This Month At Renovation
It is that time again. Every month, we like to look forward to some of the significant discipleship opportunities coming up and take a deeper look into some of the ministries at our church. May is Foster Care Awareness Month. Our church has been actively serving foster care and adoptive families for several years now. This month, we will take a deeper look into the remarkable ministry that some of our fellow members have been doing. But first, let’s look at the stories and discipleship opportunities for this week.
Discipleship Opportunities
Serving In Giving (APEST)
God’s story of redemption is told through the generosity of his people. We are reminded of that truth every time we see the impact that your ministry has on a child of God. This week we were given a story about the effect of someone taking the step of faith to lead a small group. That leader was equipped for their ministry because of your generosity.
Corporate Prayer Facebook Group (APEST)
Are you looking for a breakthrough in your life? Do you need the Spirit to help you get through your day? What about an extra dose of Jesus-level patience because you have six zoom meetings in a day? Then consider starting your workday off by praying with the people of God. Monday-Friday at 8:00a, we pray together for all those things and more.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/renovationatl
Become a Small Group Leader (Shepherding & Evangelism)
Our Summer semester of small groups is right around the corner. If you desire to see community in your church, it is time to take that step of faith in starting a small group. You can form a small group around just about any passion or interest you may have. Be it Bible Study, Prayer, Running, Movies, or Fantasy Games. Whatever it is, most likely, others share that passion. To find out more about leading a group, text “sgleader” to 94000. Our small groups team will follow up with you this week to answer any questions you may have.
Join or Lead a Church At Home Pod (Evangelism)
Do you believe that God desires to see your friends, neighbors, and co-workers come to saving faith? Do you have a passion for seeing people who are far from God come to know him? Then God may be calling you to start a Church At Home Pod. For more information visit. https://renovationchurch.com/athome
Parent Discipleship Resources (Shepherding & Teaching)
We have several resources for all our parents as we equip you to disciple your children. By popular demand, we have created a youtube playlist with all the worship songs we use for RKM.
Parent Discipleship Resources: Download The App
RKM Weekly Teaching: Elementary - Pre-K - RKM Worship Playlist
Foster Care & Adoption (Prophetic, Evangelism, Shepherding)
Over the past few years, Will and Molly Berg knew their ministry was to older children in the foster care and adoption system. We asked them to tell us a little about that journey.
Brian Holben leads in equipping our care communities to support our foster and adoptive families. We sat down with him to learn more about the future of the foster care and adoption ministry.
Q: For those that don’t know or haven’t heard about our Foster Care and Adoption ministry, give us a bit of an overview.
First, let me share that both foster care and adoption are things very near to my heart. Over the years of serving with Renovation, I have become intimately familiar with the needs, challenges, and opportunities in both the foster system and adoption. I’m indebted to the hard work of Holly Wasmundt and the others she recruited to this ministry many years ago as Renovation took her first steps toward forming a Foster Care & Adoption ministry. Did you know that there are around 20,000 foster kids in the system in Georgia? Many of these kids bounce from home to home, or facility to facility, and most experience trauma and struggles before and during the foster journey. But what do they all desire? A loving home and a consistent presence. The call from Scripture to care for the widow and orphan is clear from James 1:27 and evident in numerous other places as well. For us, as the church in Georgia today, one way we can walk out God’s way is by fostering, adopting, or supporting those who are.
My family and I adopted our first son in 2019. What a joy! For those of you who know Zay, he brings life to everyone! Just a year and a half after Zay’s adoption, we found out that she was unexpectedly pregnant again through our continuing and open relationship with his birth mother. She wanted us to adopt her new baby - Zay’s biological brother - and we joyfully said yes! Through our journey, we’ve learned that adoption and foster care genuinely take a village. Or you could say a church family!
Our Foster Care and Adoption ministry exists to care for vulnerable children by inspiring and equipping our community to action. This action can look different for each. Maybe for you, it’s becoming a foster parent, a step that will change a child’s life (and your life!) forever. Or perhaps it’s joining a “Care Community” to provide tangible support and encouragement for a fostering or adopting family. Or maybe it’s generous with your funds to bless families that are adopting and fostering. Our ministry helps you find the role God has for you in this Biblical calling to care for vulnerable kids.
Q: Explain what a Care Community is.
We desire to set up a “Care Community” around each foster and/or adoptive families. A Care Community is a group of people that commit to serving, love, encourage, and pray for the foster/adoptive parent(s). Each Community is set up with various roles to help meet the family’s needs as they step in to care for the children. This could look like providing meals, doing yard work, tutoring a student in their French classes, praying together, installing a door for a home office… you name it! The Care Community exists to meet the needs of the foster/adoptive kids in the context of community. I’ve served in a Care Community, and I loved it! I got to interact with three incredible foster kids and help serve their foster parents during the duration of their placement. You want a tangible way to be the hands and feet of Jesus? Then this could be for you! If you’re not called to foster or adopt, I guarantee you that there could be a role for you in a Care Community!
Q: What have been some of the challenges and opportunities during this pandemic in the area of Foster Care and Adoption?
As I’m sure is the case with all of us, the pandemic affected many things in the foster and adoptive systems. We completed the adoption of Zay’s brother smack in the middle of COVID - and we felt many of the effects it had. But more specifically to our foster families here at Renovation and the ministry in general, the pandemic has allowed us to become more creative and flexible with what serving and caring for foster families has looked like. Much of the service and ministry has been digital (think Zoom prayer nights for the kids/families) or “drive-by” (think dropping meals off, mowing grass, birthday drive-by parties). And both families have faced paperwork and logistical challenges due to the shutdowns. But I’ve seen our 2 Care Communities here at Renovation rise to the challenge and bless our two foster families in rich and unforgettable ways!
In addition to this, I’m currently praying for more laborers to step in and help serve the “internal” Foster Care & Adoption ministry team here as Ambassadors. I want to see more people foster, adopt, serve in Care Communities, AND I’d love to have several of you join the Foster Care & Adoption Ambassador Team as an extension of your gifts and calling. We’re excited to have more people serve on this team to set our foster/adoptive families and Care Communities up for success!
Q: What are some of the exciting things happening in our Care Communities and Foster Care & Adoption ministry? (I am envisioning this as a vision casting)
A pandemic does not slow down the incredible painful realities and brokenness in our foster care systems. Many, many kids still need a loving home. I know that the economic impacts alone have likely driven more moms and dads into desperate situations that they’d probably never desire or predict. So the need continues for people to step in and love and serve vulnerable kids.
I’d love to celebrate that in our two current foster families and their Care Communities, there are a total of 27 Care Community Team Members from Renovation and beyond. That’s amazing! That is 27 people that have said “yes” to serving the Kingdom. And I could share story after story of how these Care Communities have been blessed and have been a blessing. Let me give you just a snapshot from one family. After just about six months of welcoming a foster placement, one of our foster families saw the following provided from their Care Community: 17 meals, two date nights a week for the parents, eight piano lessons, 8 French lessons, and a passing grade in school, one door installed, one window replaced, and lawn care provided each month! Amen!
I want to see even more kids fostered, and I want to see even more people say “yes” to serving in this way. Is God leading you to get involved? Do you want to see more stories like this? I’d love to hear from you and share more about this incredible opportunity.
Q: If Foster Care and Adoption is part of the ministry that someone is passionate about, how can they get activated and equipped?
Just say yes! Each of the 27 Team Members in our two Care Communities, and the several excited Ambassadors on our Foster Care & Adoption Ministry Team, and even the two foster families, are people just like you. There is nothing “special” about the call to foster, adopt, or serve the people that do. It simply takes a willingness to say yes and to follow in the self-sacrificial way of Jesus. Do you love to cook? Then you can support a foster family! Do you have a passion for administration and scheduling? Then you can help lead a Care Community? Do you have a fantastic emoji game? Then you can bless a Care Community (but seriously, shout out to my Care Community Team Leads - your emoji game is on point!). Do you long to see every child have a loving home? Then you can foster or adopt.
If God ignites anything in your heart as you read this, please reach out to us, and we’ll help you take that next step, whether it’s foster, adopting, joining a Care Community, or helping to equip others as an Ambassador. It all began with a small step for each of our Foster Families and the Care Community members. Is now your time? To take that step, email: brian@renovationchurch.com. Would you like to hear from
This article from the AJC is a great picture of the realities and opportunities of both the foster and adoptive systems: https://www.ajc.com/politics/more-love-to-give-adoptions-from-foster-care-increase-in-georgia/5FJ33SYYTVCHXM62CCH42I7DUA/
Foster Care Awareness Meeting
If you’re passionate about caring for the marginalized of our city, or you want to support those who are, join Brian and members of our Foster Care and Adoption ministry at their aware meeting on May 2nd at 3:00p.
T.G.I.M. (Teaching)
Before we go, we wanted to provide you with some additional resources from our teaching on Sunday.
You can watch or rewatch the sermon below and access the sermon insights here.
As mentioned this Sunday, if you are interested in diving into the Bible’s view on slavery, our founder, Leonce Crump, preached a sermon from 1 Corinthians on how the Apostle Paul viewed slavery.
That wraps up this month’s look at your church. We can’t wait to share more with you in the coming weeks about how the ministry you have been called to is being accomplished.
We love you. We will see you soon.
~ Doug Nelms