A Family For Every Child in OC

Every year in Orange County, there are 50,000 calls to Child Protective Services, 8,000 cases that are investigated, 1,500 children that are removed from homes, and 300 more children that seek adoption.

An additional 150 kids “age out” of the foster care system and enter adulthood, completely unprepared for life’s challenges. Tragically, this leads to 85% falling victim to homelessness, gangs, substance abuse, incarceration, human trafficking, and even suicide.

That’s why Saddleback’s Orphan Care Initiative has launched the “ZERO by 2020 Vision”. The overarching goal is to find a family for every child in Orange County by 2020 and equip the church to support them along the way. Built on a three-pronged strategy, the vision is to 1) find families, 2) equip churches, and 3) support adoptive families.

In Orange County alone, there are over one million households, of which 664,652 represent married households with families. Within that group are about 400,00 that fall within the target 30-60 years of age, of which 150,000 are married Christians who attend church. Those are the homes that the church can best support as foster families.

Beginning in November 2017, Saddleback launched dozens of locations for families to attend ZERO by 2020 seminars at a church near them. Our ministry team is actively recruiting Christian families within our churches to consider opening their homes.

Based on research, finding enough families to fulfill the ZERO by 2020 Vision is feasible, especially with tools provided by the Orphan Care Initiative. Among them are three “seminars in a box” focused on each of the three steps; they feature video-based plug-and-play information built on a biblical perspective.

To achieve the second prong of equipping the church, the vision was initially launched with one church — Saddleback. In a matter of months, another 17 churches were deployed to carry out the vision. By the end of 2018, an additional 32 churches will have made a commitment to act. The ultimate goal is to reach a total of 3,000 participating churches by 2020.

This collaborative initiative of Orange County churches first gained momentum at Saddleback on August 22, 2017. At that initial meeting, over 100 people from 30 churches initiated this vision along with the Social Service Agency of Orange County and other organizations such as OC United and Olivecrest.

According to Saddleback’s Orphan Care Manager, Max McGhee, “Last year was about casting the vision, this year is about equipping churches, and 2019 will show measurable results of children who have been placed in families. That’s why the three-prong approach makes sense — to bring about relational solutions, not clinical; to offer support in crisis; to be an example of Christ’s love; and to offer children a path to recovery.”

Currently in the planning stages are workshops, training events, and launch kits set for release later this year at the Zero by 2020 Summit. Saddleback is also equipping churches to mobilize Purpose Driven volunteers with PEACE Plan principles. This new strategy will ultimately involve thousands of churches working together to bring hope to children in need.

As the final prong, “support” will be fostered through building a network of consistent support groups for caregivers. This foundation of care includes an evidence-based training curriculum in partnership with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis. The study helps equip families with practical tools to heal the effects of trauma, strengthen families, and build connected relationships.

While the strategy is simple, the journey will require a collaborative effort from all of our churches and volunteers. For now, the big piece to this vision is finding support.

“God has it figured it out,” says Max. “I’ve never seen anything come together in ministry like I’ve seen with this vision.”

When it comes to encouraging people to act, Max adds: “If we look to our heavenly Father who adopted us in our brokenness, and recognize that his life is a walk of suffering and sacrifice on our behalf, there really is no greater honor than to follow his example of unconditional love for the sake of a vulnerable child.”

To learn more about the ZERO by 2020 Vision, visit www.zeroby2020vision.com.