OUR NEWEST MISSION
Introduction
Welcome to Stepping Stones. Our newest mission is a ministry to meet, lift up and wrap our arms around foster families, new and seasoned, wherever they are in their journey.
The Stepping Stones ministry, led by Sandi Lauerman and Mamie Gaver, is a subgroup of the Missions Ministry Team. Stepping Stones is seeking people to become part of a “care community” to one fostering family. If you are interested in joining this mission, please reach out to the Missions Ministry team or call the church office at 704-588-1290.
Background
Fostering the Family (FTF) works with Department of Social Services for South Carolina to find families in the area who would like support. FTF then connects the family with a care community near them.
Other churches in this area also work with FTF as care communities. Lake Wylie Christian Assembly works with FTF to prepare future foster families so that they understand what fostering entails. Stepping Stones (SS) of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Hill will work with FTF to be a support group, aka care community, for one family.
The volunteers of this group will commit to serving up to 12 months with encouragement and prayer, meals, celebrations, family experiences, bi-monthly supplemental groceries, house and yard work, etc.
The Need
Foster families take on a large responsibility when caring for children who have been removed from their familiar surroundings and put into a stranger’s home. This transition is stressful for all involved. More than 50% of foster families quit after the first year or after their first placement. It has been found that with a support group, 80% continue as foster families. Steele Creek Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Hill will become a support group for one foster family. Our goal is to have multiple care communities within this church.
What is a Care Community?
So, what is a care community? A care community will be a group of people that will support a fostering family with prayer, mentorship, generosity, knowledge, and all the fruits of the Spirit.
A care community consists of four groups and are as follows: a team leader, a family helper, a child mentor, and an interim caregiver. The latter we are not currently pursuing; that becomes an overnight role from one to 14 nights after trust is built between the family and the care community. We are looking for our volunteers to serve in the roles of a family helper or a child mentor.
The Family Helper
The family helper will serve in ways that will help support the fostering family. You may supply a monthly meal, a gift card to a restaurant, help with grocery shopping, assistance with laundry and/or errands, help with yard work, or even help with homework for biological, adopted, or foster children in the household. We know how everyone loves algebra!
The Child Mentor
Not everyone is in the position to foster, but being a child mentor in our care community allows you to have a positive influence on a foster child. The role of child mentor can allow you to be more involved in the life of a vulnerable child, and it gives you the opportunity to pour love and encouragement into them.
Childcare is an area where foster parents need the most support, and they also tend to receive the least support in this area. In the role of child mentor, you will be asked to provide childcare at least twice per month. Families are hesitant to ask for childcare beyond a necessary appointment, fearing they are inconveniencing you.
