New Ministry to Aid Foster Children and Families in Northeast Georgia Area

A new ministry is coming to the Northeast Georgia region designed to mobilize churches to help foster children and their foster parents.

According to their Website, Promise686 is a ministry that assists families and churches who care for vulnerable children by providing financial assistance, community support, and adoptive and foster care related education.

The group will be holding an informational meeting on Tuesday, August 14th at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Martin for anyone interested in becoming a part of the ministry locally.

Elizabeth Brown works in the Franklin/Hart County DFACS office in Carnesville and is one of the local organizers of next week’s meeting.

Based on Psalm 68:6,  that says, “to set the lonely in families,” Brown says the non-profit organization was begun by a group of ministers in Gwinnett County in 2012 and has continued to grow ever since.

She says Promise686 will serve some 1,000 foster children in the Region 2 area.

“If we get as many people as we would like to get in Hart, Franklin, Banks and Stephens, then we will be able to have care groups,” she said. “That could be something as simple as mowing the lawn for a foster parent so they could do other things, or preparing a meal for a foster family, things of that nature.”

Other support might include donating cribs, childrens clothing, or respite care for foster parents and grandparents by babysitting foster children so they can have a break or run errands.

Brown says not only do they need volunteers in each county from the community, but they also want to get churches involved.

“Specifically pastors, that would like to come because then they could rally their church members,” Brown said. “If your’e passionate that’s who we want and so it’s for families to help each other through churches.”

Again the open information meeting for Promise686 takes place next Tuesday, August 14th from 11a to 1p at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Martin.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

For more information, you can contact Liz Brown at 706-525-0749 or go online to Promise686.org.