April 5, 2011, I attended a statewide conference called the 8046 Conference. The number 8,046 has been burned into my mind and in my heart ever since. Now, I must burn a new number in my mind and it breaks my heart.
8046 was the number of children in OKDHS custody on January 2, 2011 and that number became the overarching theme for the inaugural campaign by Oklahoma Faith Based Initiative, OKDHS, and local foster care/orphan ministries to recruit foster families statewide. Unofficially, 110 families were recruited. The final count of number of approved foster families is still pending.
ADD 262
8308 will be the new theme of the 2012 initiative. WHY?? Because, on January 1, 2012 there were 8308 children who, through no fault of their own, were in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). These children may not be orphans in the sense that they no longer have parents, but their families are not able to care for them due to incarceration, extreme poverty, physical abuse, drug abuse, neglect or abandonment.
As the church, we are called to care for orphans and widows (James 1:27). Oklahoma has approx 8000 children in state custody with no where to go. Oklahoma has approximately 2000 traditional approved and open foster homes. There are over 6000 Oklahoma churches. If every church commits at least 1 family as a missionary into the field of foster care, every Oklahoma foster child has a home. The solution is SIMPLE.
God doesn’t ask for the people of faith to be involved, rather he demands it. The apostle James states that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…. “
You and your church may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world of one child. The immediate, pressing need is for foster families.
Local foster care ministries and churches have partnered with OKDHS and the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives to reach a common goal of making a difference in the lives of Oklahoma Children.
The 111Project launched in April 2011 began as a campaign to recruit 111 foster families from Metro Oklahoma City churches. The number goal evolved into an ongoing focus of: 1 church, 1 family, with 1 purpose. That purpose is to leave no Oklahoma child without a family.
Some other numbers to think on….Oklahoma’s population is approximately 3.8 million. Is it acceptable that only 0.05265% of our society is willing to step up to care for these children? How many children in OKDHS custody is too many? How many children living in shelters (modern day orphanages) is too many? What is it going to take to awaken the church to this need, this command, to care for the orphans?
So what can YOU do? YOU can make a difference by getting involved. For more information on how to get involved, leave a comment or contact your local OKDHS office to volunteer.
