ABCS 2016 Year-end Mailer

Hope & Care Joy Jesus Peace A sweet 10-year-old girl named Katie* was living in a group home for a year and desperately wanted to be placed in a foster home. She asked her DCS case manager about it frequently, but it was challenging to find a home for Katie because of the need for more foster homes, especially families willing to take older children.

A single woman newly licensed with Arms of Love Foster Care requested a female child 8 to 10 years old from a group home. Katie was recommended for the placement. She and her potential foster mom soon began transition visits so they could get to know each other.

Katie is now placed in this home and thriving.

She attends church with her foster mom and recently accepted Christ while in children’s

& Family Ministries p ro v i d i n g h o p e & c a re

ministry at her new church!

Our mission at Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries (ABCS) is to provide hope and care to hurting children like Katie and families through Christ-centered ministries.

Sometimes this means entering dark, hard places with clients. We may walk with them through consequences of poor life choices, addictions, childhood trauma, unemployment, an abusive relationship, and more.

Volunteers and staff seek to serve the people God brings to ABCS with love and compassion while treating them with respect and dignity.

From the woman who comes into New Life Pregnancy Center facing an unplanned pregnancy she is unprepared for, to parent aide clients working to reunify their family, to Arms of Love foster families opening their homes and hearts to displaced children like Katie, together we provide hope and care through practical ministry with your support.

We come alongside that scared and uncertain mom to encourage her to choose life for her baby, providing her with counseling, prayer, parenting

“Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone” -Psalm 33:20

education, Bible study and material assistance. Many clients form longterm relationships with volunteers and staff at New Life Pregnancy Centers, coming in for services throughout their pregnancy, and for years after as their children grow.

ABCS parent aides work with birth parents to help them meet courtmandated benchmarks in order to reunify their family and bring their children home. They also supervise visits with families involved with the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to ensure a safe environment while they spend time together. Our aim is to help these parents gain the skills they need to parent successfully. Read more about the heart of our parent aide ministry in the Parent Aide Spotlight.

When reunification is not possible, or while it is in process, ABCS provides loving, Christian homes through Arms of Love Foster Care for children in the state’s care. These places of safety and refuge can be temporary while their parents work to get them back or can become forever families through adoption.

Our vision at ABCS is that every adult and child is given care, support, kindness and the love of Jesus Christ as we journey with them through

Discover how you can provide Hope & Care to those in need this holiday season

their trials. The brokenness of the world surrounds us, but God is sovereign and He redeems and restores. In Him only we have hope, and that’s the hope we share with those whom God has entrusted us. That’s the hope and joy Katie found.

You can help spread joy and peace this holiday season with a gift to ABCS. Continue reading for more information on how to make a gift to one of our seven Christ-centered ministries and qualify for the Arizona Tax Credit.

*Name has been changed to protect the child’s safety.

Thank you for partnering with us to provide hope and care across Arizona.

PARENT AIDE SPOTLIGHT “At our first meeting together, I’ll usually ask parents to share their story. I’m overwhelmed at what they’ve been through.

Most have experienced abuse, abandonment, death and little to no support around them. They have made bad decisions that led them to our meeting, but are resolved to move forward. I have the opportunity to provide needed support and direction to help them move toward their goals of reunification and health.” JOE

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“The most uplifting part of being a parent aide for me is when those who identify as ‘lost’ find Him. I have met parents who have never set foot in church, who allow me to pray with them and ask for help finding a church near them.

While this does not happen with every family, the occasions where I am able to share faith, hope and praise are by far the most uplifting to me.” ALISON

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“There is a stigma out there that says people who have their children removed by DCS must not love their children and deserve to be separated forever from them. That stigma is wrong.

In every case I’ve worked, love is the common factor. It’s hard to remember that not everyone shows love in the same way, and some may not even know how to express their love. I get the privilege to see families learn and use different ways to positively express their love to their children and how it grows their bond together.”

-DARRIN

“Many of the families involved with DCS have seen tremendous hurt and sorrow in their own lives, but they are made in the image of God no matter how dark things are. Brokenness appears to be cyclical in these families, and people get caught in those patterns as they grow up. We are all responsible for our actions and we are all dealing with sin that breaks us down. Dignity for these families is of utmost importance, and we as parent aides have the ability to show them that dignity when others may not. I want people (including myself) to strive for God’s perspective on these families. None are too far off or too far gone to receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.”

-JAMES

Give Joyand Peace this holiday season. Provide Hope & Care

throughout 2017

$10

Purchases five hygiene kits for clients in need

$25

Provides food boxes for ten families served by our Community Resource Centers

$50

Covers the cost of an ultrasound and loving counseling for a New Life Pregnancy Center client

$100

Sponsors your local New Life Pregnancy Center for a day

$250

Provides five foster children with first night hope bags including clothes, toys and a Bible

$500

Blesses Arms of Love Foster Care families with a fellowship event

$1,000

Helps pay for parenting curriculum for Parent Aide clients and other ministries

YOUR GIFT QUALIFIES FOR AN

Arizona Tax Credit

$1,000 filing jointly up to $500 for individuals up to

The Arizona Charitable Tax Credit has increased for organizations working with foster children. Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries (ABCS) is a Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organization. This means that you can reduce what you owe dollar-for-dollar in state taxes by up to $1,000 or $500 when you make a donation to ABCS, or designate your contribution to any of our seven ministries.

ABCS is a Christian social service agency accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

For more information about this dollar-for dollar tax credit, visit the Arizona Department of Revenue website at azdor.gov or call (800) 352-4090.

Hope & Care Joy Jesus Peace TAX CREDIT DONATION STEP-BY-STEP

1

Donate to ABCS using a check or credit card.

2

3

We will mail you a receipt in January 2017.

Claim the dollar-for-dollar tax credit on your state income tax return.

V Yes! I would like to donate to ABCS today to provide hope and care and qualify for the tax credit!

Amount enclosed: 

$500  $1000  Other $____________

Name __________________________________________________ Address_________________________________________________ City, State, Zip ___________________________________________ Phone _________________________________________________ E-mail__________________________________________________

Designate my gift to the following ministry:

Method of Payment:

 

Check Enclosed I’d like to give using my credit card



Visa



AmEx



M/C

_________________________ (A list of ministries can be found at abcs.org)

Card #________________________________ Exp.____/____ Signature__________________________________________ *One-time and recurring gifts to ABCS qualify for the tax credit.

Make checks payable to: Arizona Baptist Children’s Services | 1779 N. Alvernon Way | Tucson, AZ 85712

Yo u c a n a l s o d o n a t e o n l i n e a t a b c s . o r g / d o n a t e abcs.org | (800) 678-0648 |

MNPV ABCSministries

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