The St. Mary Parish ministry team believes that by lifting up the families who are already involved, others will be inspired to follow suit. So their approach was to highlight an adoptive parish family in the weekly bulletin and ask other foster parents to address the congregation.
The weekly bulletin reaches approximately 1,500 people and is their church’s primary communication vehicle. This activity generated interest from both prospective foster parents and raised volunteers for current foster families. St. Mary’s will work closely with Help One Child to support the county’s child specific recruiting efforts in their area.
The Ambassador Program has created more contacts that can bridge the Spanish and English-speaking communities and help fill the need for more Spanish-speaking foster homes in South County.

WestGate Church’s Children’s Ministry Pastor Joel King and his wife Lyn, who have adopted all four of their children from foster care, exemplify the level of commitment that many WestGate families have already demonstrated.
From adoptive parents to potential foster parents to people who professionally work on behalf of children such as a Home Economics teacher, neonatal nurse, and an attorney with the DA’s office, people came out of the woodwork to form a diverse team of support at the church.
Another exciting aspect of the ministry is the proximity to the S.T.A.R. group home, where teens in foster care are in need of mentors. Two young women stepped forward right away to fill those roles. The connection to S.T.A.R. will provide service opportunities in the future for church members.

Foster parents Don and Robyn Dequine--with a mission to care for infants in foster care--have been at the forefront of foster care ministry at SVCC for the last four and half years. Longtime Help One Child employee and foster parent, Mary Johnson, has also advocated to raise awareness of the needs of foster children. Thus, the May 17th Ambassador Program launch at SVCC was the culmination of a dream and the formalization of a foster care ministry in partnership with Help One Child.
The Dequines’ example has raised up many other foster families and the church has even hosted the county’s PRIDE trainings for pre-licensed foster parents. With Help One Child matching the new volunteers to assist families, the ministry is poised to grow and take off like it always has--through word of mouth, which so far has motivated five new families to foster parent with more to follow.

Having adopted and raised a son out of foster care, Paul and Joanne Jelle know the challenges. “When our family decided to adopt our son, Carl, we had three things that kept us going,” Joanne says. “We believed in God’s sovereignty, goodness and provision. We had a Christian therapist who specialized in children with attachment issues, and we had a Christian community that supported us with prayer and with practical care.”
After losing their adopted son Carl at age 20 in a vehicle accident, the Jelles are finding healing in God’s leading them to build a stronger community around foster and adoptive families. Their Sacramento area church, Valley Springs Presbyterian in Roseville, has stepped forward to become a Help One Child Ambassador Church. The Jelles are calling the church’s foster care ministry “Heart To Heart,” and hope it will encourage more families to open their hearts to foster children.

Heart To Heart

Contact:
Paul and Joanne Jelle

The Heart To Heart ministry offers a Parent Child Connection meeting facilitating by Carla Derose, a licensed therapist and adoptive mother.

For the last 20 years, foster parents Dan and Judi Van Elderen have cared for infants and toddlers and planted seeds. During the March 18th PBC Sunday School hour on “equipping for ministry,” Dan and Judi met with 25 other interested adults to discuss the orphan’s plight as highlighted in Scripture.
Of the 25 adults who attended the first meeting, there were families who have adopted internationally, those interested in adoption through foster care, those interested in more information on different types of adoption and others who feel called to be a circle of support.
The cross-section of interests and the seasoned families such as the Van Elderens who have fostered 44 children and the Anackers who adopted a sibling set of five from Russia, create a wealth of knowledge and experience to guide families who are beginning the process.

Seeds of Hope

Contact:
Dan and Judi Van Elderen

• Program Overview and Objectives
  
• How to Launching the Ministry
  
• Ministry Team Management – Roles, Meeting Notes, and Team Roster
  
• Ongoing Ministry Promotion, Activities and Building the Ministry Calendar
  
• Program Reference Materials (Sample Documents, etc.)
  
• Resources and Recommended Reading
  
• Help One Child Corporate Resources
  
• Statistics and Info on the Foster Care System, Foster Family Agencies and the DFCS