No one can walk this journey of foster care alone. They shouldn’t have to either. However, the natural trajectory for foster parents is to at some point find themselves feeling alone and isolated in their unique experiences. They wonder if anyone else around them can fully relate to what they’re walking through and support them in meaningful, understanding ways. Your church has a powerful opportunity to mitigate those feelings of isolation by creating opportunities for foster families to be reminded that they’re not alone by connecting them into meaningful relationships with other foster families. So, why is relational support so crucial for families who are opening their homes to children? How do we as church leaders ensure that foster families never feel alone on their journey? What structures can we put in place to connect them with others who have shared experiences? Are there opportunities to collaborate with other churches, organizations and agencies in our community to expand the opportunity for foster parents to find the relational support they ended? Questions like these, among others, are important ones for us as church leaders to consider as we take steps towards becoming more actively engaged in foster care.
In episode 5 of The Fostering Church Podcast, the Jasons talk with Carly Souza, a foster and adoptive mom and the Director of Fostering Hope at Hope Church in Las Vegas. Carly and her team consistently serve hundreds of foster parents around the city by offering opportunities for them to be together, encourage one another and find the support they need to thrive on their journeys.
Carly beautifully articulates the importance of the relational support pillar in any church-based foster care ministry and provides very practical insights on how to implement similar structures in your own ministry context. After listening to Carly you will walk away feeling encouraged and challenged to take your next best steps towards relationally supporting families in your church and around your community.
Key Quote
“Sometimes we can overcomplicate some things in terms of building out systems and strategies of ministry, but also sometimes it can just be as simple as creating a space for people to be together and know that they are not alone.”
Resources and Guests
Carly worked in management and new hire training at a Fortune 100 company for seven years before embarking on the exciting adventure of being a stay at home mom. A few years ago God called Carly back into the workforce and she is currently the Director of Fostering Hope at Hope Church in Las Vegas.
Carly is very active in her community and is passionate about recruiting and supporting foster/adoptive families in Las Vegas. She loves to vacation with her family and enjoys going to new places and experiencing different cultures while seeing as much of the world as possible. Carly lives every day of her life in anticipation of meeting her Heavenly Father and hearing those sweet words, “Well done”.
In 2008, alongside a core team of people in the North Houston area, Jason had the privilege of planting and leading a church with the Acts29 Network through which we founded a non-profit committed to serving, supporting and equipping foster and adoptive families in the city of Houston. In 2013, combined with 14 years of church-based ministry and leadership experience and his family’s foster and adoptive journey, Jason began working for an organization helping church leaders implement structures and strategies of ministry within their churches and developing resources to encourage and support foster and adoptive parents along their journeys. This ultimately led him to his current role as the Director of Church Ministry Initiatives with Christian Alliance for Orphans.
