The COVID-19 pandemic has
affected seemingly the entire world in unprecedented ways. It’s easy to get
caught up in how it has impacted our individual lives, or the lives of our
families, or the lives of our loved ones. As followers of Jesus, though, we need
to always be mindful of our neighbors, perhaps even more so in times like this
when the needs are so great, and we must be especially mindful of the needs of those
neighbors who live on society’s margins.

We know that COVID-19
did not take God by surprise, and we know that His call on the Church remains
the same. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves, period. God’s word
contains no asterisk that allows us to opt out of the second greatest
commandment during times such as these.

At-risk children and
their families are especially vulnerable during this pandemic. So many families
are finding themselves with increasingly great needs with little support from
their communities. God’s answer for these families remains the same. He wants
the Church to be His hands and feet and to bring the love and hope found in
Jesus to hurting people by loving and caring for them in tangible ways.

The question is, “How? How do we connect churches with the needs of vulnerable people in their communities?” For churches in many states, there is an easy solution. The Global Orphan Project’s CarePortal, in partnership with Angel Armies, has developed an online Disaster Relief Platform that connects churches with the needs of families in their communities.

The CarePortal was launched in 2015 and, since that time, more than 175 child welfare agencies, more than 2300 churches, and thousands of businesses and individuals in 21 different states have used the platform to serve more than 58,000 children in the United States Foster Care system.

With the Disaster
Relief Platform, churches can meet three types of needs…they can support an
emergency worker, they can alleviate food and essentials insecurities, and they
can stabilize housing insecurities.

The process is simple.
A representative from an enrolled agency signs into the CarePortal and lists a
need related to COVID-19. The CarePortal technology immediately distributes the
request to enrolled churches in the area. A church responds and then works with
the requesting agency to meet the need. In doing so, relationships are built
among the church, the agency, and the family in need.

If you would like to learn more, and would perhaps like to sign up your church with the CarePortal. If CarePortal is not yet in your area, or if you would like to learn of needs related to the foster care system in your area that your church can meet, or if you just want to learn how you can best pray for vulnerable children and families during this time, please email us at Adoption@Anglicansforlife.org.

Written by Johnston Moore. John is a nationally-recognized advocate, writer, and speaker on issues related to foster care and adoption in the Church.