Can one family really make a difference? Midwest Georgia Area Director, Brian Scoggin, would answer with a resounding ‘yes!’
“If every church in the State of Georgia had just one family with just one foster child, there would be a waiting list to take the next foster kid coming into care,” explained Brian.
In Georgia, more than 11,000 children are in the foster care system. Families 4 Families, working with families in area churches, offers hope and a home to children in the Georgia foster care system.
“We’re strategic in this and we’re exclusive in that we’re partnering with Christian families and their churches in this work. We’re engaging God’s people,” explained Brian. “God not only mandated us but he’s equipped us to do this work,” he added.
For Brian, the call to foster was personal.
“My wife and I became foster parents, and my two biological sons became foster brothers. We went into this full of faith not knowing what we were going to do and how we were going to do it — or even what to expect, but we just felt the Lord say, ‘This is the work I’m calling you to because this is the work that’s near to my heart.’
“The first placement we got was a little 5-year-old girl and her 14-month-old brother. Several of our family members were excited about the idea of us fostering but a little concerned about what it would be like adding these children to our family. I remember that the next morning after these kids came to our home, some people who love us very much, wanted to visit.
“As soon as my oldest son referred to this relative in a loving, endearing tone, that little girl darted across the floor and wrapped her arms around this guy’s legs. Immediately, he loved them beyond what we had ever imagined. All I had to do was obey God.”
A big part of Families 4 Families’ mission is equipping foster families like Brian’s. They offer training, support and more.
That doesn’t mean every family is called to be a foster family, though.
“Not everybody is in a position to take children into their home,” adds Brian. “That’s why we’re a body of believers. We all have different functions, but we all work together as one. When people are willing, first and foremost, to pray — that touches heaven and that encourages all of us.”
Other families offer respite support. With training, they help foster families with babysitting or short-term childcare.
“These families are very valuable,” said Brian. “They give our foster families a break. They buy them some rest and some time away.”
Another way to change the life of a child in need? Donations.
“When we recruit, we average about $5,000 a family — from the time I meet them at a church to the time we open them up [at their home]. This includes everything from a free written home study to free training, all the things that go on when you’re opening a family. We estimate it costs about $5,000,” he explained. “As an agency, we opened up 91 homes last year. So, that’s a whole lot of fundraising. That’s not reimbursed by the state in any way.”
Over the years, Brian said he’s seen how much good can happen through fostering with Families 4 Families.
“Jesus said, ‘Let your light so shine before men that all might see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. It’s a real Gospel call. It’s important work,” Brian said. “It’s really a display and reflection of what God has done for each and every one of us. He’s taken us as orphans and made us his own, his sons and daughters.
“Not only are you giving children a real blessing when you love them — especially when you love them with the love of Jesus — but it also affects everyone around you,” he said. “It’s a witness. It’s a testimony [of God’s love].”
