Blessings like Boomerangs
Why Serving Foster Families is a Full Circle Ministry
by Jackson Elling
“Fostering is hard.” This straightforward sentiment is as true as it is simple, and it was true long before they received the call to pick up a newborn from the NICU, just weeks earlier. Andrew and his wife Bethany already had a full plate parenting four young boys. But this wasn't just any newborn.
With a care community from nearby Central Church in Sanford already in place and bringing weekly meals to the James, it allowed them to say "YES!" to foster the biological brother of their son, Eli, whom they had previously fostered and then adopted.
When Andrew's Archilles heel ruptured and was unable to walk, their workload went from heavy to unbearable. They were overwhelmed.
Yard work was understandably put on the back burner, and although their priorities were in order, it did not take long for the relentless Florida summer to take its toll. Their yard quickly grew out of control.
Where there is need, the Lord provides. The James family’s care community came together promptly for a special endeavor, and in a blinding three hour push, they had the yard neat, clean, and tidy for the grateful family. In a Facebook post thanking the volunteers, Bethany wrote, "Our care team makes it possible to do those hard things..."
These care communities provide essential support to families undergoing the difficult, yet crucial endeavor of loving kids from hard places. Care communities are the real deal- they change lives. Care communities comprise of individuals with true hearts of service.
For a case study in the boldness and faith that it takes to serve in a care community, look no further than the story of Hayden. When the need to serve the James family arose, fourteen year old Hayden not only committed himself to serving them alongside his family; he called upon his friends to aid in the project. Turning the yard clean up into a ministry opportunity, he invited several classmates and teammates to come alongside him to serve the James’ and demonstrate the love of Christ in action. Hayden said, “I liked seeing that all of my friends were willing to give and help the community.”
Hayden’s mother Erin also expressed that serving in the James family’s care community proved a powerful opportunity for them to “give back” and experience “the other side of foster care.” She quickly volunteered to serve the James’ because her own family had recently been on the receiving end of a care community; Hayden’s two younger sisters were in foster care before being adopted by his family.
The invitation to serve in the James’ care community provided an excellent opportunity for the girls, along with Hayden and his parents, to “close the loop'' in regard to their foster care story. They now had the chance to serve a new foster family, blessing the James’ in the ways that they themselves had been blessed. One of Hayden’s sisters, thirteen year old Taylor, said of her experience serving the James family, “It was really amazing to see how happy their faces were.”
Hayden and his family were further blessed by the loving connection they built with those whom they served; they were able to build relationships and even share a meal with the James family. Blessings like these abound when churches start Family Advocacy Ministries (FAMs). Crystal Phillips, who launched and currently leads Central Church’s FAM, Mission 3189, began her journey of service and leadership amidst her own doubts and uncertainties. She made her previous inexperience plain, saying, “I didn’t know what I was doing.” Despite her feelings, Crystal emphasized the comforting reality that the Lord is in charge here; He alone carries the burden. As Crystal experienced in serving and launching a FAM, said,
Despite the uncertainty and inexperience that surrounded the launch of Mission 3189 in the fall of 2021, this FAM has already blossomed into a powerful and effective catalyst for touching lives with the love of Christ. Jennifer Campos of Central Church, said,
She emphasized the life-giving effect that the new ministry has brought not only to those whom it serves but also to Central Church and the volunteers themselves. Ethan Crowder, Central’s lead pastor, also underscored how meaningful and galvanizing his church’s FAM has already been, saying,
The most impactful blessings are often the ones we least expect. This is what countless volunteers learn through serving in their church’s FAM. In many powerful ways, the servants become the served. When volunteers decide to serve in support of foster families, they rejoice over all of the ways that they will be able to bring help, hope, and restoration to families in need through tasks like providing meals, heading up yard work projects, and so many other redemptive services. However, what these volunteers do not always foresee is the restorative and enriching blessings that their work will bring upon themselves. Just like throwing a boomerang, these blessings do not land where you throw them; they come back around.
Care communities become like a second family to foster families. People and their homes are blessed. Parents are supported. Children are nurtured, and through it all, the Lord works, bringing new life to volunteers and foster families alike. As Crystal Phillips wisely said, “This ministry impacts lives. It enables them to do the real work that God has called us to do.”
The reality is, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). More hands are needed so that more lives can be changed. Prayerfully consider volunteering with or launching a Family Advocacy Ministry in your church.
