teachinglikejesus

Orphan Care Ministry

This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God
and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress,
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
(James 1:27)

The word, "visit," means "to help"...

Teaching Like Jesus Ministries, Inc. is launching an orphan care outreach to address the needs of the 500,000 children being raised in foster care in the United States. Many of these children are waiting for adoptive parents to provide them with a "forever family".

This past June, I presented a paper at the Society for Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, the 3rd Trieennial Conference that examines how to effectively nurture children's spiritual growth. Researchers and practitioners enjoyed workshops, presentations, and ministry models at Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois.

The statistics I uncovered for my paper, "Orphans Among Us: Evaluating the Ministry Needs of Children in Foster Care in Los Angeles" were startling! Here are just a few:

50% of youth become homeless within 18 months of leaving the system;
Only 3% earn of foster children earn college degrees;
70% of all prisoners are from the foster care system

When the board of Teaching Like Jesus Ministries convened in September, we felt God leading us to join Him where He is doing the work (a paraphrase of Henry Blackaby's quote). We are committed to doing what we can to find Christian homes for every child in the United States who is in need of an adoptive family. Stay tuned...[For more information, visit www.childspirituality.org and click on the conference link.]