Safe Families is seeing a lot of the same struggles as other organizations and ministries as they try to navigate this health pandemic. SF is practicing social distancing and working to connect via Zoom, text, and good old fashioned telephone. Their ministry is facing some serious challenges as they strive to submit to local authorities and serve our neighbors well through social distancing while also serving families in crisis who have very real, very direct needs and do not have access to all the technologies and financial resources to navigate these unusual circumstances.
Praise the Lord with Us!
• For the technological advances we have today- It is such a blessing to be able to continue to serve families while obeying local authorities and protecting one another.
• For growth– Safe Families Greater Cincinnati is experiencing growth on its staff team and is working through some organizational changes to make this ministry scalable. While growth and change can be difficult, SF can see God’s hand in the process. He has provided expertise and clarity for such a time as this. Join us in praising Him for this provision and His peace during these changes.
Please Pray For-
• Wisdom and discernment as Safe Families attempts to serve families well during this time. They are seeing an uptick in calls from parents in need of daycare rather than overnight hostings and want to be wise in how they serve. SF’s ministry may end up looking very different during these unusual times.
• More volunteers as Safe Families look at a potential rise in hosting or other serving needs. Currently, SF has a mother who is asthmatic and 8 1/2 months pregnant. She is due in early April and has 5 young children. Please ask the Father to provide host families for these sweet children when she goes into labor. Right now SF is uncertain in their ability to meet this need.
• SF’s financial needs as we all face a period of uncertainty. Safe Families is a small ministry that operates on a comparatively small budget including all staff functioning as missionaries. God has promised to provide and SF is resting in His promise.
Opportunties to Serve:
• Host Families needed as well as many other ways to serve! While many of the calls coming in aren’t developing into hostings, Safe Families definitely needs more families willing to open their homes. If the economy continues to suffer, SF may see a huge uptick in requests and they are not currently equipped to meet. If you are willing to stand in the gap for some of these families, please email Safe Families and they will work to expedite your approval. If you are unable to host, but are willing to serve in other ways, Safe Families would love to hear from you, too! SF suspects to see a wide variety of calls with an even wider variety of needs.
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” -Philippians 1:9-10
Updated 3/25/20
Safe Families for Children hosts vulnerable children and creates extended family–like supports for desperate families through a community of devoted volunteers who are motivated by compassion to keep children safe and families intact. There are various roles within Safe Families that include direct relational ministry as well as behind-the-scenes support.