This morning on Twitter, I ran across this story about the state of Arkansas cutting funding for families providing foster care.  I suppose many peoples’s initial response is to decry poor government priorities or the politics behind the need to make this decision.  I, however, think our focus needs to be somewhere else completely. 

These funding cuts will most likely cause some current foster families to leave the program and cause potential families to choose not to foster.  But, I think these cuts could be viewed as an opportunity for Christians and churches in Arkansas.  As the Jason Locy article I discussed previously stated, Christians need to bring our practice into what our theology demands.

To pick on my own denomination, if only the over 1400 Southern Baptist churches with their reported 500,000 plus membership would step up and fill the void, there would not be a waiting children problem in the state.  It will take pastors to have the vision and to lead their churches and their people to respond, but it can be done.

I’m sure many states are going through these same issues and so the opportunity is there all across the country for churches to take the lead in caring for these children.  Some groups like The Call in Arkansas and Project 1.27 in Colorado already have programs to help churches get involved in foster care but more are needed.

Finally, as Paul reminded the Church at Galatia, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up”.