Foster Care, Ukraine Aid, & Deception

Family Advocacy Ministries serve foster families

At any given moment, an estimated 400,000 U.S. children and teens are in foster care. There also happens to be roughly that many churches across the United States.

May is National Foster Care Month, and Send Relief, the compassion ministry arm for Southern Baptists, has been raising awareness for how churches can become involved. Send Relief equips churches to develop Family Advocacy Ministries (FAM) in their congregations that support at-risk children and families in their communities.

Through a Family Advocacy Ministry, local churches develop volunteers who provide imminently practical service for foster families by babysitting, tutoring, providing diapers, clothes and other resources or giving Christmas and birthday presents.

When a Family Advocacy Ministry meets tangible needs and invests in relationships, it helps relieve burdens for foster care families in what is often a fast-paced, busy lifestyle as those families meet the needs of their children.

Moldovans show extraordinary care

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Moldova, a small and impoverished nation bordering Ukraine, has received an estimated one refugee for every 25 Moldovans. Most refugees are being housed and cared for by churches in the Moldovan Baptist Union.

The Moldovan Baptist Union has more than 400 churches. When the invasion started, Moldovan Baptists worked quickly to create a safe space for refugees – constructing a chapel hall in a day, building an attic to accommodate more refugees, using a children’s summer camp as a refuge and summoning volunteers to cook three meals a day.

Already known for their hospitality, Moldovans’ generosity only increased after refugees began making hazardous journeys across the border. Elderly men and women stripped the sheets off their beds to give to refugees. Gas prices emptied wallets, but that didn’t stop Moldovan churches from sending vans to the border to pick up refugees.

Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.

Don’t be deceived

A Bible Study from Lifeway Christian Resources calls on Christians to be on the lookout for deception.

The New Testament warn Christians to not allow anyone to deceive them in any way (2 Thessalonians l 2:3). In so doing, he addressed a major teaching found throughout the Scriptures: the deception of humanity. Jesus calls Satan “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Therefore, deception is both the character and offspring of Satan.

Deception is an attempt to lead believers away from a truth to change our behavior. As Paul noted in 2 Thessalonians 2:5, believers may avoid being deceived by remembering the teachings of Scripture. By hiding God’s Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11), we can know the truths and promises of the Scriptures as a reliable and sure guide to measure what we are hearing so that we may recognize false or misleading teachings.