What Foster Care Taught Us About the Gospel
Somewhere in South Florida, a baby is born into silence. No one is waiting. No one is coming. The parents are gone before the hospital bracelet is even cold. That child enters the world already knowing what it feels like to be far away.
I know a little about that feeling. Not from foster care, but from a closet floor in college. I was weeping alone, convinced that no one was coming. And in that moment, I felt something I couldn’t explain: a presence. A voice that wasn’t audible but was undeniable.
“You don’t have to be alone. You can belong to Me.” I didn’t say yes that day. But a few months later, I did, and it changed everything.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13
That’s the gospel in one verse. You were far. God came close. Not because you earned it. Not because you were ready. But because Jesus, by His blood, crossed every distance to bring you near.
And here’s what breaks our hearts at TC3: there are kids in South Florida who have never felt that kind of nearness from another human being. No one chose them. No one came. They are far, and they are waiting.
Why Foster Care Is a Gospel Issue
May is National Foster Care Month. TC3 is proud to partner with 4Kids of South Florida, whose mission is simple and urgent: a home for every kid in South Florida. Right now, there are thousands of children in our region who are legally and emotionally without family.
We don’t partner with 4Kids because it’s a good cause. We partner with them because it’s a gospel cause. If Jesus brought us near when we were far, then we are called to go near those who are far.
That is not a program. That is a posture. It is the natural overflow of a people who actually believe Ephesians 2:13.
What Can You Do?
Foster or Adopt
If God has been stirring something in you, this month is a great time to take the next step. We want to help you do that. Reach out and we’ll connect you with 4Kids directly.
Pray
This is not a small thing. Pray for the children in our region without a home. Pray for biological families in crisis. Pray for foster and adoptive families carrying a heavy and holy load. Pray for 4Kids and their staff. Pray for healing, for reunification, and for the Treasure Coast to become a place where no child waits alone.
Give
Your financial support helps make sure every child in South Florida has a home. You can give directly through TC3’s missions fund. When you give to TC3, you’re giving through TC3.
Come Alongside Families
We’re also developing something we’re excited about, a more intentional way for our church family to support foster and adoptive families in the day-to-day. Think meals, yard work, a parent’s night out. Real, tangible help. We’re still building this out, and we’ll share more soon.
The gospel doesn’t just call us to believe something. It calls us to do something. And right now, on the Treasure Coast, there is plenty to do.
Scriptural references
Ephesians 2:13
What Pastor Miles Is Reading This Month
The Second Mountain by David Brooks
In The Second Mountain, David Brooks argues that the most meaningful life isn’t built around personal achievement, it’s built around commitment. The first mountain is the one most of us are climbing: career success, independence, status. The second mountain is something deeper. It’s found when we stop asking “what do I want?” and start asking “what am I needed for?” Brooks profiles people who have given themselves over to a cause, a community, a calling, and found that in losing themselves, they discovered something far richer.
For a month where we’re talking about going near the ones who are far, this book is a timely companion. Foster care isn’t a first-mountain decision. It’s a second-mountain one.
