Dear Friends:

As we walk through the messages of the Advent season featuring the all familiar cast I have been struck by a common theme, a quality, a manner of living that is evident in the life of each one in the Christmas story. The unifying thread: a life interrupted. Mary’s life, interrupted by an unplanned pregnancy, Joseph’s life interrupted by an unexpected adoption, shepherds’ at work interrupted to worship the baby Savior, Wisemans’ studies interrupted to travel afar and give precious offerings to the baby, King Jesus. 

This example of living a life interrupted speaks to me as I work daily with precious families, volunteers and professionals who are willing to live “interruptable” lives in order to provide for a child whose whole world has been interrupted the day they were removed from their home and placed in foster care.

Our community has invested in the development of Fostering Family Ministries to allow us to bring desperately needed support resources to foster, adoptive & kinship families, to raise up volunteers to help shoulder the load, to provide funding for foster children’s needs, and equip local churches to call their people to the ministry of foster care in many different capacities. For more information click here. to go to our website developed with support from The Samaritan Foundation.

Like drops of rain falling on parched ground, the initial support we have provided is refreshing and invigorating those on the front lines who care for these vulnerable children. For example, FFM and the Ashland Co. Community Foundation support sent the Stuarts, veteran foster/adoptive parents to become certified parent trainers with Empowered to Connect.  Click here for training information open to foster, adoptive and kinship parents. Starts Jan. 5th, 2017.

“This training was unlike any other training we've had in the past, and was by far the most life changing training for us. We walked away from this training with more than continuing education hours. We walked away with a sense of hope & renewal in helping children that come from hard places.” -Stuarts

You may be interrupted or called, like one woman, to exercise her gift of hospitality to provide a meal a few times a month for a foster family or to mentor for foster child or even to become a foster family.
Your financial support could:
· Train volunteers who are ready to walk alongside foster children and families as a mentor “grandparent, aunt or uncle” (training approved by Ashland Co. JFS)
· Equip foster, kinship & adoptive families with tools to help their foster children heal
· Train professionals and church ministries to handle the needs of children from hard places
· Help two little girls dance in the new year (by paying for their dance lessons)
· Support birth families through their reunification and life together

We invite you to continue with us on this journey to take care of these children from hard places. Where will God call us to be interrupted in 2017 to continue and develop more partnering churches, foster families and volunteers? Join with our supporting churches:  Ashland Grace, Bethel, and Trinity Lutheran to make an impact in our county.

Open yourself and your church to live the “life interrupted” and support these initiatives through FFM in your year end giving. Give here. Thank you for beginning a good work for these children and their families who need to be touched by the healing hand of our Savior.

Speaking of the interrupted life, the ultimate example is found in Jesus, who voluntarily interrupted his Divinity, and became flesh. Emmanuel—God with us. He sacrificed his life to become our Savior and offers us new life through his resurrection. This is CHRISTmas. Join us to offer eternal hope and healing to those around us as we celebrate life interrupted.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
 
Sherry M. Bouquet, Executive Director
Fostering Family Ministries