Each year, there are around 31,000 children in conservatorship in Texas. That is 31,000 children separated from their families, with 40% of those children separated from their siblings as well. Of those 31,000 children, only 40% are reunified with their parents. These statistics are incredibly heartbreaking. For many, these are just statistics, and other than a glance and passing sympathy, they are forgotten. But for each and every one of these children, this is a real, tangible pain they are living. Children and families who are made in God’s image deserve the chance to heal and be made whole. God did not design for families to be separated. God’s original intent was for families to be together and commune with Him. There are many reasons why children come into care. However, families deserve the chance to work services and have support in order to regain custody of their children. Children deserve to be cared for by loving foster parents while they are waiting for their parents to get the help they need so they can be reunited and be better than before.
The church has a unique opportunity to step into a broken system and be Jesus to people who are suffering. The church can work on the preventative side and support local families who are struggling. Churches can work with family-based safety services to help provide tangible needs to families that are struggling. They can have members build relationships with at-risk families to help provide a support system.
The church can encourage families and individuals to foster with the goal of reunification. For families to support biological parents in working services, praying for them, inviting them to church. This is a great opportunity to not just change one child’s life but to be a tool for the Lord to change a whole family’s trajectory.
The church can support current foster families with meals, donating items, mowing lawn/household projects, babysitting, and helping transport to parent visits.
TBHC had one foster family rally their church to provide furniture, food, and other necessities for a biological grandmother in order for her to be able to take care of her grandchildren. Because of the church’s involvement, 3 children were able to be reunited with a loving relative and have still maintained a relationship with their former foster family. Another foster family continued to share the gospel with their foster child and the biological mother, and after they were reunified, both mother and daughter became Christians and were baptized. Another foster family connected with the aunt their foster children were going to live with and introduced that family to a local church member who is building a relationship with the family so the foster children can continue attending church. These are the stories that show how the church can come together to help make families whole again.
Fostering to reunify is an important goal. We need more families to be willing to step into the hard of foster care and allow God to work miracles in the lives of biological families. Our hope and prayer is that more biological families will see healing and restoration and families will be reunited.
written by: Staci B.
