Our Mission

Village 434 is a ministry within Gospel Community Church which supports foster, adoptive, and at-risk families, while also engaging the church at-large to live out our Heavenly Father’s heart of compassion towards the vulnerable.

Why the name?

Village434 pulls from the familiar saying "it takes a village."

Parents know this phrase well, but in the foster care and adoption world, it rings even more true. In fact, the phrase originated in Africa where the belief was that it took an entire community for children to grow and flourish in a healthy and safe environment.

The 434 comes from Acts 4:34 "none of them needed anything." It's a gigantic goal, but it is the heart behind the ministry, no doubt about it.

Our Vision

“For there was not a needy person among them…” Acts 4:34

Together with Jesus and each other we work to meet needs of the spirit, soul, and body within each of the foster, adoptive, and at-risk families we encounter. Alongside each other, empowered and directed by the Spirit, we seek to live out the beautiful realities of God's brilliant design of spiritual adoption. Our desire is that God forms deep, safe, and healing family relationships as we journey together.

What’s your role in the Village?

Your support of these families is vital to their flourishing. About half of new foster parents quit within the first year because the work is that difficult. We believe that no one should walk through the hard times alone. Minimizing disruptions for a child that has already gone through major trauma matters deeply to their well being and your support really can keep these families to be strong.

Additionally, children from at-risk families are statistically much more likely to end up in foster care, so our heart and hope is to come alongside families in crisis so that Lord-willing these children can stay with their families. Our individual, smaller "yes'" can have a tremendous impact on the long-term health of children and families going through very difficult situations.

The needs vary from tangible to relational to everything in between. There is a place for whatever capacity and giftings you have.

In all of this, our biggest ask is that you are prayerfully asking our Heavenly Father what your yes is to be. We can't do everything, but each of us can do something. We don't know what needs will come or when, but we want our hearts to be ready for when they do.

Learn More About Volunteering

Are you currently fostering, adopting, or needing family support? We want to make sure you’re well loved and not alone. Click the button below to fill out a form, and we will be in touch with you!

To reach us directly, please click here to email village434@gospelcc.org

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“My husband, August, and I started attending Gospel the summer of 2019 when we moved to the area. We looked at a few churches in the area and while there are many things that drew us to Gospel, the final affirmation came when we found out Gospel is actively supporting foster families. We had been talking and praying about becoming foster parents for a few years and knew we would need a church to come around us if we ever said “yes.” Fast forward to this winter, we wrapped up our licensing and accepted our first foster placement on February 26, 2020! Man. What a whirlwind. We do not have any biological children of our own, and there was really no way to prepare for the two active, sweet kids who now run through our hallways! And that’s where Gospel comes in.
The night we said “yes” to these two [foster] kids, I emailed Olivia, the ministry resident, a quick email saying we needed some help. Just a few hours later, Amy and Julia [from Village434] were calling. They dropped off a stroller, baby carrier, and high chair. They installed a crib and made the bed. Meals were in the works. Prayers were being said. I felt so enveloped and loved by these people that, frankly, I did not know. What an amazing picture of the body of Christ and unity we find in Him!
For the next week, I received daily texts and facebook messages from Amy and Julia, as well as other members at Gospel, sharing Scripture, prayers, and telling me that “no, I wasn’t crazy.” [Providing foster care] is super hard, but God will continue to give us what we need for each day. There is so much more detail I could share about the ways they bridged the gaps for us and helped us carry this cross, but it would be too much to read!
I wanted to share this to extend my worship for the ways God meets us where we are. It’s hard to express how it feels and how much help we need/needed. The Village434 Team is changing lives. It changed ours! It changed the two kiddos in our home. So thank you for following God’s call to this kind of community support. We couldn’t do this without it.”
In Christ, Alison & August