At Peninsula, we believe it is our calling to help care for orphans in our community and the world. There is a place for every Peninsula family to actively care for orphans or to support adoptive and foster families.


Mission Statement

Building Christian homes through the miracle of adoption and foster care by connecting children and adults to the love of Jesus Christ.


“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: 

to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27. 


At Peninsula, we believe it is our calling to help care for orphans in our community and the world. There is a place for every Peninsula family to actively care for orphans or to support adoptive and foster families. 

Peninsula Baptist Church’s Role

Training

Peninsula hosts foster training classes provided by North Carolina Baptist Children’s Home. 


Financial Assistance

Peninsula provides financial assistance to help our families offset some of their adoption expenses. We have contracted with Lifesong, a Christian financial management organization that specifically assists those who are going through the adoption/foster process. 

Contact: Steve Mangum -steve.mangum@peninsulabaptist.com


Partnerships with NCBCH and CAS

North Carolina Baptist Children’s Home (NCBCH) provides a high quality of Christian services to children and adults through crisis prevention and crisis management. NCBH offers training classes through Peninsula Baptist Church that are available to those who are seeking to foster a child. These training seminars qualify for foster care certification.

 

Christian Adoption Services (CAS) is a non-profit Christian adoption agency that is committed to connecting vulnerable children with a Christian family. CAS is available to assist a family who is committed to adopting a child or is looking to foster to adopt. 


Support for Adoptive and Foster Care Families

We support adoptive and foster care families at Peninsula through providing meals, furniture, clothing, date night events and respite care. 


Prayer Team to Support Adoptive and Foster Families

Peninsula has formed a prayer team specifically to support adoptive and foster families. We join in prayer to overcome the obstacles adoptive and foster care families encounter and to lead children and birth parents to know Christ as Savior. 


Ministry to Birth Parents

We believe an essential aspect of the adoption ministry is care for birth parents. The Way Home seeks to provide emotional, spiritual, and physical support to birth parents during and after the adoption process.






Types of Child Care

Traditional foster
Traditional foster care involves caring for a child, or sibling group, in state custody for an undetermined amount of time. As a foster parent, you have the opportunity to help create a safe and nurturing home for children, provide support and guidance for parents, and be a part of a system that helps families heal.

Foster to adopt
It is ideal for a child to return to their biological family after a foster- home period if the situation allows. However, some children are not able to safely return to their biological parents. In cases such as this, there are options that allow the foster parents to legally adopt the child. This step occurs after a prolonged period of fostering and a willingness to adopt a new child on the foster-parents behalf.

International Adoption
International adoption is the placement of a child from another country with a family from the United States. Countries throughout the world allow children to be adopted into the United States when they can’t be cared for in their home country. The process of adopting a child from another country varies greatly, as it is governed by the laws of United States (both federal and state law) and the laws of the country where the child was born.

Domestic Adoption
In a domestic adoption, often known as private adoption, birth mothers (or birth parents) are encouraged to choose a family for their child. Often a domestic adoption is an open adoption in which the birth mother (or birth parents) and the adoptive parent(s) reach an agreement about what type of relationship they would like to have after the baby is born. This can look like yearly visits, monthly text updates, or even photos that are saved for a later time. Closed adoption, where the identity of the birth parents and adoptive parents is not shared with one another, is also an option with some agencies. 


House Parents

This is a residential, paid position involving care for children in a group home setting. The responsibilities include providing meals, transportation, and meeting other needs.


Respite Care

Respite, or temporary care, is essential to the foster care program. It is care provided to a foster or adopted child for a short period of time — for as little as 24 hours up to a few days — by someone other than the primary caregivers (i.e., foster, adoptive or kinship parents). Respite care gives the primary caregivers and the children a chance to have short, regular periods of time apart, which is imperative to help prevent caregiver fatigue and burnout. Respite care requires certification through Baptist Children’s Home or another licensed agency.


Cradle Care

Cradle care, another form of temporary care, offers the mother of a newborn a few days to decide if she is going to put the baby up for adoption or keep the child. The role of a cradle care parent would be to keep the baby for a couple of days while the birth mother makes her decision.


Finances

Traditional Foster and Foster to Adopt: $300- $5,000 International Adoption: $35,000- $55,000 Domestic Adoption: $25,000- $40,000 Attorney Led Domestic Adoption: $9,000-$10,000 Temporary Care: $300-$600

FAQs


Q: Can I adopt a child who I know through my neighborhood? 

A: Absolutely! If possible, children’s caseworkers often first look to extended family members or other people who have played a role in the child’s life. 


Q: How long does the adoption process usually take? 

A: The adopting process is different for every family. It will depend on where they are adopting from and what organization they are partnered with. On average, it can take anywhere from 1-5 years to fully adopt a child. 


Q: How can I support this ministry? 

A: There are many ways to answer the call God has put forth outside of direct foster and adoption. Your prayers, financial contributions, respite care, meal relief and volunteer work with BCHNC are just some of the ways you can answer the call to action. 


Reach out to a The Way Home or lisa.mauney@peninsulabaptist.com for more information.