Saturday, October 13, 2012

A Few Numbers....


Since ONEfamily began in May of 2011....


24 Frazer foster families have been trained and/or licensed 

35 Foster children have been cared for Frazer Foster Families in the past year

25 Foster “care” bags delivered to foster families to provide immediate needs when a child has been placed.

100 Meals supplied by the members of the ONEfamily support network to foster families that took in a placement of a foster child

20 Meals supplied by the member of the ONEfamily network to the families during the 10 weeks foster care training.

2 Frazer members who are professional photographers take photos of the foster children every three months.  

5 Frazer families in process of adopting domestically or internationally

1 child adopted out of foster care this past year by their foster family


HUNDREDS Of items donated by our ONEfamily network to Frazer foster and adoptive families:  
  • Double stroller
  • beds
  • cribs
  • car seats
  • dresser
  • diapers
  • wipes
  • clothes
  • formula


UNLIMITED The potential our church family has to impact orphans in our city and around the world in the coming years! 

Sunday, July 22, 2012

It's Not About You.


That's what a foster mom kindly, but directly, said to me as I gave her the reasons why my husband and I could never foster.

"I could never give them back. We'd get too attached."  I compassionately proclaimed to her.

And all she said was, "It's not about you."

And there you have it.

I didn't take offense to her comment. Because she was right.

There are hundreds of innocent children in our city alone that do not get to make the decisions where they will live.  They have been pulled from their families for safety reasons, but they don't get an opinion as to where to go next.  They have no voice.

But I do.  And I use it a lot.

Unfortunately, it's too often for my own self-promotion.

What if instead of giving excuses as to why foster care isn't for our family, I started advocating for the child who doesn't have a family?

The bible is clear in it's mandate: To be a voice for the orphan.

Foster children are orphans. Whether for a few days, months, or years, they are without their biological family.


There are some great ways to care us to for them. 

1.  Through Foster Care, where children are placed with your family for the short or long term until their family is stable enough to get them back or until they are available to be adopted. 

2. Through Respite Care, where you receive the foster care training and then take children into your home for short periods of time.  (i.e. overnight, the weekend, or a week)  Alabama DHR confirmed they are in great need of Respite Care families as well as foster families.

3. Adopt from the foster care system.  There are over 300 children currently available for adoption in foster care in the state of Alabama. 


Children placed in foster care may not have a voice.  But we do.  

Even greater, we have the ability to give them the structure and love that they desperately need.

Foster care is not a walk in the park.  It can be messy and hard.

But it is also part of the adventure that God calls us to as believers- to care for the orphan.


You may not know yet if this is for your family- but we encourage you to join us and learn more at our ONEfamily Foster Care Q&A on August 1st at 6pm in Room 7207 at Frazer UMC. 

Frazer Foster families will be sharing their experiences and insight about the fostering process.  

If you already know that you are interested in Foster or Respite Care, the next ten-week training course begins September 6th at Frazer.  Please email Leslie at onefamily@frazerumc.org. 


*This is a repost from a July 2011 blog entry at Waiting on a Word.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Learning More.

On any given day, there are approximately 420,000 in foster care across the United States.  


They range in age from newborn to kids in their late teens. 


1,200 enter foster care each day and average about two years in the foster care system. 


These children are placed in foster homes or group homes. 


No matter their age, they don't get to decide where they are placed. 


They have no control and no voice. 


Almost half a million children in foster care. 


Half a million children who have been through trauma and distress that need care and love and stability. 




They need a bed.  


A stable environment. 


A hug. 


A toothbrush. 


Someone to tuck them in at night. 




Children in foster care deserve a chance.  They deserve to be placed in a home where they feel safe and love abounds. 


So I have to ask the question.  


What about YOUR home? 


Could YOU be a family that provides a refuge for children who need safe place to land? 


There is a huge need for full-time foster families AND for respite care families. 


Respite families provide short-term care. They take in children for the a night or two when they first come into care.  They take in foster children for a few days, weekend, or week when their regular foster family needs someone to care for them due to illness, going out of state, or family emergency. 


Both full-time foster care and respite care families take the same amount of training in Alabama.  


BOTH are desperately needed in our state. 


So I have to ask the question.


What about YOUR home? 


Could YOU be a family that provides a refuge, either for a few days or a few years, for children who need a safe place to land? 


If you are interested in learning more about the foster care process, please join us on August 1st at 6pm for a Foster Care Q&A panel.  Foster families from our church will be answering questions about foster and respite care.  The panel will be held at Frazer UMC in Room 7207.  


We would LOVE for you to join us for this informative night. 


Learn more.  Ask questions.  Pray about your role. 


Hope to see you then. 




Monday, May 14, 2012

ONEfamily Updates

ONEfamily is excited to have celebrated the one year anniversary of the ministry! 

Please view the video below to hear from some Frazer families that are involved in orphan care! 






If you are interested in learning more about what the bible says about orphan care, please join us for a six-week summer bible study starting June 6th.  We will be going through the book Orphanology by Rick Morton and Tony Merida. 


If you are interested in this class or would like more information about it, please email us at onefamily@frazerumc.org.


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

An Evening with Sam McClure of the Adoption Law Firm

ONEfamily is hosting an evening with Sam McClure, adoption attorney with the Adoption Law Firm.  Please join us for an informal gathering on Wednesday, March 14th, from 6-7pm.  

Sam and his wife, Mary Beth will be sharing their story of internationally adopting their son Robi from Hungary.  In addition, Sam will be able to answer questions about domestic and international adoption, re-adoption, private adoption, and many other facets of the process.  You can read more about his law firm here

This is an event for everyone - it's an opportunity to meet one of Montgomery's strongest advocates for the orphan.  We are excited to introduce Sam and Mary Beth to our Frazer family! 

The Details: 
Where: The Parlor in Frazer 
When: March 14th
What time: 6-7pm
Who: Anyone interested in learning more about adoption

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Say Yes

Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's, was a huge advocate for adoption.  Being an adoptee himself, he knew the value of a forever family for a child.  

This short video was produced by the Dave Thomas Foundation and is a sweet picture of why EVERY single child deserves and needs a family.