Loving Our City: Serving DFCS
In case you missed it, in recent months we have been working with Bibb Co Department of Family & Children’s Services to find ways we can serve their department and kids in foster care. Several weeks ago, a few of us met with some women at DFCS and identified three projects that we will be tackling in the coming months:
1. A small visitation room: this is a room where older kids will spend time as they wait for a placement. The sad reality is that there are few foster homes who will take a teen placement, which means these kids sometimes spend a whole day waiting for a placement. So, we want to make this room comfortable and provide different ways for them to pass the time.
2. A large visitation room: this is a really large room that is used for family visits- parents visiting their kids, siblings visiting each other, etc. Currently it has some toys and kids tables, but it has also become a kind of catch-all for clothes, shoes, car seats, suitcases, and other items that don’t really have a place. Our goal for this room is to make it warm and inviting, and a fun place for kids to play and spend time with family members.
3. Clothing closet: DFCS often receives clothing donations that could be very helpful for foster kids and families. However, they don’t have the manpower to get it all organized, so most of it sits in boxes. We want to get this room organized with shelves and rods for hanging clothes. Bringing order will make the clothes and shoes much more accessible for foster parents when they welcome a new child into their home.
Once these projects are completed, we will continue to serve by cleaning, organizing, and providing donations as needed. Diapers will be an ongoing need, as well as snacks, books, coloring and art supplies. I’m sure we will identify more as we continue to be involved!
Our very first step is to take some furniture for the small visitation room. We will be doing that as a staff Monday morning. Here’s a sneak peek of some of the items we will be taking! I can’t wait to share pictures of this room once it’s done!
The TV stand and side table were built by Pastor Keith!
We love our city and, as with everything we do, our desire in partnering with DFCS is to see the gospel redeem and transform the lives of those we touch. Will you pray? Pray that we have opportunities to share the good news of Jesus, and that we do it with boldness. Pray for the children in foster care. Pray for their families, biological and fostering. Pray that those who don’t know Jesus would place their trust in him.
And after you pray, give! New City has money set aside toward this project, and half of all wedding profits will be designated for DFCS. But we need your help with small items like diapers, snacks and other donations. We will keep you posted as those needs change!
We are so thankful for this opportunity to love and serve DFCS and can’t wait to share stories with you of how God works through it!