Porch Light Orphan and Foster Care Ministry

Following on the heels of this blog’s last entry entitled “The Church: An Aircraft Carrier,” where we "zoomed out" on the bigger picture of God's mercy to and through us, over the next several months we’ll “zoom in” on the existing Mercy Ministries at Oak Mountain Church.  This will enable  you to be aware of what’s already going on, the purpose and scope of each ministry, and contact information so you can know how to become involved. In addition, we’ll be sharing stories of people who have walked with Jesus more closely because of these ministries.

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Part of Oak Mountain Church’s vision is to follow God’s command to “look after orphans and widows” (James 1:27) by supporting foster care and adoption through training, financial assistance, and connecting people with resources. The church’s foster care and adoption ministry is called the Porch Light, which comes from the idea that a porch light left on says “Welcome. We’ve been expecting you,” and it’s this idea that’s behind the mission statement of this ministry: “Until every child has a home.”

Porch Light has embraced the philosophy of Christian Alliance for Orphans who state, “Working together, our joint initiatives inspire, equip, and connect Christians to ‘defend the fatherless’ (Isaiah 1:7).”  Click here to learn more. 

An exciting part of Porch Light Foster Care and Orphan Ministry is financial assistance for families interested in pursuing adoption but who don’t have the resources to fund or fully fund that desire.  How encouraging to know that there’s this kind of help for those undertaking the often-daunting adoption process!

Another aspect of this ministry is respite care, which gives foster care families a needed break. Click here to read the story of a mother whose heart was deeply impacted as she allowed God to use her to minister to a child and his foster care family.

God has always been in the business of bringing His children home and welcoming them unconditionally, and He graciously allows us to demonstrate His love in the same way, by giving children a home. Stay tuned for the story of a family who did just that!

If you want to learn more about how to become involved in the Porch Light Ministry (foster care, respite care, or adoption support) or if you need assistance in the adoption process, please contact Ken Jones at kjones@oakmountainchurch.org or 205.981.4335.

For a complete list of Mercy Ministries at Oak Mountain Church, please see the “Mercy Umbrella” at the bottom of this blog.