Help Solve the Foster Care Crisis in Your Community

May is National Foster Care Month, and churches throughout metro Atlanta are offering training workshops for those interested in serving children from challenging homes. In Bartow County, The Church at Liberty Square of Cartersville is hosting an information session with FaithBridge Foster Care to offer a foster family and volunteer program.

Those interested in learning more about Christian foster care ministry are encouraged to attend Encounter FaithBridge on Thursday, April 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Fellowship Commons located at the side entrance. The public is invited to attend.

The number of foster children far outweighs the number of homes available to care for them. In the state of Georgia, there are more than 7,000 children in foster care, and as of last fall, there were 171 foster care children in Bartow County alone. Through a local church, believers and the local community can make a difference in the lives of Bartow County’s foster children.

Encounter FaithBridge is an introduction to Christian foster care ministry and is also part of the state requirement to be a foster or respite parent. Support team volunteers should also attend Encounter FaithBridge to learn how they can serve foster children by assisting with meals, materials goods and services, transportation, childcare and more.

For those interested in becoming certified as foster parents and respite parents, there will be a weekend FaithBridge Foundations training located at The Church at Liberty Square the first weekend in May. FaithBridge Foundations training is an intensive, multi-day event designed to prepare prospective foster parents for the physical, emotional and spiritual demands of foster care. Training will be held Friday, May 3, 6 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, May 4, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 5, 2 to 7 p.m. For more information or to register for these events, please visit www.faithbridgefostercare.org/news-and-events/events.aspx.

"Because May is National Foster Care Month, it is an important time to put the focus on so many children who need loving, Christian homes," Bill Hancock, founder and CEO of FaithBridge Foster Care, said in a release. "We believe churches can respond to the needs of the community and help meet the foster care challenge in our state."

FaithBridge Foster Care is a Christ-centered, tax-exempt organization intent on changing U.S. foster care. FaithBridge’s strategy is to mobilize, organize and equip local churches and communities to solve the country’s foster care crisis. For more information on FaithBridge, please call 678-690-7100 or visit www.faithbridgefostercare.org. 

Tell us what you think in the comments, share your photos and videos, and don’t miss any of the local news you care about—subscribe to Cartersville Patch's newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.