Resurrecting Biblical Hospitality

LOCALLY SOURCED

Kat Haase, member of our Evangelism & Culture Impact Committee

Safe Families for Children is a movement fueled by thousands of families who practice biblical hospitality. By extending hospitality to others in need, Safe Families for Children returns the church to its historic role of caring for the orphan and the widow.

Safe Families facilitates local church families to host vulnerable children and creates extended family–like supports for those families in desperate need. Local churches, including College Church, have families who volunteer and are trained to care for children whose parents or guardians are struggling by opening up their own homes to the children for weeks or months at a time.

Safe Families provide for the less fortunate families in their communities by:

• Keeping children safe during a family crisis such as homelessness, hospitalization or domestic violence in an effort to prevent child abuse and/or neglect.

• Supporting and stabilizing families in crisis by surrounding them with caring, compassionate community.

• Reuniting families and reducing the number of children entering the child welfare system as an alternative to foster care, where appropriate

The church is reemerging as a champion for families in need, even as our society faces legal and governmental constraints and depleting resources. College Church would love for more families in our church to prayerfully consider opening their homes in this way.

Laurie and Rob Nordstrom are College Church members. They have four children and have been involved with Safe Families for Children. Here they tell a little more about their experience:

Laurie, how did you first come to know about Safe Families?

We learned about it through College Church. A number of families have been involved in Safe Families over the years, and the church encouraged people to consider it. Peter and Elizabeth Hubbard shared their experience with us as well.

What made you interested in getting involved?

Six years ago, College Church was encouraging adoption, foster care and Safe Families as good options to reach out and minister to the needs of children and families. As we looked into the different options, we thought that the ministry of Safe Families fit our family the best. We believed it was a ministry that our whole family could be involved in, and our children would learn a great deal from.

What has been your involvement?

We have hosted five children over the past five years. One child was a preschooler, and the other four were babies.

What has been something unexpected in your involvement?

One of the greatest blessings has been experiencing the body of Christ working together through Safe Families. We have brought children into our home, but the body of Christ has received them and has together ministered to them. This would have been almost impossible by ourselves. You don't have nine months to prepare for a Safe Families child; sometimes it is hours, and you never know what age child will come into your house. Suddenly you need diapers or clothes for a fouryear-old, boys’ things or girls’ things. The body of Christ has provided diapers, meals, used clothing, highchairs, babysitting, encouragement and respite. Nothing is more exciting and encouraging than working together as the body of Christ. As missionaries, we see that partnership all the time to reach the lost with the gospel. When we signed up for Safe Families, we actually didn't expect that we would have the same experience of teamwork as we do in missions.

How has the experience affected your family or extended family?

Welcoming another child into your home is not easy. A new child disrupts your family dynamics in multiple ways. We were surprised at how quickly our own four children adjusted and accepted these little ones. They quickly became very attached to the Safe Families children. It was extremely difficult when the time came to say goodbye and return the child to his or her family. As parents we wondered if the emotional stress on our children was too much to ask of them. In faith we say, “No, it's not too much for them.” Our kids are learning what it means to love and lose. And then, not to become hard or bitter, but to open their hearts and love again.

What is one thing you learned about God from your involvement?

We've learned more about God's grace and love. We've extended grace to these families for a short time, but how much greater is the grace God has extended to us. How great is his love for us. Just as we love these children even though they can't give us anything, He also loves us even though we can never repay him.

Why is Safe Families an important ministry?

Safe Families is at heart a hospitality ministry; it's giving a cup of cold water in the Lord's name to the needy. There are many struggling families out there who have few or no relatives who can help them in a crisis. Who better to come alongside them than Christian families? Many children would have ended up in foster care if a Safe Family had not been available to care for them while their parents recovered from illness or found a safe living situation.

What is something that you would like our congregation to know about?

The average Safe Families child will stay with you for about two months, but placements range from two days up to six months. You will have a coach or social worker that meets with you and helps you throughout the placement. The goal of Safe Families is to protect the child during the crisis and then reunite the child to the parent(s).

If you are interested in hearing more about Safe Families, please contact Laurie Nordstrom or email Kate Roe at kateroe0325@ gmail.com