Two Year
Ministry Plan

Our Foster & Adopt ministry is always busy caring for adoptive and foster families, biological parents, and our local DSS workers. Since a lot has been going on over the past few months, we wanted to give you a spring update!

Resource Center

The Resource Center is located at our Taylors campus and is run by volunteers. In the first two months of 2023, it has served over 70 children!

Families Count

Families Count is a parenting class that allows participants to complete a part of their DSS plan working towards reunification with their children. Every participant has a mentor, and this spring, six moms graduated from the class.

Front Porch Housing

We now have an apartment at Front Porch Housing that is set aside for DSS workers and foster children. If a foster child does not have an immediate placement, they are able to stay in the apartment along with their DSS worker. Front Porch Housing has generously furnished the apartment, and our Outreach ministry is keeping the pantry stocked. Our goal is to provide a safe place for children and teens to rest during an uncertain time.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are always volunteer opportunities with our Foster & Adopt ministry!

• Resource Center—sort and organize donations
• Childcare when campuses host a Parent’s Night Out for foster and adoptive families
• Mentor a parent through Families Count (next class coming up in July)
• Become a guardian ad litem (training session in April)

To learn more about our Foster & Adopt ministry, click below to visit our website and fill out an interest form. You can also email Beth Drake with any questions at [email protected].

Last month, our Pelham campus hosted a special Christmas Luncheon for DSS workers in Greenville County. These men and women serve foster children and families in our community tirelessly and often without thanks, so we wanted to find a small way to show them that we see and appreciate all they do.

About 150 people attended the event, and they got to enjoy a delicious lunch, Christmas goodies, games, a photo booth, and simply spending time with one another. We loved seeing joy on everyone’s faces, and one participant told us, “I was so honored that Grace Church would do something so special for DSS workers.”

Supporting our DSS workers is just one way we seek to serve the Foster & Adopt community. If you are interested in learning more about our Foster & Adopt ministry and how you can get involved, click below.

As our Foster & Adopt ministry grows across our campuses, we are grateful for the opportunities God has provided to care for vulnerable children. We desire to engage with foster and adoptive families personally and regularly throughout their journey. Each campus has a Foster & Adopt Champion that connects with families and coordinates support when they need it most. Recently, a community group at our Downtown campus hosted a barbeque picnic for foster and adoptive families at their campus. This was a simple but tangible way to support these families and create space for them to connect with each other.

Another facet of our Foster & Adopt ministry is the resource center, which houses clothing, baby equipment, diapers, toys, and much more. Since August, the resource center has served over 120 children. Also, volunteers are currently putting together equipping bags for Greenville County DSS workers with useful items so they can be ready to serve their clients.

On October 14-15, we hosted a simulcast for the Replanted Conference at our Pelham campus for over 65 people. Replanted is a conference designed to encourage caregivers so they can come away refreshed, equipped, and inspired, and it was a blessing to be able to provide this resource to our community. We also had over 70 door prizes such as books, pottery, and photography sessions provided by Grace Church members for those attending.

Please pray for our foster and adoptive families, the DSS workers in our communities, and the volunteers who serve them. If you are interested in getting involved serving our Foster & Adopt community, there are many ways you can show support. Click below to learn more about how you can serve.

May 4 began like any other day for Seth and Hannah Williams, members at our Greer campus. They both went about their days as usual until Hannah received a call from her sister-in-law. A mother with newborn twins was looking for an adoptive couple, and through a series of unlikely connections, the Williams’ name and contact information was shared with her. Hannah was stopped in her tracks. While she and Seth had been struggling to conceive for over a year, they had not considered adoption to be in their immediate future. They were beginning to pursue fertility treatments, and had decided that they would think about adoption down the road.

However, as soon as Hannah called Seth, they both immediately knew God wanted them to say yes to this possibility. So within a matter of hours, they left work, packed a few things, and drove to Gastonia, North Carolina to meet this mother and her twin boys. Their family scrambled to find carseats, clothing, diapers, and other necessities to send with them. As they drove, they simply prayed, wept, and gave the matter to the Lord. They knew that they might come home with the twins, and they might not. But they were certain God had called them to make this trip and meet this woman.

When they arrived, they had an instant connection with the woman who had called them. Hannah especially was able to comfort her as she swung between emotions of joy in finding a family she trusted with her boys and intense grief, knowing that the best decision she could make for them was to give them up for adoption. It was a day filled with tension, joy, and sadness as they navigated caring for this sweet woman and preparing their hearts to bring the boys home.

“It was so emotional, but it was humbling to know that God put us there to see her deep hurt and love her through it.”

Meanwhile, as Seth and Hannah wrapped their minds around becoming parents in such a short window of time, their church family was working to get things ready for their return. One of Hannah’s friends from Grace created a spreadsheet outlining anything and everything they could possibly need and shared it with their church community. And more than anything, Seth and Hannah could feel the supportive prayers of their church family as they dealt with the emotions and all the practical details they had to work through in order to bring the boys home.

After a whirlwind 24 hours, on May 5, Seth and Hannah arrived at their home with Myles Samuel and James Brian, who were just three days old. A nursery had been set up, and church members were bringing meals regularly. In those early days, all they had to deal with was loving their boys and figuring out what it looked like for them to be parents.

As they adjusted to their new family and looked back over the past few years, Seth and Hannah realized how God had prepared them for this huge life change. After selling their home, they had moved in with Hannah’s parents for a season. It was a very difficult time for them when a lot of things didn’t make sense, but God was teaching them that his way is best.

“We were in limbo for nine months. Those trials prepared us for getting the boys. We had to learn that everything around us can shake and move and feels unsteady, but we can lean on the Lord. We had to understand that reality before we could properly take care of and serve these boys. We started re|engage in our parents' basement in despair, and we ended with a home and with two children. All this happened in 16 weeks.”

Through this season, both Seth and Hannah had struggled with giving control over to God. But over time, they learned that his way is best and they can trust him even when they don’t understand. And now, as they embark on the journey of parenting two sweet, red-headed boys, they carry these truths with them—God is good, and he is in control.

Thank you, Grace Church, for providing backpacks full of school supplies through our Back-to-School Drive! They are being delivered to children in need across the Upstate through our DSS partners in Anderson, Greenville, Laurens, and Spartanburg counties. Additionally, we have the joy of providing backpacks for children connected to Front Porch Housing and Neighborhood Focus this year.

By the numbers:

• Over 1,200 backpacks were donated
• 481 elementary backpacks = $11,000+
• 727 middle/high backpacks = $65,000+
• $76,000+ total given towards backpacks and school supplies

We are so thankful for your generosity, and our DSS partners have all expressed their gratitude as well. One of our partners had this to say:

On behalf of our staff at Pickens County DSS, I want to let you know how much we appreciate the generosity of Grace Church and your partners in providing school supplies and backpacks for our children. Our staff has already started giving them to their clients! We are very blessed by your generosity. I would also like to thank you all for your prayers for our children that receive these backpacks. May God Bless each of you as you show what true community partnership looks like.

Please take a moment and ask God to encourage and reveal more of himself to each child who receives a backpack. There are many other ways you can serve vulnerable children through our Foster & Adopt ministry. Click below to see how you can support foster and adoptive families throughout the year.

We are committed to serving orphans and vulnerable children in our community. One way our Spartanburg campus has embraced this mission is through a collaboration with other community partners to refurbish Spartanburg County’s DSS visitation rooms. Our local DSS staff work tirelessly to serve children in foster care and their families, and we were excited to be able to support their efforts through this project. These visitation rooms are used for children in foster care to visit with their biological families, and our goal was to make them warm, clean, and welcoming spaces.

Volunteers from our Spartanburg campus worked to remove old furniture, paint, and move in new rugs and furniture. They also provided toys and other items to make the rooms welcoming—one of our members even painted original artwork with a unique theme for each room! The funds for three of the rooms were donated by community partners, and the Spartanburg campus provided funds for the fourth room.

What a blessing to be able to show Jesus’ love in a tangible way! There are lots of opportunities to serve through our Foster & Adopt ministry. If you are interested in getting involved, click below to learn more.

Our Foster & Adopt ministry has been active all year serving foster and adoptive families, biological families, DSS workers, and guardians ad litem in many different ways. As we transition into a new year of ministry, we wanted to highlight two areas in particular.

The Foster & Adopt Resource Center has grown into an extraordinary source of both physical and spiritual support for those involved in fostering and adoption. Through the Resource Center, we have served over 500 children in the past year, providing $62,500 worth of donated items. In addition, 50 volunteers have invested over 5,000 hours throughout the year and prayed for over 200 families.

Another exciting area of this ministry is our seasonal giving project. Your generosity has enabled us to collect over 290 gift cards for foster families this Christmas season. That means we have contributed more than $29,000 worth of gift cards that will go towards blessing foster children with Christmas gifts.

We are encouraged to see how our Foster & Adopt ministry has flourished this year, and there are many more stories to tell of God’s work in this area of our church. We hope you will join us in prayer for all involved. To learn more about Foster & Adopt or to volunteer, click below.

This past month, our Foster & Adopt ministry hosted an informational session where our church body could learn more about fostering, adoption, and advocating as a guardian ad litem. Many members in our church are living out the gospel through fostering and adoption, and we are excited to help others come alongside children in need of a loving and stable home. There is also a great need for guardians ad litem in the state of South Carolina. In Greenville County alone, there is a need for 350 guardians ad litem and only 150 are currently serving.

Grace member Paul Gaeto said this about his experience as a guardian ad litem:

“It’s the epitome of Christian service because you’re doing something for somebody who can never repay you—just as Jesus did something for us that we’ll never be able to repay.”

To hear Paul share more about what it looks like to be a guardian ad litem, click the video below.

During this meeting, Kaley Linquist of Fostering Great Ideas shared insight into what fostering looks like and the next steps members can take in order to get licensed. Participants also heard from Margaret Richardson, a Grace member who is available to assist through the adoption process through DSS. And Sylvia Walker, Greenville County Program Coordinator, shared stories about guardians ad litem and the valuable impact they can make. Click here to learn more about or volunteer as a guardian ad litem.

We were thrilled to have around 50 participants at this meeting and ask you to pray for them as they take their next steps toward vulnerable children. If you want to learn more about fostering, adoption, or advocating as a guardian ad litem, please email Beth Drake at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you and connect you with resources that can enable you to minister to children in need.

A few weeks ago, Neil and Jessica Barley shared their story of how God showed his faithfulness through their adoption of a teenager. Not only have they been able to bless their adoptive daughter by pouring out God’s love to her, they have also seen God work in their family and grow their own faith throughout the process. Click the video below to hear their story.

There are many opportunities for you to support our Foster & Adopt ministry, whether working with children directly or serving those who do. We have people in our church body who provide free childcare, mentoring, freezer meals, haircuts, tutoring, respite care, birthday cakes, home repairs, and so much more. To learn how you can be part of serving through Foster & Adopt, click below.

Thank you, Grace Church, for providing over 1,000 backpacks full of school supplies through our Back-to-School Drive! They are being delivered to children in need across the Upstate through Greenville, Anderson, and Pickens DSS staff; Grace Housing Ministry; Neighborhood Focus, and local school partners. We are beyond thankful for your generosity in this way, and we hope you’ll continue to pray for each and every child and teen who receives a backpack this year.

Remember—this opportunity is just one way that we build relationships with kids in foster care and those who work with them throughout the year. We have full-time staff available to help you consider how you might support the foster and adoptive community, whether working with children directly or serving those who do. We have people in our church body who provide free childcare, mentoring, freezer meals, haircuts, tutoring, respite care, birthday cakes, home repairs, and so much more. To learn how you can get involved, click below.

This year, our primary seasonal giving focus was collecting gift cards for foster families in the Upstate. Our original goal was to collect 300, $100 gift cards, but thanks to your generosity, we have been able to give 327 gift cards to local foster families and group homes! What a blessing to help these families make Christmas special for the children in their care. Thank you for giving faithfully this season.

There are 509 children and teens in foster care in Greenville county, and currently, 341 foster families are providing care for them. As you can see, there is a great need for more foster families in our community. We hope you will not only support these families financially, but that you will also join us in prayer that God will provide more foster parents to step up and help care for these children and teens. If you are interested in learning more about supporting foster families or what is involved in becoming a foster parent, please click below.