In this article Elaine Ingram, from Home for Good, shares her personal journey and deep conviction about the Church's responsibility to care for vulnerable children, particularly those in the care system. She emphasises that the Church is uniquely positioned to lead the way in this divine mission and outlines practical steps for us to engage in fostering, adopting, and supporting care-experienced families.

Elaine challenges us to move beyond passive faith and to answer God’s call to care for those most in need. I think you’ll agree that it’s a challenging but essential read!

In 1998, twenty-two families in a small Baptist church in Possum Trot, Texas, adopted 77 of the hardest-to-place children. It was not easy—it required sacrifice, perseverance, and faith.

But once these families decided to step up and care for some of the most vulnerable, they found that their heavenly Father’s provision was more than sufficient for the task at hand. He provided, healed hearts, performed miracles, and forever changed lives. You can watch this inspiring story here or read about it here.

Why am I telling you this?

I think the Church benefits from constant reminders that, as the commissioned administer of God’s love to a broken world, taking a hands-off approach to the sufferings of the marginalised isn’t an option. I regularly pray that the example of churches like the Possum Trot community will encourage greater action in addressing one of the most heartbreaking issues facing society today: the crisis of thousands of children without homes.

Having dedicated a good chunk of my life to working in the care sector, I’ve seen and experienced how many Christian foster carers and adoptive parents have changed lives. But the need remains urgent, and the Church is far from reaching its capacity to help.

The Body of Christ is able, but are we ready and willing to respond?

The crisis

Here’s an overview of the problem.

While the social care system in the UK is trying its best, it is under-resourced and overwhelmed. The stats are pretty dire:

Every 15 minutes, a child enters the UK care system.
That’s 100 children a day in need of a loving home.
Over 100,000 children are currently in care:

70,000 in foster care.
2,000 waiting for adoption.
9,000 more foster carers are urgently needed.

These numbers can feel overwhelming, but remember, we have a big God who empowers us to take on big challenges. While the spectrum of needs is complex, if a handful of people from every church across the UK offered some form of support, including, but not restricted to, adoption and fostering, the number of children requiring a permanent family would significantly reduce. It might even disappear altogether!

A biblical mandate

The Bible is explicit: many children will face uncertainty and hardship, but addressing their deprivation is a major part of our calling.

Psalm 68:6 (NIV): ‘A father to the fatherless… is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.’

James 1:27: ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…’

Isaiah 1:17: Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless…’

As Christians, I think we should interpret these passages as a divine mission anchored in that well-known, challenging truth found in James: You must be doers of the word, not just hearers. While I’m not interested in guilt-tripping people, I am interested in challenging a common mindset of passivity. The question shouldn’t be whether we should act, but how we will.

A calling close to home

“For me, this isn’t just a theoretical or theological issue. It’s personal. My family history and life experiences have shaped my heart for orphans.”

For me, this isn’t just a theoretical or theological issue. It’s personal. My family history and life experiences have shaped my heart for orphans. In a sentence, my mother grew up in an orphanage, and the state fostered my father during WWII. So, as you can see, the issue is incredibly close to home.

Fast-forward a fair few years into the future, and my husband and I felt God’s call to adopt. Welcoming a 7-year-old boy into our home wasn’t easy, but it deepened our faith and affirmed to everyone involved that God's provision always follows obedience to His call.

Looking back, our trust in the Lord transformed the decision to provide a home for a child into a powerful act of faith. And when faith gets involved, mountains tend to move!

Home for Good

“Our collective mission is to find a loving and stable home for every child in care across the UK. We know this is ambitious, but the knowledge that ‘all things are possible with God’ (Mark 10:27) provides us with the comfort and confidence to keep going.”

That journey of faith led me to where I am today. I work for Home for Good Suffolk, a voluntary charity connected to but independent of the national Christian charity, Home for Good. Our collective mission is to find a loving and stable home for every child in care across the UK. We know this is ambitious, but the knowledge that ‘all things are possible with God’ (Mark 10:27) provides us with the comfort and confidence to keep going.

One of my favourite things about Home for Good is our emphasis on the Church's identity as the Body of Christ and our function as His hands and feet in the world. We recognise that children who have suffered trauma and neglect need more than just a place to live; they need love, stability, and a family that reflects God's heart.

Is there another institution uniquely positioned like the Church to meet these requirements? I don’t think so.

So…

What can your church do?

Here are just a few ways you can make a difference:

Spread awareness – Share this need with families in the Relational Mission network. Many people simply don’t know the scale of the crisis or that they can be part of the solution.

Encourage fostering and adoption – Champion the cause within your church. Use Home for Good and Home for Good Suffolk as key resources to guide and support those considering fostering or adoption.

Support families who say, ‘Yes’ – Not everyone is called to foster or adopt, but everyone can contribute. Use the PRAY framework to actively support foster, adoptive, and special guardianship families:

Pray – Lift them up as they navigate challenges.
Respect – Honour their children’s privacy and unique circumstances.
Accept – Be a welcoming and understanding church community.
You (can help) – Offer meals, practical support, encouragement, and more prayer.

You might also like to consider becoming an official partner with Home for Good and Home for Good Suffolk. There are many ways to get involved, whether as an individual or a church: volunteer, donate, campaign, fundraise, or act as a church liaison.

YES and AMEN

The Church must be a refuge for the vulnerable. Let’s not wait for someone else to step up. Let’s be the ones who give a loud, resounding YES and AMEN to God’s mandate to care for the poor.

I pray that Relational Mission will be a family of churches that hears the holy call, responds, and leads by example. Let’s prioritise caring for children, trusting that if we take a leap of faith, God will use us to transform many lives across the UK.

If you want to talk more about how you and your church can get involved, please feel free to contact me at elaine.ingram@homeforgoodsuffolk.org.uk

Blessings, and thanks for reading.

by Elaine Ingram

Elaine is a passionate advocate for care-experienced children. She became a Christian in her teenage years, and her faith has guided her journey to adopt her son and work with Home for Good Suffolk to support vulnerable children. Elaine enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and socialising and is an active member of Life Church Beccles, where she leads a life group and supports youth.

A Family Of Churches, A Family For Orphans