May is National Foster Care Month

Public Invited to Learn About Christian Foster Care Ministry at Two Cobb Churches

(Alpharetta, GA – April 29, 2013) – May is National Foster Care Month, and churches throughout metro Atlanta are offering information sessions and workshops for those interested in serving children from challenging homes. In Cobb County, two churches are partnering with FaithBridge Foster Care to offer a foster family and volunteer program.

Burnt Hickory Baptist Church in Powder Springs and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta are working with FaithBridge to offer foster care orientation sessions in mid-May for families seeking to offer children stable, Christian homes.

At Mt Bethel UMC, Encounter FaithBridge will be held on Wednesday, May 15 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm for families considering opening their homes and becoming foster parents.

Encounter FaithBridge, FaithBridge’s introduction to Christian foster care, will be offered at Burnt Hickory on May 19 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The public is invited to attend both events.

Among the Cobb County residents who have become foster parents through a faith-based program are Patrick and Deanna Stewart of Kennesaw. They were foster parents to two young boys. Gabriel, 7, and Brody, 2 are now permanent members of their family, although eight in 10 foster children return to their family of origin.

The number of foster children far outweighs the number of homes available to care for them. In the state of Georgia, there are more than 7,000 children in foster care, and as of last fall, there were 304 foster care children in Cobb County alone. Through a local church, believers and the local community can make a difference in the lives of Cobb County’s foster children.

Encounter FaithBridge is an introduction to Christian foster care ministry and is also part of the state requirement to be a foster or respite parent. Support team volunteers should also attend Encounter FaithBridge to learn how they can serve foster children by assisting with meals, materials goods and services, transportation, childcare and more.

Burnt Hickory is located at 5145 Due West Road, Powder Springs, GA, 30137. Mt. Bethel UMC is located at 4385 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA, 30068.

For those interested in becoming certified as foster parents and respite parents, there will be a weekend FaithBridge Foundations training located at Burnt Hickory the last weekend in May. FaithBridge Foundations training is an intensive, multi-day event designed to prepare prospective foster parents for the physical, emotional and spiritual demands of foster care. Training will be held Friday, May 31, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm; Saturday, June 1, 8:00 am - 7:00 pm; and Sunday, June 2, 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm. For more information or to register for these events, please visit www.burnthickory.com or www.faithbridgefostercare.org/news-and-events/events.aspx.

 “National Foster Care Month is an important time to put the focus on so many children who need loving, Christian homes,” said Bill Hancock, founder and CEO of FaithBridge Foster Care. “We believe churches can respond to the needs of the community and help meet the foster care challenge in our state.”

The ministries at Burnt Hickory and Mt. Bethel UMC are in partnership with FaithBridge Foster Care, a Christ-centered, tax-exempt organization intent on changing U.S. foster care. FaithBridge’s strategy is to mobilize, organize and equip local churches and communities to solve the country’s foster care crisis. For more information on FaithBridge, please call 678.690.7100 or visit www.faithbridgefostercare.org. 

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