Get on the Bus wrap-up
FaithBridge Foster Care launches Get on the Bus initiative to
recruit new church partners
Alpharetta, GA (August 26, 2009) -Yesterday, FaithBridge Foster
Care launched its Get on the Bus initiative at Villa
Christina in Dunwoody. Representatives of 16 Georgia churches
attended the event, which is part of a wide-reaching effort to
raise awareness of the country's foster care crisis and recruit new
churches to join in the effort and to establish independent foster
care ministries.
"Each year nearly 800,000 children are placed into foster care
in this country," said Terence Chatmon, Chief Church Relations
Officer for FaithBridge Foster Care and the sponsoring executive of
the event. "We believe that the local church plays a key role in
caring for these children, and the Get on the Bus
initiative is an opportunity to bring church leaders together to
meet and learn more how they can get involved."
Pastor Craig Ormsby of First Baptist Church Woodstock talked
about his church's experience creating a foster care ministry in
partnership with FaithBridge. "We have partnered with FaithBridge
who have held our hands all along the way. We've been involved in
the foster care ministry for a little over a year now and have had
the privilege of serving over 40 children in the homes of our
church families."
Other speakers included FaithBridge CEO, Bill Hancock and Pastor
David McNeely of Perimeter Church who is currently working with
FaithBridge to build a foster care ministry. "I don't know how to
equip people to be foster care parents," said McNeely. "What I do
know is that we as pastors and leaders in our church are called to
equip God's people to do the work of this ministry."
The churches in attendance represented five Georgia counties:
Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Cherokee and Gwinnett. Representative
included both pastors and lay leaders, many of whom were moved by
the presentation.
"Excellent event," said Carrie Zook of Grace Evangelical Church
in Tyrone GA. "I am a foster care social worker and have had a
long-time interest in finding ways for the church to be involved
[in foster care]. FaithBridge seems to address so many needs of
this crisis."
The next Get on the Bus event will be held in early 2010.
Interested parties can contact Terence Chatmon at 678-690-7111 for
more information.
About FaithBridge Foster Care
A Christ-centered, tax-exempt organization intent on changing
U.S. foster care, FaithBridge Foster Care works with the local
church to solve its community's foster care crisis. FaithBridge
partners with local churches to create independent foster care
ministries around a small group model, called the Community of
CareSM, which provides foster families with unparalleled
support and resources. This relationship-enhanced model scales to
create local foster family capacity with built-in stability and
quality, bringing children and families together in a safe, loving
community.