Ministry can feel lonely. Do churches seem disengaged? Is your agency contact not responding? Are you finding it challenging to bring on coordinators?
You are part of a community at TFI.
We see in Scripture God equips leaders with other people. From the very beginning, soon after God creates the first human being, Eve is created so that Adam won’t be alone in caring for creation. In Exodus 18, Moses’ father-in-law says to him, “What you’re doing is not good. You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.”
We don’t want you to wear yourselves out. We don’t want the task to be too heavy for you. We don’t want you to do it alone. We are grateful for your yes to the leadership of foster care ministry, and we also recognize that you have other places in which God is asking you to be present. It is our joy to come alongside advocates as you navigate this volunteer role in the mix of other responsibilities and relationships.
Here are five tangible actions you can take to include others in your TFI ministry:
1. Ask for prayer.
One of our favorite things to do as the TFI National Team is to pray for you.
Sometimes prayer is referred to as a last resort, with phrases like “at minimum we can pray” or “at least we can pray about it”. In reality, it is our most powerful resource.
We pray for you personally and for your ministry. Our team gathers for this every week on Friday mornings, and monthly with advocates on the second Tuesday of every month at 11am CST. This is a drop in opportunity, so if you haven’t joined before don’t feel hesitant to come when you can.
2. Calculate the cost.
Luke 14:28 says, “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” The “cost” isn’t just financial but also the resources of time and effort.
The TFI Ministry Network Facebook page is a space where you can share questions and reach out to Advocates who may have attempted similar endeavors to support the foster care community.
As an Advocate, you have fellow leaders all over the country who can help you to wisely “calculate the cost” based on what they have done in their ministry areas.
3. Extend an invite.
There are people in your local community that want to help. Start with a simple invitation that provides a step forward in their awareness journey.
Are you planning on having lunch with a friend? Are you also dropping off an item at your agency for a worker appreciation? What if you asked your friend to stop by the agency with you right before or after that lunch? This can be a great opportunity to raise awareness and share an important part of your life with someone you care about.
This friend may one day become a coordinator, but it also just may be a way for them to learn more about the foster care community and for you to receive their support.
4. Contact your coach.
We love hearing from you! You don’t need to wait until your next scheduled coaching call. Send us a quick text or email. We are here for all of it—the good, the hard, and the uncertain. Ask us to pray with you in real time on your way to a meeting with an agency contact, or send us a photo of an agency appreciation event.
We want to work through questions and concerns with you so that you can serve your ministry areas feeling equipped and encouraged. There is never a need to apologize for a question or an expectation that you will always have it all together.
5. Celebrate!
One of the core values at TFI is to celebrate. We include praises during the TFI national team prayer calls and monthly advocate ones. Nothing is too small to celebrate, so let us know how we can be cheering you on! Sharing celebrations can also be a great way to raise awareness in your community with those not yet connected to TFI.
There will be times when nothing is going the way you expected it would in ministry. When you are feeling discouragement after a series of setbacks, it can be the most critical time to identify what there is to still celebrate. In these moments joy can stem from thankfulness that God will be present and has not asked us to advocate alone.
