Adopted to Adopt – The Salt & Light Spotlight Presents Christ’s Haven
Broadening Your Mind
Historically, when I think of the word adoption, I think of the most commonly referred to definition,
“1. the action of legally taking another’s child and bringing it up as one’s own, or the fact of, being adopted.”
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Yes, there is also a second definition:
2. “The action or fact of choosing to take up or follow or use something.”
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
When I stop to think about it, it is in the spirit of this second definition that the Salt & Light Spotlight was created. In this segment, at It’s Only Homeschooling, we dedicate a monthly blog post and a podcast episode to highlight the efforts of some amazing community outreach programs both local to the Dallas-Fort Worth Area and across the globe.
With the Salt & Light Spotlight, our goal is to lift up, shine a light on, and bring awareness to the good works of these amazing organizations and encourage support.
Message Received
Confession.
Listening to the first few words of my pastor’s message a few weeks ago, I felt both inspired and afraid.
The title of Pastor Josh Morris’s sermon for that week?
Seated, I listened with rapt attention as Pastor Josh spoke openly and candidly of the message God had put on his heart, adoption. I felt a deep connection with the hesitancy and trepidation of hearing his Heavenly Father’s command and then gathering his courage to walk in obedience to present such a request to his congregation.
I am neither a public speaker nor a pastor, but as a therapist, I know all too well the power our words hold and the delicate grace required to communicate our message to others in a manner such that it is not only received but also received well.
And when the message is not ours but that of the Ultimate in Upper Management? Right, no pressure like added pressure. (I feel ya, Moses.)
You could almost feel the tension in the room as Pastor Josh recounted his intimate “conversation” with the Lord. You know the feeling, kind of like when one of your siblings is teetering on the edge of trouble and trying to talk their way out of it. You feel equal parts sympathy and relief that it is them in the hot seat and not you.
And yet, when you think about it, we are all on the spot for this one. Pastor Josh just happened to be our spokesperson and messenger.
In “Adopted to Adopt,” Pastor Josh challenged all those who could hear his voice to heed the call of stewardship and service. Beneath the history lesson of adoption in the U.S. and the startling statistics of children either waiting for homes or currently in the foster care system, there was a deeper message.
A message of hope. And opportunity.
An invitation to pay forward the generous gift our Heavenly Father bestowed on each and every one of us as Believers and Children of God. We have been adopted to adopt.
Regardless of which definition of the word you choose, the message is clear. As Christians, adoption is central to the Gospel (Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 2:3, Galatians 4:4).
“The Bible calls us to see those that are vulnerable and in need and to adopt their problems as our own.”
Pastor Josh Morris, Gateway Church
In honor of National Adoption Month for November, It’s Only Homeschooling is honored to highlight a wonderful organization that has been restoring the lives of children in the DFW Area through Normalcy, Dignity, and Hope for nearly seventy years, Christ’s Haven.
Family Makes The Home
In 1954, Fort Worth, Texas couple Homer and Lillian Steadman wanted to provide a home for disadvantaged children and before long, they had ten children in their care.
But the Steadmans knew countless other children also needed a loving home. The couple quickly realized their growing family needed more room to grow.
The Steadmans saw a need in the world and decided to do something about it.
In 1956, the Steadmans reached out to other families in the area who shared their belief that all children deserve a loving home to grow up in. Together these like-minded citizens joined forces and purchased farmland on which to build cottages and provide children in need with a more traditional home life.
Christ’s Haven was born.
Nestled on 58 acres of land in Keller, Texas, lies a beautiful community of neighborhood homes with playgrounds, a chapel, a gymnasium, a pool, basketball courts, and a soccer field. Mounds of soft green grass ripe for running through in your bare feet and a pond with a gazebo for fishing or skipping rocks adorn the landscape.
In the homes are families just like yours and mine. Families who have been brought together by love, faith, and hope. As we are all made differently, so are these families, but they are families nonetheless.
Christ’s Haven
Different from either traditional adoption or foster care, Christ’s Haven is a free, voluntary placement program. Neither an orphanage nor a form of institutional care, children live in cottage-style typical family homes with houseparents. In this way, “they operate as a family, preparing meals together, school routines, and typical family activities.” (Christ’s Haven website).
Children come to Christ’s Haven under a variety of circumstances and stay for different periods of time, some a few months and others years. When parents and/or legal guardians have exhausted other caregiving resources, Christ’s Haven is there.
Referrals are received through the community, churches, schools, word of mouth, and/or Department of Family Services caseworkers. The program provides a trauma-informed family model of care, a Basic Level of Care less intensive than Therapeutic Care or Residential Treatment Care.
Our Experience with Christ’s Haven
Our family’s first experience with Christ’s Haven was during our recent attendance at their annual Fall Festival and Open House. During this festive occasion, patrons come together to sponsor bounce houses, food trucks, games, trunk-or-treating, face painting, activities, a pumpkin patch, and a costume contest.
Fun and fellowship aside, the event provides an opportunity for members of the community to learn more about the organization. Christ’s Haven Families open the doors to their homes and their hearts to welcome visitors, answer questions, and educate.
This special event provides an opportunity for both camaraderie and conviviality, but it also provides for so much more. It provides an opportunity to learn about diversity, empathy, faith, and generosity. Teachable moments that extend beyond any textbook or classroom.
During our visit, my son and I were honored to meet with one family. Our knock on their cottage door was answered by smiling houseparent Deana, her husband, and four giggling little girls. Dressed in matching Dalmatian-themed costumes, the young ladies graciously took my son on a tour of their home excitedly showing him their rooms and pointing out the personal gallery of artwork that adorned their home. During our tour, I chatted with Deana about our homeschool service project and she shared how she answered the call God had put on her heart many years prior to care for children.
Softspoken with kind eyes, and a gentle smile, I watched as Deana patiently divided her attention among the four little girls all while fielding questions from the endless stream of guests visiting her home on this busy day. During our tour, she pointed out childhood photos of her four now-grown children nestled on a hallway shelf just beyond the kitchen. I listened as she lovingly shared stories of the children she had cared for over the years including one second-generation child currently in her care. Her eyes shone with a mother’s, and now grandmother’s, unconditional love as she recounted the day she was in the delivery room when the youngest little girl in the house was born. The mother of the little girl? A former cottage resident herself. The extended family remains close to the lively three-year-old’s mother who visits often, including today to take her daughter around the grounds and enjoy the festivities.
What makes Christ’s Haven so special is not the grounds (beautiful), the amenities (plentiful), or even the programming (resourceful), it is its heart. The focus is on the family. The embodiment of the belief that every child deserves the best, most typical childhood experience possible while treating them with dignity and hope and also equipping them for better days ahead all from a traditional family-style, in-home setting.
Normalcy. Dignity. Hope.
After our tour, a quick art show, and an impromptu game of keepy-uppy with a balloon, it was time to go. The family had many other guests eager to meet them and we did not want to monopolize their time.
However, I do know one thing. This will not be our family’s last encounter with Christ’s Haven. We are currently exploring ways to support this amazing program in some capacity by doing our part to make a difference in our community. And I hope we encourage other families, homeschoolers, public schoolers, and private schoolers alike, to do the same.
How You Can Help
If you live in the Fort Worth area and are looking to volunteer, we hope you will consider Christ’s Haven. Opportunities include helping with their food pantry or donation drives, assisting in the resale shop, grounds maintenance, assembling “love boxes,” or working with special events such as the Fall Festival or annual charity drive Fashion Show.
Perhaps you would be interested in becoming a mentor? Or training to become a substitute caregiver, offering to babysit, sponsor parents’ night out, or supplying respite care services? A screening process is involved including graduated levels of background checks depending on your level of involvement with the youth and children in their care. Additional training for substitute caregivers and respite care services is required. If you are interested in volunteering, you can reach out to Christ’s Haven Volunteer Manager, Summer Woods.
If you live a bit further away or are unable to volunteer, you can still support this amazing organization through financial contributions (one-time or monthly), support “Wish Lists” through donations, or shop for gently used items at their resale item store. Prayers, of course, are always needed and always welcomed.
Want To Know More?
Be sure to tune in to our next podcast episode to learn more about Christ’s Haven. In this Salt & Light SERVE Spotlight episode, we will speak to Maddie Churchman, the VP of Programs, and gain both her personal and professional insights about adoption and her work with Christ’s Haven.
You can listen right here on our website, on our YouTube channel, at Podbean, or wherever you download podcast episodes.
Let’s Keep in Touch
Be sure you do not miss a blog post by signing up for my email list, liking my Facebook or Instagram pages, or subscribing to my YouTube channel.
Like what you see here? Sharing is caring!
Blessings,
Kimberly
IOH Mom
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!
