2025 Spring - True To Life: April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

You may ask, what can I do to prevent child abuse/neglect? First, pray. Secondly, if you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Illinois hotline number:

1-800-25-abuse. You can remain anonymous.

BUT, there’s more. Many children who have been removed from their home due to abuse or neglect have not achieved permanency after two or more years of being “in the system”. You may ask, “Why”? Often it is because the parents did not engage in services to correct the condition(s) that brought their child(ren) into foster care. Many children do get placed with relatives when they enter foster care, and the children remain with them if they cannot return home. Also if children get adopted by their nonrelated foster parents. BUT some children are not fortunate enough to return to rehabilitated parents, be placed with appropriate relatives, or be adopted by their foster parents with whom they have established an attachment. UNLESS adoptive families step forward to adopt these children, they will grow up in the foster care system; never experiencing a permanent home where they can call someone “mom and dad”.

One Church, One Child was formed in the 1980’s when the Rev. George Clements, pastor of Chicago’s Holy Angels Catholic Church, adopted a boy name Joey. The focus of the organization was dedicated to recruit at least one family from every African American church in the nation to adopt a child. If every Bible believing church became dedicated to that goal, there would be no more “waiting children” in foster care. Many churches have become involved by: A) creating an orphan ministry in the church, B) families either fostering or adopting children of all ages, C) creating an adoption fund to help defray adoption expenses for a family, or D) providing a support group ministry for the adoptive and foster families in their church.

If you or your church would be interested in knowing more about foster care, adoption, or starting an orphan ministry, please feel free to contact Barb Hellmer via email at barbh@evancfa.org or phone her at 630.653.6400, ext. 7243.