Christine Ingebretson spends her days engaging churches to care for vulnerable children and families in San Francisco as a leader with Foster the City.
There’s a trajectory to people and churches entering into the world of foster care. She has seen it over and over again, and it starts with a proximity that strips us of ourselves:
“I believe that when we’re in proximity to vulnerable children, there’s a desperation that we experience as followers of Jesus. Sometimes, in the United States, we don’t have a desperation in our life with God … but when we are stepping into stories where we are not in control, and the enemy has wreaked havoc in the lives of families and children … it grows our relationship with Jesus … because we know we need Him in every inch of the story we are walking with these kids.”
But the story arc doesn’t end there. As she sees churches and followers of Jesus move toward vulnerability, they discover their unique roles and use the gifts God has given them to love and serve their neighbors.
From friends bringing meals to photographers donating photoshoots to retirees using their empty nests to welcome children who need homes, she has seen the goodness that unfolds when people realize that “everyone can do something.”
“It’s a beautiful picture of what it means to lose your life to find it. The invitation of Jesus.”
For Ingebretson, pure religion isn’t a theological abstraction. “It’s the bride of Christ … willing to roll up our sleeves to do what needs to be done to protect, and love, and welcome and see redemption story upon redemption story by the power of Jesus,” she said.
The Pure Religion Project, CAFO’s church ministry initiative, aims to inspire and equip God’s people to live out the “pure religion” described in the book of James and invited throughout Scripture through resources, supportive community and ongoing connection and coaching.
