FaithBridge Core Values: {accountable}

FaithBridge holds ourselves accountable to the many individuals and organizations that depend on us, including but not limited to churches, foster families and government agencies. We also take seriously our role as financial stewards, ensuring that individual donations are used to fund care, activities and education for foster children.

“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we area way from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

–2 Corinthians 5:6-10

I grew up playing tennis. Everyone in my family played, and it’s the thing for which my mom signed me up at the community center at a young age. But it wasn’t until high school that I ever played on a team or played anything but singles in a tournament of any kind. I was accustomed to being on a court all alone, facing an opponent alone and having the win or loss affect me alone. It was an individual sport for me.

I didn’t think much would change when I joined the team at my high school, especially when they slotted me to play singles. My match, my opponents and my record would matter. And my teammates? Of course I wanted them to win, but it wouldn’t affect me.

I was wrong.

Quickly, I learned that our entire team mattered. They scored us as a team, and that was the only thing that mattered. Our individual track records were ignored and erased until we were at the state qualifying level, and even then, it didn’t matter unless we qualified…as a team. I cheered louder for teammates and didn’t wish I could leave early when my match was over, and there was more pressure for me to play my best.

The child welfare world is an incredibly complex and intricately woven web. FaithBridge recognizes that what we do – in everything we do in all departments – affects the entire system. Children, families, case managers, doctors, judges…the list could go on. If we fail to do what is right or fail to follow through with what we say we will do, there are consequences that matter to other people. It’s critical and God-honoring for us to take our role seriously, play our part to the best of our ability and reflect God well by loving those around us.

FaithBridge may have many singles and doubles players all involved with different matches on any given day, but every point, every game, every set and every court matters.