Hampton church on mission to connect kids with foster, adoptive homes

Finding foster or permanent families for the more than 13,000 children in Pennsylvania who need a home might seem like an insurmountable task. 

But members of Allison Park Church in Hampton believe finding homes for those kids is an opportunity to put their faith in action one child at a time.

The church is partnering with the local nonprofit group Network of Hope to launch an initiative called Treasured Kids, which aims to recruit and provide support and resource for foster care and adoptive families.

“I have always felt that foster care families are heroes,” said the Rev. Jeff Leake, the church’s lead pastor. “Then as I began to discover the great need, I knew that we could do something about it.”

According to the Pennsylvania State Family Resource Association, there are between 13,000 and 15,000 kids in Pennsylvania in foster care awaiting adoption.

“There are many children waiting for families in our area,” Leake said. “We can make a dent in this need.”

Leake said the Treasured Kids initiative has two goals — recruit as many families as possible to become foster parents, adoptive parents or to provide respite care for foster and adoptive children and create support teams to help them.

The teams include groups to assist with prayer, child care, meal preparation and advocacy for the family.

“We know that not every family can become a foster family,” the pastor said. “However, everyone can provide support in some way. Whether that’s providing backpacks and meals or babysitting, it’s something that we want to get behind as an entire church family.”

Since launching the initiative at the end of September, 52 families have expressed interest in fostering, adopting or providing respite care.

So far, 18 families have started the licensing process and 32 people have signed up to serve

“We’ve had an incredible response to the initiative in just the first two weeks since launch,” said the Rev. Kyler Sederwall, who oversees of the initiative. “We’re excited to see what the future brings as we continue to grow this ministry.”

The church refers prospective foster care families to the Bair Foundation, a Christian adoption licensing agency.

While developing the Treasured Kids program, Allison Park Church received assistance from Backyard Orphans, a national nonprofit group that helps church leaders develop foster care, adoption and support ministry.

Sederwall said the organization’s motto is something his church can get behind.

“There goal is to see a day where there are more families waiting for children than children waiting for families,” he said. “That’s a goal we want to support.”

Sederwall said his long-term goal for the initiative is to see other churches participate in adoption ministries.

“If every church could work to help one kid get adopted, we could find homes for all of them,” he said.

In addition to its site along Duncan Avenue in Hampton, the church, which is a member of the Assemblies of God, has campuses in Butler, Russellton, the Sewickley area, Pittsburgh’s North Side and Ambridge.

The church also offers online services on weekends.