| Special Edition OKFW newsletter from an IMPACT PARTNER |
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Friends,
For the past several years there has been a groundswell of activity in the Faith Community related to the Foster Care issue. Awareness has been raised and efforts are underway. Partnerships between government, private business, non-profits, and local churches have been formed. Plans are now being made to reach out, touch base, and make a point of contact with every known church in preparation for a large scale and high profile mobilization effort. Major Foster Care reform is taking place in our State but it must be paired with a great influx of new Foster Families who are ready, willing, and able to welcome children who have been abused, neglected, and abandoned into their hearts and homes.
There are over 400,000 boys and girls in the United States Foster Care System. In Oklahoma last year there were 103,143 children alleged to be victims of abuse and neglect. On January 1st of this year a snapshot was taken revealing 8,308 children in OKDHS custody. Every night in Oklahoma there are hundreds of children who sleep in a series of shelters because there are not enough trained and certified families to take them in.
So for whom God has given a voice, speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Defend the cause of the Fatherless. Practice pure religion. Put it at the very center of your community. And leave it there. This isn't another passing ministry trend or social justice fad. This is an emergency. We are in the midst of a Local Orphan Crisis known as Foster Care.
Please join me on Thursday, April 26th from 9am to 3:30pm at Journey Church North Campus located at 3801 Journey Pkwy (I-35 & Tecumseh Rd) - Norman, OK 73072 for 8308: A conference dedicated to leave no Oklahoma child without a family. 8308 is for those in the Faith Community who are interested in learning about the Foster Care issue and the opportunities to serve our Oklahoma children. This event is free but registration is required. Click Here to register.
On behalf of the 8308 Oklahoma children in Foster Care,
Ben Nockels
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Please share this event with everyone you know! Our own Executive Director, Lisa Feist and her husband (& OKFW board VP), Guy Feist will be sharing their family's epic story of foster advocacy, foster care and adoption. Don't miss it!
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