James 1:27

NASB	NLT	VOICE
27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.	27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.	27 Real, true religion from God the Father’s perspective is about caring for the orphans and widows who suffer needlessly and resisting the evil influence of the world.

Religion should be pure and undefiled. To be pure means to be free from corruption or hypocrisy. To be undefiled means to be untainted by sin or worldly influence. An example of how this should look is how we care for the marginalized communities around us. Caring for orphans and widows was a major part of Jewish law and tradition. Orphans and widows were among the most vulnerable communities, often lacking social and economic support. The early church continued this through the apostles addressing the needs of the widows. The care expressed love and faith, reflecting the heart of God. We must also keep ourselves from being tempted with the worldly values and practices that contradict God’s standards. This is a reminder to us to embrace our identity as a new creation in Christ and recognize that this will be a process that lasts all of our life. It’s not about a physical withdrawal, but keeping spiritual integrity and moral purity in a fallen world. 

Believers are called to seek out and support the vulnerable. Today, I want to highlight the kids that are currently in foster care. For those that don’t know or haven’t heard of foster care before, it’s a temporary system where children that can’t safely remain with their biological families. These children are placed in the care of licensed caregivers, relatives, or group homes that are supervised through a state agency. The goal of foster care is to make sure that kids are safe, stable, and have a great well-being. These kids may have experienced abuse, neglect, and/or unsafe living conditions. The goal for the state agencies and courts is to reunify the child with their family when possible, or supports alternative permanency plans. Children enter foster care through CPS (Child Protective Services) or court orders due to parental issues. The state assumes legal responsibility for the child, while the foster parents handle daily caregiving responsibilities. 

Here are some key statistics to understand our current foster care situation:

• Total children in foster care: about 343,000 children
• Average age: roughly 8 years old.
  • 31% aged 1-5
  • 28% aged 11-16
• Black and Native American children remain disproportionately represented, with Native youth up to twice as likely to enter care.
• Top states by number of children in foster care:
  • California – 43,095
  • Florida – 20,177
  • Illinois – 19,387
  • West Virginia has nearly 20 per 1,000 kids in foster care.

What are some struggles for people facing foster care? 

• Place shortages: Many states are facing a shortage of licensed foster home relative to the number of children needing placement
• Aging out and homelessness: Around 20,000 youth “age out” of foster care every year, and nearly 1 in 5 (4,000) become homeless soon afterward.
• Educational barriers: Students have lower graduation rates and higher mobility than peers.
• Mental health and trauma: Up to 80% of children have significant mental health issues due to neglect, abuse, or instability.
• Systemic inequities: Minority children are overrepresented, often linked to systemic poverty, biased reporting, and unequal support services.
• Hidden foster care: Thousands more children live outside their homes in informal or unrecorded custody arrangements, sometimes without court oversight.

There’s no place for kids in foster agencies to go when in foster care and when they age out. They struggle with their educational abilities compared to their classmates. They struggle with mental health due the neglect and abuse they may have faced from their biological families or prior foster care environment, and the constant movement can create additional stress. Minority children struggle due to systemic poverty, biased reporting, and unequal support opportunities. Plus, there are thousands of more children that are in foster situations that are unrecorded outside of CPS and court cases. I highlight all of these struggles to get an understanding of how we can care for our foster kids. There are key areas: mental health resources, placement expansion, and equal access to long-term stability for vulnerable youth. How can we, as Christians, start to help care for this community?

First, become foster or adoptive parents. Be a loving, stable home for our next generations and show them firsthand how God cares for them. We can also support foster families through offering daycare, meals, mentorship programs, or financial support. We can help to reduce caregiver burnout and improve the stability of kids being placed in loving homes. We can also offer mentorship and advocacy programs. Churches can offer adult relationships, tutoring, and life skills coaching to help youth overcome the educational and emotional challenges they face. We can also be a voice that advocates for policies to improve mental health resources, reduce placement disruptions, and increase funding for kinship care (children living with approved relatives.) We can also bring awareness and education to our community. Inform your church about the realities and needs of foster care and offer a place of welcome and support. Offer both training and trauma-informed care and foster care challenges to inspire action. We can offer foster care-specific ministries tailored to foster and adoptive families. They can focus on offering prayer support, counseling, and general events that nurture both the children and the caregivers spiritually and emotionally. Partner with your local foster care agencies through volunteering, donating resources, or facilitating foster care workshops and peer support groups. The simplest thing we can do is pray and offer spiritual encouragement for children, families, and the agencies involved. 

Today, I want to highlight the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO). They are a large network of over 300 organizations, churches, and people dedicated to transforming foster care through shared initiatives rooted in Christian discipleship, family strengthening, and global orphan care. To see how you can be involved and play a role at helping our foster children, check out: https://cafo.org/about/

Check out the next part: Serving Up Justice #4

Informational Links:

• https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/foster-care/
• https://www.ifoster.org/blogs/how-does-the-foster-care-system-work/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster_care
• https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/adult-child-serv/foster-care
• https://dss.sc.gov/child-well-being/foster-care/
• https://unitedwaynca.org/what-is-foster-care/
• https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Foster-Care-064.aspx
• https://acf.gov/cb/focus-areas/foster-care
• https://imprintnews.org/youth-services-insider/number-youth-foster-care-declines-again/261073
• https://cafo.org/foster-care-statistics/
• https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-kids-are-in-foster-care/
• https://adoptioncouncil.org/article/foster-care-and-adoption-statistics/
• https://acf.gov/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/afcars
• https://blog.sevitahealth.com/foster-care-statistics
• https://americanspcc.org/get-the-facts-foster-care-adoption/
• https://adoptuskids.org/meet-the-children/children-in-foster-care/about-the-children
• https://fosterlove.com/blog/a-snapshot-of-foster-care-statistics-by-state-2025/
• http://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/special-populations/students-foster-care/students-in-foster-care
• https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/foster-care/
• https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Foster-Care-064.aspx
• https://unitedwaynca.org/what-is-foster-care/
• http://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/special-populations/students-foster-care/students-in-foster-care
• https://fosterlove.com/blog/a-snapshot-of-foster-care-statistics-by-state-2025/