To continue the fostering theme in this third blog of the month, I decided to write about The Bair Foundation Child and Family Ministries. While researching for ideas, this story totally captivated me. It fully encapsulates the mission of Living Letters to show how God impacts lives—starting with just one person, and rippling ever-outward. 

William (Bill) Bair was a cheerful man, satisfied with his life as a worker, husband, and father. He and his wife were the parents of five children, three of whom were foster children. William was a lay Methodist minister, and he had long been employed by a Pennsylvania Electric Company. But on the evening of October 27, 1967, he and his family were attending a mission service in their hometown of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, a small farming community about an hour from Pittsburgh in northwestern Pennsylvania.

During the service, Bill thought he heard God's voice, saying: “Bill, I want you to work for me. I want you to provide homes for my children.” So he asked God to clarify, praying, “'If that's you Lord, have the preacher say my name.' Seconds later, the Preacher said, ‘Isn't that right, Bill Bair? Don't you agree, Bill Bair?' the Preacher repeated” (https://www.bair.org/about-us/our-history/).

Immediately, Bill obeyed the call he had heard, leaving his jobs to begin The Bair Foundation with the help of his wife, Marilyn. In less than two months, the non-profit organization was chartered and the first Board meeting held on January 1, 1968. Since then, God has used this ministry to reach over 250,000 children, with 30 offices in nine states. 

Bill and Marilyn first concentrated on teens, wanting to reach them for Jesus. Teenage years are difficult transitional years for any child, but for foster children coming from unstable dysfunctional homes, they are even more of a struggle. These were the years, Bill believed, that introducing the teens to Jesus and His love would make such a positive difference in their lives. The Bair Foundation still maintains a strong focus on fostering teens, but has expanded their services to include any age.

According to the website of The Bair Foundation (https://www.bair.org/about-us/mission-vision/), the mission of the organization is to “provide Christ-centered quality care and services dedicated to the treatment, restoration and empowerment of children, youth and families.” Being “Christ-centered” seems to be the central theme of their previous and current work as well as their vision for the future. They are fully licensed as a child-placing agency in nine states and partner with several other “like-minded” agencies and organizations (https://www.bair.org/about-us/credentials/). The foundation works with state organizations as well, accepting referrals from them. “The Bair Foundation has been nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation since 2002” (https://www.bair.org/about-us/why-choose-bair/).

As a referral organization for State Child Welfare Agencies, The Bair Foundation offers foster parenting services from basic foster care to kinship care, Treatment Foster Care, or medically needy foster care. They also work to find permanent or adoption placement for children in the foster care system. Finally, The Bair Foundation provides many services to the families that are in crisis and have faced or are facing the removal of their children to foster care. Counseling and therapy are offered to them as well as behavioral management skills, relationship skills, and more. Being able to teach parents skills that will keep or reunify their children with them is the primary goal of these services.

The Bair Foundation also trains and equips those interested in becoming foster parents, helping them achieve licensing and certification in the various states where the Foundation has offices. Those nine states are: Pennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio, and New Mexico. Their offices in these states can be found at https://www.bair.org/locations/.

Donna Marie Tyree and her husband, from Lynchburg, Virginia, became foster parents through Bair and Donna tells of their experience: “We initially connected with The Bair Foundation in September 2019. We started with an orientation group meeting where we could learn more about The Bair Foundation, their history and mission, and an overview of what being a foster parent might entail. The Bair Foundation Director answered our questions and from there, the ball started rolling. The Bair Foundation helped prepare us for this role through group and one-on-one trainings. Bair also offers continual training through the foster and foster-to-adopt process. We have always felt supported by Bair and it's a relief to have a caring team just a phone call away.

“A sibling group was placed with us shortly after we received our program completion certificate. They keep us running and smiling. We are currently in the process of adopting them. Our days are full and life looks a little different than it used to, but this is the most rewarding commitment we've ever made. For anyone considering becoming a foster parent, I encourage you to take that first step and attend an introductory orientation to get more information. If you have questions, just ask. Bair wants to help you have all the information so you can make an informed decision. I'm sure Bair would be happy to connect you to other foster and foster-to-adopt families for encouragement as well. Ultimately, if fostering is on your heart, there's a child out there who needs your love and care in their life, whether for a season or a lifetime, and The Bair Foundation will be a wonderful guide to help you navigate your new journey.”

The Bair Foundation is just one ministry, and there certainly are others and many other ways to become involved in being a foster parent. The Bair Foundation may be a good place to start investigating the possibilities—and maybe taking a first step into the whole process. No doubt that our God-given gifts and abilities, our sovereignly controlled circumstances, and the nudges of the Holy Spirit on our hearts affect how God will use our service for Him in the lives of others. Without question, there is particular work each of us are called to do (2 Timothy 3:17), whether it be foster parenting or something else…and the time we are to do it is now (John 9:4).