Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).Invitation to Prayer, Today
Hi Friends,
I look forward to our prayer time together this Wednesday at 11:30, in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Churchof Midland, Texas, followed by lunch.
Also, Faces of Children is now on Facebook ! I invite you to like our page so that you can see regular stories, prayer needs, and updates from partner ministries.
All the best,
Carrie
Dear Intercessors,
On April 8 and 9, Faces of Children will be hosting Empowered to Connect, a two-day conference designed to help adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders and professionals better understand how to connect with "children from hard places" in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be.
We currently have nearly 50 registrants, with more signing up every day. We'll be welcoming adoptive and foster parents, child placing agency staff, teachers and counselors from our local school district, and people who work with social service agencies like CASA and other programs helping vulnerable children. Please be praying for this conference and the people who will be coming. My prayer is that it is an encouraging time for all participants; that those who feel like they are at the end of their rope will leave with renewed hope and practical tools to help the children in their care.
As we gear up for this conference, I'm also mindful that the foster care system in Texas is currently embroiled in lawsuits and controversy. U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack concluded Texas foster children "almost uniformly leave state custody more damaged than when they entered." And while decisions are made in courtrooms and offices about what is best for children, thousands of kids are growing up in a broken system. Their childhoods aren't put on hold while judges and attorneys and child development experts hash out what they think is the best way to structure the foster care system. And due to a critical shortage of foster families in the state of Texas, more children are sleeping in CPS offices -- three times the number from the year before.
Thousands of children suffer abuse and trauma at home, only to be removed to settings that are sometimes as traumatic as the ones they left. And so often, as the video at the top of this letter shares, these children are nearly invisible to us, living amongst us but slipping through the cracks. Please join me in praying that the Church rises up to respond to this crisis, providing places of safe refuge to children caught in moments of crisis, leaning in to support the children's biological families when appropriate, and partnering with organizations and ministries working to expand and develop quality foster care programs for children in crisis. And please pray for the people who will be joining us for this upcoming training; so many of them are in hard seasons as they walk with their kids through hard things. Please pray the weary will feel refreshed, the confused will find clarity, the fearful will find hope, and the discouraged will have a new vision!
Sincerely,
Carrie
PS: If you sense God is calling you to pray more deeply for this matter, I invite you to sign up with the 40 Weeks of Prayer for America's Orphans group to receive weekly prayer focuses and join believers across the nation in lifting up these vulnerable children right in our own communities.
Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153
If you have prayer requests about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to info@facesofchildren.net
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