who welcomes them into the greatest family.
Submitted By: David & Sarah Chapdelaine