Rabun For the Gospel

A Place of Hope

By John Hutcheson Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church

Hope––so many people looking for it but very few ever finding it because most are looking in the wrong place. They look for it in relationships––both proper and improper ones, material possessions, social status, financial stability, the dream job, substance abuse/addiction, and on the list goes. Hope is not found in any of those things. Hope is found in a Person, and His name is Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13 ESV). Christmas time of year is especially a time when people by the millions are looking for hope. One particular group of those looking for hope is foster children. They’ve been taken away from mom and dad, usually through no fault of their own, and life is hard, especially at Christmas time. Family traditions are gone because their family is ripped apart. They are in a different, and often new, environment. Many find themselves hoping their family will be back together by Christmas, but that is often not the case.

Did you know that the State of Georgia has approximately 11,900 children in foster care as of July 2020? That is a 57% increase from 2013. On average, 18 children enter the Georgia foster care system every day. In Rabun County alone, 40 children live in 12 foster families. Others have been relocated to counties throughout Georgia, hindering family visitations and reunification.

Adding further stress and pain to an already difficult life for these foster children is the fact that many loving, trained foster parents experience burnout. It is estimated 30% to 50% of Foster Care families leave the system from burnout, which adds additional stress to the system. These children, and their foster parents, need our help. That’s where Place of Hope North Georgia comes in, and where you can come in as well. Place of Hope North Georgia is a faith-based, non-profit organization providing resources for children who need familial, spiritual, and financial support because of abuse, neglect, or homelessness. Our primary focus is on children and parents in the Foster Care system of Rabun County. It was the vision of Clayton Baptist Church but has expanded to include people from other churches and the community. Clayton Baptist purchased a home adjacent to their property to be used for this specific purpose. Place of Hope (PoH) will offer four main services to foster children and families: 1) Transitional Foster Care for Rabun

County: PoH will provide a home and staff for transitional care of children who are removed from their birth family before a foster-family placement is finalized. This is often a one to three-day transition. 2) Respite Care for Foster Parents in Rabun County: PoH will provide a home and staff for respite services, allowing foster parents to bring their foster child(ren) for a brief respite (e.g. date night, weekend get-away) to help re-energize them for their important work as foster parents. 3) Family Visitations: Through a joint venture with Family Resource Center of Northeast Georgia (Clarkesville), PoH facilitates family visitations to encourage family reconciliation and parent/child healing. This has already begun. 4) Supply Closet: PoH offers a clothes and supply closet to DFCS as they relocate children into foster care and to foster care parents as they care for children. So how can you help? We are seeking to raise $250,000 to renovate the home and make necessary adjustments to it in order to meet the specific needs of these children. This will include five bedrooms, three bathrooms, space for visitations, a modernized kitchen, new windows, new roof, new electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems. It will also be ADA accessible. Beyond that there will be funds needed for an ongoing operating budget. Christmas is a great time of year to give to help support children in times of great need as well as supporting families who give of themselves sacrificially, both short term and long term, to love, care for, and encourage these precious and hurting children. While many can give financially, some also have skills to help with the house renovations. If you are willing to donate your time and skills, that will go a long way toward getting the house up and running. Our goal for that is the second quarter of 2020.

Others can become trained and certified DFCS (Division of Family & Children Services) foster parents to help run the home. A number of people in our community have already expressed interest in helping in this capacity and are currently completing the training and certification required. But more are needed.

Whether or not you can help in these ways, all can pray for these foster children and families as well as the birth parents and the unique needs and challenges they all face. They all need help and hope. So, let’s pray that the God of hope will fill them with joy and peace so they may abound in hope (see Romans 15:13 above). Donations can be made to A Place of Hope North Georgia and mailed to PO Box 933, Clayton, GA 30525. All donations are tax deductible. If you would like to help in any of the other areas mentioned please contact us at info@placeofhopenga.com. You can also visit our website at https://www.placeofhopenga. com and our Facebook page @ PlaceofHopeNGa for additional information and updates.