The African American Church & Foster Care

National Strategy Forum

The African American Church & Foster Care: National Strategy Forum will bring together Christian leaders from across the U.S. who share a desire to see every child in foster care – including the roughly 100,000 African American children – welcomed into loving homes. We believe this includes caring foster, kinship, adoptive and restored biological families.

The Forum will take place May 9, 2019 at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, hosted by the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ African American Church Leadership Council.

Each delegate will play an essential role:

1.

Sharing distinct perspectives on both the need and the opportunity in foster care facing the African American church;

2.

Mapping out together strategy priorities for how more African American children can be welcomed into African American families;

3.

Identifying the materials, guidance and other support most needed to help us and African American churches nationwide seize this opportunity more fully.

Registration costs have been paid for all delegates and include meals as well as the option of attending the CAFO2019 Summit, which runs before, during and after the Forum. (Travel and lodging are the responsibility of delegates.)

A complete schedule of the Forum and the CAFO2019 Summit is below. Questions may be directed to Sarah Temple at AALCouncil@cafo.org.

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While participating in the Forum is by invitation, if you or someone you know would like to attend and is working to see African American churches play a more central role in caring for children and families in foster care, please write to aalcouncil@cafo.org

National Strategy Forum Schedule

Location: Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY

*While the Forum officially begins the morning of May 9, delegates are invited to join for any aspects of the CAFO2019 Summit on Wednesday prior to the opening Forum dinner and also after the Forum conclusion on Thursday night and Friday.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

1:00 pm – Check-in Opens for Forum & the CAFO2019 Summit
*3:00 pm – CAFO2019 Opening Session
*4:15 pm – Workshops

AALC Recommends

  • Care Communities: Supporting Families with Wrap-around Care
  • Raising Black Children in a Multi-Racial Family

5:30 pm – Open dinner provided for delegates arriving Wednesday on-site at CAFO2019
6:30 pm – Open conversation and connecting
7:30 pm – CAFO2019 Main Session

Thursday, May 9, 2019

8:45 am – CAFO2019 Main Session
10:00 am – The African American Church & Foster Care
12:00 pm – Private Lunch for Forum Delegates
1:15 pm – Workshop Options

AALC Recommends:

  • The Foster Journey
  • Developing a Ministry Action Plan
  • Cross-Pollination: Growing Meaningful Partnership Between Churches of Different Colors

2:30 pm – Workshop Options

AALC Recommends:

  • More Than Enough: What Foster Movement Looks Like Where You Live
  • Helping caregivers Hold Hard Stories for Traumatized Children

3:45 pm – Forum Concluding Discussion and Look Ahead
5:00 pm – Open Dinner and Conversation
*7:00 pm – CAFO2019 Main Session

Friday, May 10, 2019

*8:30 am – Workshop Options

  • AALC Recommends:
  • The Church’s Role in Family Restoration
  • Working Together: Building Collaboration through Regional Alliances
  • Building a Trauma Competent Kids and Student Ministry

*9:45 am – Workshop Options

AALC Recommends:

  • Navigating Birth Parent Relationships as a Foster and/or Adoptive Parent
  • Walking the Tightrope: Balancing the Tensions in Foster Care Ministry
  • For Senior Pastors: Leading and Influencing Culture from the Top-Down

*11:00 am – CAFO2019 Closing Main Session

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