There are over 8000 children in the care and custody of the Tennessee child welfare system. You can help make a difference.
Our Vision
We will see every healthy church in Tennessee bring hope to foster families, children, nonprofits, and caseworkers across the state, sharing God’s love, by implementing the three On-Ramps: Preach, Identify, and Serve.
We believe highlighting the wins and transformation happening in your community through the foster care movement is an incredibly vital tool for your church in this process. This could be sharing stories on Sundays, posting on social media, or creating moments to celebrate families involved in foster care. We also encourage you to dedicate one Sunday a year (on Orphan Sunday) to share stories, preach on the importance of foster care and encourage others to get involved.
IDENTIFY
SERVE
Next step is to identify the current and previous foster or adoptive parents, previous foster children, and those interested in fostering in your church. As a church leader, learn who they are and engage with them to understand their needs. Also, take time to discover the top three nonprofits in your county that are supporting foster care and adoption. Build connections with these organizations to create a bridge between your church and the broader foster care community.
PREACH
Finally, develop ways your church can provide tangible support through serving foster families and foster-care-related nonprofits in your community and caseworkers operating at the state-level in your county. You can help by offering meals, emotional support, or financial help; encourage your church members to wrap around these families and organizations.
Equipping Churches to serve their Communities.
Tennessee Foster Care Network equips churches to serve the 8,000 children in DCS custody and the 4,000 foster families across Tennessee. We accomplish this by developing a customized, sustainable action plan tailored to each congregation, centered on three key On-Ramps: Preach, Identify, and Serve. While every church's role in foster care may be unique, we believe that every church is called to foster care.
DIRECTOR
TN FOSTER CARE NETWORK
Pastor John Widrick
Contact: fostercare@tnaog.org
John Widrick has spent over two decades dedicated to the non-profit sector, with a special focus on assisting at-risk youth and families. Serving as the Executive Director of The Bridge House and holding credentials as a Minister and chaplain with The Assemblies of God, John's leadership is deeply intertwined with his commitment to helping others. He earned his degree in Pastoral Leadership from Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia, and devotes his time to volunteering with Wilson County CASA and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, advocating for the well-being of children. John lives in Lebanon, TN, with his wife Rachel and their three children, Benjamin, Brooklyn, and Judah.
