Greater Holland Area
Foster Care Prayer Vigil
Children's Ministry Packet
Foster Care Prayer Vigil
Children's Ministry Packet
May 10: Send home "Donation Request" list with parents on parent pager list.
May 17: Use packet activities
Packet Activities
Intro: What is foster care?
Leading question: Who can tell me what Moses and Superman have in common? Moses and Superman were both a foster children! A foster child is a child that can't live with their birth parents, and must go and live with either a family member or a foster family. There are many reasons for a child to come into foster care, but in general, it happens when birth parents can't take care of their children's needs (safety, food, shelter).
Coming into foster care is very difficult for a child. It's like moving to a new house, but without your family, your things or your pets. Everything is different.
Visual Representation of 6000
Background: There are currently 6000 youth that can't go back home to their birth parents, and are waiting for adoptive homes in Michigan. Many of these kids will age out of the system at age 18, never having found an adoptive family. They are on their own, and sure need our prayers.
Activity: Give your kids a visual representation of how many 6000 really is - it's A LOT! This is a great intro to talk about the children waiting for homes. Spread out or otherwise show them the pasta or peas, and take a few guesses of how many are there. Explain that this is the number of kids in foster care in Michigan RIGHT NOW that will never be able to go home to their parents, but are waiting for an adoptive home.
Materials:
You can use penne pasta or black eyed peas:
What does God say about Orphans?
God has A LOT to say about orphans (children without parents), and as God's hands and feet, we need to know what He asks of us.
Bible verses:
· "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
But I'm a kid! What can I do?
God makes it very clear we all have a job to do. Listen to the following story and understand that
One Person CAN Make a Difference:
There was once a wise old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. One day as he walked along
the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man, and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead was reaching down to the shore, picking up starfish, and very gently throwing them into the ocean.
“Good morning! What are you doing?” asked the wise man. The young man paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is rising, and the tide is out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles of beach and thousands of starfish all along it? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man, listening politely, bent down and picked up another starfish, throwing it into the sea past the breaking waves. Turning to the old man, he modestly replied, “It made a difference for that one.”
Connection: Lookat all these noodles/peas on the ground. They represent a lot of kids. We may not be able to help them all, but (pick up a noodle/pea), what if we could make a difference for just one? What if EVERYONE made a difference for just one? God can do mighty things through the hands of His people.
Activities: (choose which activities to do by age, time allotment or personal preference)
Prayer Plate:
One of the best things you can do is pray. So today, we are going to make prayer reminders to help us remember these children. We're going to pass around this offering basket/bucket, but instead of putting an offering IN it, you will take one OUT of it as your offering this week. You'll get the name, age and description of a child here in Michigan waiting for a home. We'll glue the picture onto a plate, and you may decorate the plate however you want. Then you will take it home, and as you set the table for dinner, set a place for this child as well, and use the plate as a reminder to be praying for them each day.
Materials:
Pictures/bios of children (I will provide these)
Paper plates
Glue
Crayons/markers, etc to decorate plates
Prayer over collected items:
Spread out the donations children have brought in.
Look at all the items your caring hearts have gathered for these kids! These items will go into special foster care bags, and will be given to children when they enter foster care. How do you think it will make them feel to have a special book, stuffed animal or toy? I think they will feel loved and cared for. Can we all gather around these things and pray over them?
Father God, thank you for the caring hearts that have brought these items here today. We pray that they will bless the children that receive them. We pray these things bring them comfort and joy. We pray that they will know that we care what happens to them. Lord, help us continue to remember and pray for the children in foster care. And finally, we pray that most importantly, they will know how much YOU love them and will never leave them. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Notes/Pictures of encouragement:
Children that can write may write a note to put in the font cover of books being donated, or simply write notes or color pictures to put in bags. They could also color the first picture in donated coloring books and write a note with it simply saying they are being prayed for, etc.
Tie Prayer Blankets:
These blankets will be part of the foster care bags that children will receive. Each of you will have a chance to tie a few knots in the blanket, and say a little prayer for the child that will receive it. Then, when the child curls up under it, we know they will be "covered in prayer!"
What else can kids do?
· Be a friend to foster children you may meet
o Let your teacher or principal know that if a new foster child comes to your school or class, you'd like to be a friend to them. You can make sure they have a place to sit at lunch, and someone to play with on the playground. Introduce them to your friends and make sure you are including them in activities. (maybe have "contracts" made up that kids can sign and give to their principals or teachers explaining this?)
· Continue to pray for:
o A child waiting for an adoptive home
o Foster families
o Adoptive families
o Biological families
o Case workers
o Judges
· Encourage caseworkers:
o Send notes of thanks/encouragement
o Bake cookies or other treats
What else can you kids think of?
Children's Ministry Packet
May 10: Send home "Donation Request" list with parents on parent pager list.
May 17: Use packet activities
Packet Activities
Intro: What is foster care?
Leading question: Who can tell me what Moses and Superman have in common? Moses and Superman were both a foster children! A foster child is a child that can't live with their birth parents, and must go and live with either a family member or a foster family. There are many reasons for a child to come into foster care, but in general, it happens when birth parents can't take care of their children's needs (safety, food, shelter).
Coming into foster care is very difficult for a child. It's like moving to a new house, but without your family, your things or your pets. Everything is different.
Visual Representation of 6000
Background: There are currently 6000 youth that can't go back home to their birth parents, and are waiting for adoptive homes in Michigan. Many of these kids will age out of the system at age 18, never having found an adoptive family. They are on their own, and sure need our prayers.
Activity: Give your kids a visual representation of how many 6000 really is - it's A LOT! This is a great intro to talk about the children waiting for homes. Spread out or otherwise show them the pasta or peas, and take a few guesses of how many are there. Explain that this is the number of kids in foster care in Michigan RIGHT NOW that will never be able to go home to their parents, but are waiting for an adoptive home.
Materials:
You can use penne pasta or black eyed peas:
- Penne Pasta: approx 42 noodles/oz = nearly 9 boxes if they are 16oz boxes, and just under 10 if they are 14.5oz boxes.
- Black eyed peas: approx 137 peas/oz = 2.75 16oz bags of peas
- Container/cookie sheets with edges, or if you don't mind the mess, just dump them on the floor in front of the kids!
What does God say about Orphans?
God has A LOT to say about orphans (children without parents), and as God's hands and feet, we need to know what He asks of us.
Bible verses:
· "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
- "In you the fatherless find compassion…" Hosea 14:3
- YOU can speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Pv. 31:8
- YOU can defend the cause of the fatherless. Deut. 10:18
- YOU can connect with others to better serve orphans’ needs together. Jn. 17:22-23
- YOU can prepare to join the army of believers who are caring for the least of these.
We need each one of you. Mt. 25:40
But I'm a kid! What can I do?
God makes it very clear we all have a job to do. Listen to the following story and understand that
One Person CAN Make a Difference:
There was once a wise old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. One day as he walked along
the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man, and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead was reaching down to the shore, picking up starfish, and very gently throwing them into the ocean.
“Good morning! What are you doing?” asked the wise man. The young man paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is rising, and the tide is out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles of beach and thousands of starfish all along it? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man, listening politely, bent down and picked up another starfish, throwing it into the sea past the breaking waves. Turning to the old man, he modestly replied, “It made a difference for that one.”
Connection: Lookat all these noodles/peas on the ground. They represent a lot of kids. We may not be able to help them all, but (pick up a noodle/pea), what if we could make a difference for just one? What if EVERYONE made a difference for just one? God can do mighty things through the hands of His people.
Activities: (choose which activities to do by age, time allotment or personal preference)
Prayer Plate:
One of the best things you can do is pray. So today, we are going to make prayer reminders to help us remember these children. We're going to pass around this offering basket/bucket, but instead of putting an offering IN it, you will take one OUT of it as your offering this week. You'll get the name, age and description of a child here in Michigan waiting for a home. We'll glue the picture onto a plate, and you may decorate the plate however you want. Then you will take it home, and as you set the table for dinner, set a place for this child as well, and use the plate as a reminder to be praying for them each day.
Materials:
Pictures/bios of children (I will provide these)
Paper plates
Glue
Crayons/markers, etc to decorate plates
Prayer over collected items:
Spread out the donations children have brought in.
Look at all the items your caring hearts have gathered for these kids! These items will go into special foster care bags, and will be given to children when they enter foster care. How do you think it will make them feel to have a special book, stuffed animal or toy? I think they will feel loved and cared for. Can we all gather around these things and pray over them?
Father God, thank you for the caring hearts that have brought these items here today. We pray that they will bless the children that receive them. We pray these things bring them comfort and joy. We pray that they will know that we care what happens to them. Lord, help us continue to remember and pray for the children in foster care. And finally, we pray that most importantly, they will know how much YOU love them and will never leave them. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Notes/Pictures of encouragement:
Children that can write may write a note to put in the font cover of books being donated, or simply write notes or color pictures to put in bags. They could also color the first picture in donated coloring books and write a note with it simply saying they are being prayed for, etc.
Tie Prayer Blankets:
These blankets will be part of the foster care bags that children will receive. Each of you will have a chance to tie a few knots in the blanket, and say a little prayer for the child that will receive it. Then, when the child curls up under it, we know they will be "covered in prayer!"
What else can kids do?
· Be a friend to foster children you may meet
o Let your teacher or principal know that if a new foster child comes to your school or class, you'd like to be a friend to them. You can make sure they have a place to sit at lunch, and someone to play with on the playground. Introduce them to your friends and make sure you are including them in activities. (maybe have "contracts" made up that kids can sign and give to their principals or teachers explaining this?)
· Continue to pray for:
o A child waiting for an adoptive home
o Foster families
o Adoptive families
o Biological families
o Case workers
o Judges
· Encourage caseworkers:
o Send notes of thanks/encouragement
o Bake cookies or other treats
What else can you kids think of?
