Christmas is coming. We are excited to have these children in our homes as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Some of these children have never heard of the love of Christ. We get to plant the first seeds. What a blessing it is to see a child come to know that they have a heavenly Father that knows their name and loves them always!

The Village is a resource available for families as they care for the foster, adoptive, or relative children placed in their home. This group is devoted entirely to helping foster parents do the difficult, yet vital, job of caring for foster kids. Foster parents also benefit by knowing that they are not alone and that there are others who share the same heartaches and successes. The group provides prayer, solid bible teaching, willing listeners as well as a safe place to cry and vent. “The Village” meets every 1^st & 3^rd Sunday of the month and is open to all foster parents, adoptive parents, relative care, and those interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent. Training hours and childcare may be provided, check with the group facilitator for more information. The mission of “The Village” is to influence the world for Christ, one needy child at a time, through God's model of adoption and healing.

Children are one of God's greatest gifts. They make us laugh. They make us cry. They rejuvenate our spirit of fun. They rekindle our curiosity. They help us see ourselves through the mirror of love. Sadly, through a variety of circumstances, many children never have the opportunity to experience the security and love of a permanent home. Every year thousands of infants are born into unprepared single-parent families, lacking the family balance of a mother and father, & thousands of children are rescued from abuse and placed into the foster care system. Little bodies need protection and healing. Hardened hearts need mending. Rejected children and teens need to know the unconditional love of Jesus. Yet too many of these children are housed in shelters simply because there are not enough families willing to give them a real home.

God commanded us to take care of the orphans. Yet the church for too long has greatly ignored its responsibility to the state or county. It's not that the church doesn't care... most are just unaware that this crisis even exists. We have seen the devastation caused by physical and sexual abuse. We've also seen the hand of God as He works through His followers to bring healing and restoration. Taken from Psalm 127- "Children are a gift of the Lord... like arrows in the hands of a warrior," “The Village” is a ministry serving the needs of local foster and adopted children and their families.