How Any Church Can Serve Those Involved in Foster Care (feat. Mireya Scholes, Atascocita Community Church)
This episode of The Riverside Project Podcast is hosted by Chandler James, our Director of Church Mobilization. We are so excited to have him in this seat today!
Collaboration is a big part of what we do at The Riverside Project. It’s how we connect, share resources, communicate about the needs of families and children in foster care, and more. For this episode, we are taking an inside look at how one person’s passion has led to a vibrant foster care and adoptive ministry at their church, all through collaboration.
Chandler is joined by Mireya Scholes. She is a former foster youth, a mom, and leads a ministry to help support adoptive families, foster and kinship families, and families that are at-risk in and around Houston. Mireya is a native Houstonian and has attended her home church, Atascocita Community Church, for over 20 years, which is where she leads the foster care and adoptive support ministry.
In this episode, Mireya shares her own story of being in foster care from the age of thirteen, the power of your personal passion, how to connect those with resources with those who have a need, and much more.
Don’t miss this one!
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Key Takeaways
- Collaboration helps fill needs. When we try to help someone alone, we are limited to the resources at our disposal. However, when we collaborate, we can do so much more together because we have access to more people who can direct us to needs, and we can meet those needs together through our collective resources.
- We are most effective through authentic relationships. There is a need for people who are ministering to families in their circle. It’s through those genuine connections and long-term friendships that we are able to minister to those with needs in a long-term capacity. Meeting physical needs is a part of that, but it is far better to have an encouraging, genuine relationship that comes alongside them.
- Churches need to know the foster families in their congregation. The first step you can take as a church is to know the foster families in your church and their needs. It might be to bring them a meal, help with babysitting so they can go to doctor appointments, tutoring, or even physical items. You don’t have to have an organized ministry to begin to make a difference.
Resources
Meet the Guest
Mireya Scholes is a former foster youth, mom, and leads a ministry to help support adoptive, foster and kinship families, and families that are more at-risk in and around Houston. She is married to her husband of 17 years and together they have four amazing children. Mireya is a native Houstonian and has attended her home church, Atascocita Community Church, for over 20 years which is where she leads the foster care and adoptive support ministry.
