Standing in the Gap when Ministry Gets Messy: First Baptist Church Rincon
Ministering to children in foster care can be difficult.
Children and teens in care struggle with the same behaviors and growing pains as children outside of care, but they are also navigating trauma, loss and uncertainty every day.
Lori Sowers and the congregation at First Baptist Church Rincon know caring for these children isn’t easy, yet for Lori, it’s “a no-brainer.”
Since she was eighteen years old, Lori has surrendered to God’s calling on her life. But it took a variety of jobs and a Priscilla Shirer bible study at her local YMCA before Lori felt His calling to enter church ministry.
“The director of kids ministries’ role became available at my church,” Lori shared. “I was like, ‘I can’t do that. I’m not qualified for that. But God paved the way, and He opened the doors.”
Eight years ago, Lori joined the staff at First Baptist Church Rincon and has been serving children from birth to fifth grade in the church ever since.
While passionate about supporting children in her community, Lori hadn’t considered how her church could make a difference for kids in foster care.
“I was a therapist for a children’s home for a while in Columbia, South Carolina, so I knew the need was there. But I didn’t think about how the church could help until one family in church came up to me,” Lori explained.
This family had recently started fostering through Families 4 Families and approached Lori to see how FBC Rincon could support foster families and children in care. This conversation inspired Lori to connect with Families 4 Families and organize quarterly date nights, so foster parents could reconnect as a couple or tackle projects on their to-do list without little ones in tow.
For each event, Lori rallies a group of background-checked volunteers and plans an evening of fun for children in care.
“In October, we had a Families 4 Families Night in the Patch. Volunteers were paired with kids in foster care, and they played in the pumpkin patch while parents left to go to dinner or a movie or whatever they wanted to do.”
What makes the congregation at FBC Rincon special, Lori says, is their heart to meet children in care and their families wherever they are.
“Since we started doing this, I think it’s drawn foster families to us because they know we love them and we’ll take care of the kids,” she said. “Kids in general aren’t always easy [to care for], and kids in foster care just have different needs. But [parents] can trust that we can handle it.”
While these date nights and events offer foster parents the opportunity to rest and reconnect, they also surround children with abundant love — love flowing from Jesus’ heart for little ones in need.
“Kids are innocent. They’re collateral damage to adults’ choices, and we are called to take care of the orphans and the widows. It’s scriptural. It’s Jesus’ heart to ‘let the little children come to Me,’” Lori shared.
“I’ve worked in psychiatric hospitals. I was a mental health family counselor. I’ve seen the bad choices that we can make as adults, and there’s a need for people to come alongside and just love kids.”
Lori feels the Church is uniquely positioned to step into the wake of these negative choices and surround children in foster care with love. She hopes that more people in her congregation will prayerfully consider how they can make a difference, whether by opening their homes or encouraging others who welcome children and teens.
“There are parents who could be amazing foster parents if they’re willing to step outside their comfort zone,” Lori shared. “I would also encourage families to pray about the possibility of helping in some way — maybe it’s a respite situation, giving parents a break for a weekend. Or building a relationship with [foster parents] and calling them to say, ‘Let us watch the kids, and you go to dinner.’
“A lot of the world doesn’t want to get messy, but ministry is [messy]. We’re trying to be real and get messy with people in the trenches.”
