Nourishing the Seed
Chosen for Life Ministries began with a group of families who, through their adoption journeys, realized there were few resources in the Athens-area to assist families who are caring for orphaned and vulnerable children. As they began to brainstorm, they started thinking of what a conference would look like. In October 2011 Chosen for Life Ministries held the first Adoption and Orphan Care Conference!
Now, each year we hold our Choosing to Care Conference - an Adoption, Foster, and Orphan Care Conference. The purpose of this is to provide information to potential and current adoptive and foster families, as well as be a resource for local orphan care information! One family who attended this conference had the following to say:
“This conference is a wonderful and educational experience every time we attend! It is so nice to be in an environment with other like-minded individuals that are walking through some of the same things you are walking through in the foster care and adoption world.”
In 2016, we began to see the need for more consistent educational opportunities for families and started our Learning to Care Workshops. The goal of our Learning to Care Workshops is to support families and direct them in their journey of caring for orphaned and vulnerable children. We provide these workshops to better equip families to care for children from hard places, such as foster care and adoption.
By providing families with opportunities to come together and learn from professionals in the field of orphan care, we are nourishing the seed! We are able to teach parents from a Biblical perspective and provide hope, encouragement, and practical ways that they can care for children who have experienced hard beginnings. Families not only walk away with tangible ways to love their children well, but also build connection with other families who are walking similar journeys.
“My husband and I are so incredibly thankful for the Learning to Care Workshops! Each workshop is like a breath of fresh air. It’s hard as a foster parent to find people who not only “get you” but are completely gospel centered. CFLM is both! The lessons we have learned from the workshops have been super applicable to our daily lives. There has been many evening when we have driven to the training completely drained but then leave completely refreshed.
Our boys love coming also and we feel incredibly encouraged to see the workers greeting them by name. We recommend Chosen for Life to any friend we meet who is fostering or adopting- even if they live an hour away. It’s worth the drive!”
- Jessica Lanier
Giving a financial gift to Chosen for Life Ministries is a way you can join us in nourishing the seed within families in our community.
Through your giving, you are allowing our ministry to continue providing educational opportunities that encourage and equip families with the hope of the gospel, and to invite even more families to be a part of our conference and workshops in the coming year!