On January 1, 2012 a snapshot of time revealed 8,308 children who, through no fault of their own, were in protective custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) due to abuse, neglect or abandonment.
Every month hundreds of Oklahoma families are broken apart. Who will be there to pick up the pieces? Right now over 8,000 children have nowhere to go but foster care. That’s a lot of beds, houses, and families. Those who can’t be placed in homes go to shelters.
In Oklahoma there is a movement within the communities of faith to embrace and engage this need. Through the 111project.org and their many community partners, including churches, hundreds of families are pursuing the option of fostering. Their goal is to leave no Oklahoma child without a family.
With over 6000 churches in Oklahoma, recruiting the needed number of foster families from Oklahoma churches is doable. The 8308 Conference is open to influencers in the churches to learn about the obstacles, opportunities, resources and tools available to establish their own foster care/adoption ministry to serve our Oklahoma children. This free one day conference will be at Journey Church, 1330 East Lindsey Street, Norman on April 26, 2012. For more information and required registration, visit faithlinksok.org.
