Blog Archives

February 27th, 2021

2/27/2021

Momentum & Movement

Would your church be willing to share our ministry by including a bulletin mention, showing a short video, or even by letting us have an information table set up for after a service? The best way to answer that is by asking!

Catching you up on where we are -

Since our last newsletter, our Tallahassee Safe Families for Children chapter has had some exciting changes. We have welcomed our first staff members, our first event, and our first calls from parents seeking support.

In January our "Friendraiser" did just that - raised new friends for our ministry, and reunited us with some old ones. We had a wonderful group of servant hearted, organizationally minded volunteers come along side the Community Leadership Team - and host an evening that over 100 people attended, and even more watched on a live broadcast. Many of those who were moved that evening to begin the volunteer process are engaged in training - and they are joining an already strong group of volunteers who joined their church's SFFC ministry.

February saw the launch of our local website, and the start of our next initiative - "Focus 50". Throughout March and April we are asking people with a passion to partner with schools, and bring the church alongside them, to meet together and strategize a plan to impact Leon and Gadsden County schools. We hope to reach out to churches already partnered with schools, and letting them know about our relational ministry; facilitate new church/school partnerships; and picking one school to serve with an outreach event geared towards encouraging the students parents. If you'd be interested in being a part of the advisory group - please reach out to Laure Mulrooney -
lauremul227@gmail.com

Looking ahead to March and April we're so excited about Safe Families Sunday! If you could, would you please help us reach your church? This small, short term volunteer role would just mean you'd reach out to your church leadership and let them know about Safe Families, and the ministry opportunity available. We'll give you everything you'd need. Email us at tallahassee@safefamilies.net if you're willing.

Finally, we are hoping to find a few leaders who would like to partner with us on our Community Leadership Team. This would require a minimum of two hours a month for a meeting to help lead our chapter in this time of growth. This is similar to a Board of Directors position, candidates should be Christians, active in a local body of fellowship, and have a passion for keeping families united whenever possible. If you, or someone you know are a fit then please contact Ann Connell for more information - aconnell@safefamilies.net

Our Friendraiser 2021 brought us new volunteers, and contact with new churches. We're so grateful to all who help make it a success!

Pray with and for us

Hae Min Yang is our Prayer Ministry Leader, each month she gathers praises and prayer requests for our ministry, the families we serve and our volunteers. She publishes a monthly prayer letter that can be found on our website. To be on Hae Min's prayer ministry team please contact her mindan600@yahoo.com We are so grateful her leadership, and commitment to calling us each month to come before our Father in praise, thanksgiving and petition.

Hospitality as a mission field

Are you being called to open your home to families in crisis? Whether that's hosting their children, or coming alongside a parent in relational support? Let us know - we're eager to help you begin your ministry! Here is a brief overview of what that looks like on our website - and here is a volunteer application.

Sometime life can feel a little topsy-turvy. Do you know a family who could use support in a tough season? Safe Families for Children is a ministry that offers three kinds of support to parents who are finding their world a bit "upside down" right now.

Tangible Needs: Clothes, items for children, food, etc. - whether we provide or connect family to other resources

Relational Needs: Support, Mentorship, Navigational guidance through other servicers' processes, Family Coaching, friendship, babysitting, other wrap around relational support

Placement Needs: Having children hosted for any length of time overnight and beyond, with an approved family, while parents maintain full custody and are never displaced as primary parental figures.

The parents who we are able to come alongside relationally may not look like what you imagine - we don't have any "qualifications needed" to receive help. If you know a parent who could use support - share this brochure with them, or let us know and we can reach out.

We'd like to introduce you to Greer Blanton, Ministry Lead for Thomasville Road Baptist Church's Safe Families ministry. Greer explains her call to this mission, and hopes you'll join her.

Our mailing address is:
PO Box 180056, Tallahassee, FL 32318

Our phone number is:
(850) 508-3892

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Prayer Update - February

2/24/2021

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"...yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him." (I Cor. 8:6)

Dear SFFC Prayer Partners,

Greetings to all of you! Once again thanking the Lord for each of you that out of the willingness of your heart you have chosen to lift up the ministry of SFFC to our heavenly Father. Much has happened since I wrote to you last month. Here are some new updates for praise, thanksgiving and prayer:

- The Lord answered our prayers for the Friend Raiser event that took place at the end of January. He richly blessed the event with close to 100 attendees with many representing a number of new churches. We had a wonderful opportunity to share the ministry of SFFC Tallahassee and the Lord moved the hearts of those who came to respond with interest and further involvement! Cathy Campbell, our Intake and Family Coach Coordinator, is actively following up on the new contacts we have made. Please pray that through these efforts the Lord will raise new Host Families, Family Friends and Family Coach volunteers and additional partnering churches. I am also thankful that through this event we added eight new prayer partners, PTL! We welcome them to our growing number of those who are lifting up this ministry.

- Please be in prayer for the SFFC National staff as they are searching for a new State Director for Florida to replace Dan Claassen, our able and godly State Director, who recently resigned. He has not only helped us launch our local chapter but also played an integral part in jump starting several new chapters in our state. Pray for wisdom and guidance as our national staff hopes to fill the position by early summer.

- We have been in contact with Florida Department of Children and Families(DCF) and have been favorably received by them. We hope to develop a referral relationship with DCF. Please be in prayer as we meet with their investigators next week to present our work. Please pray that the Lord will move their hearts to consider SFFC when they see a need that can be best met by a movement like ours.

-April 25 is Safe Families Sunday. Please be in prayer as we find better ways to share the ministry of SFFC to our partnering churches as well to seven to ten new churches represented at the Friend Raiser event. Please pray for our Ministry Leads as they connect with their pastors in planning for Safe Families Sunday. May the Lord move the hearts of those in the congregations to actively pursue the Lord's calling in ministering to families with children in need.

-Please be in prayer for two moms, mom H and mom K (names are abbreviated for their privacy). Mom H recently had her one month old baby removed from her care by DCF. SFFC Tallahassee had offered hosting and support, but in this case, DCF determined that the removal of the infant was the best course to take. Please pray for this young woman that the Lord will work in her life to bring her to Himself and grant her strength to overcome her addictions. Mom K lives in the Panhandle and has a three year old child who had been taken care by his grandmother and aunt in Chicago. Recently they both passed away unexpectedly and SFFC chapter in Chicago has been hosting the child. Our chapter has been in contact with them, and the child will be brought down to Tallahassee and is planned to be placed with one of our own host families until the mom K is able to take care of him. Please pray for a smooth transition for both the child and our host family and that the mom will be ready to bring him home soon.

-Focus 50 is an event supported by the National Office of SFFC for all chapters and has been done in the past years. For 50 days leading up to the Safe families Sunday on April 25, our chapter leaders will be gathering 10-12 individuals who care about children and families to strategize, set goals, and take tangible steps to achieve the goals focused on furthering the mission of our ministry and advancing God's kingdom in our city. Please pray for the Lord to bring the right people together for this task and that He would grant them hearts open to His leading.

Thank you so much for patiently considering these requests and bringing them to our gracious Lord who does all things well and "is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think...to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." (Eph. 3:20 -21)

In Him,

Hae Min