When God’s people respond to His command to care for vulnerable children, our churches will become faith families to parents, children, and siblings who are navigating the journeys of fostering and adoption.
Children who have experienced neglect, abuse, and trauma often require a unique mindset when dealing with behavioral challenges and even in everyday interactions. Families who are involved with fostering and adoption also need to be treated with sensitivity.
Thoughtfulness in typical activities, such as making a Mother’s Day card, can open up an entirely new, supportive, and refreshing atmosphere for these families to grow in the Lord in ways that are helpful and appropriate for their situations.
At Lifeline, it is our desire to come alongside the local church and equip them with the knowledge to serve their foster and adoptive families well. Therefore, we have been working to develop resources for churches that will help them understand how to make adjustments in traditional church programs and settings, as well as the language they use, to provide families with practical support.
We have developed a free curriculum called Equipped to Love that not only answers the Why? but also the How? of supporting families in. Topics in this training include: caring for families, interacting appropriately with children with compromised beginnings of life, demonstrating sensitivity for adoptive and foster parents, understanding the unique needs of children from hard places, exhibiting language sensitive, and managing challenging behavior.