Low-Cost, High-Impact Mission
For over a decade, Jody and Lindsey Gurley have been living out one of the most beautiful examples of the Gospel: caring for vulnerable children. Their story, along with the partnership of a local pastor’s fervor, is spurring others to compassionate action and helping other ministry leaders in Mississippi understand the need of the modern-day orphan.
The Gurleys’ journey with foster care officially began as a bold response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Instead of sitting back and simply celebrating the victory for the cause of life, they realized that the work for the Church had just begun. Gurley knew that the Church now had to fill in the gaps and challenged his congregation by saying, “Don’t applaud unless you’re willing to be the solution.” In the next breath, he said that he and his wife were going to be opening their home as foster parents and challenged others at their church, The Assembly, to do the same.
Although the Gurleys had once thought that their hearts were “too big” for foster care, that they could not deal with the pain that comes with loving a child who may only be a temporary part of the family, Jody’s sister-in-law told them, “Your fear of pain can’t be bigger than their need for love.” That truth took root in their hearts, and they took a step of faith.
Their response created a ripple of obedience, prompting four other couples to open their homes as well.
The next five years were marked with both joy and heartache as they loved, lost, and reunited children.
Gurley believes that the focus of foster care ministry is not solely about building families, it’s about building the greatest movement of compassionate action, all pointing to the redemptive work of Jesus, that the world has ever seen.
Mike Hale of Cornerstone Church has been longing to help spread awareness of the needs of foster children and families.
This year, Hale lead a team of pastors to COMPACT Family Services as part of the Mississippi District Pastor’s Vision Trip, a trip designed to engage more Mississippi district churches and pastors with COMPACT. There, the team laid new flooring in the Murray Transitional Living Center, a studio apartment building used to house teens aging out of foster care with nowhere to go.
Over past years Hale has led several construction teams at COMPACT, volunteering manual labor and resources for whatever projects need completed.
In the course of his eight trips, his goal has always been to mobilize AG churches across the district to meet the needs of foster children, both at COMPACT and in their own backyards.
Hale is a champion of short-term missions trips to COMPACT. He says, “even if a church doesn’t have a missions program or hasn’t taken missions trips in the past, getting a team together to go serve at COMPACT is a very easy way to get started. The trip is low-cost, but the impact is incredible.”
He goes on to say that for those who go with him to the campus, their worlds are “rocked”, and it usually ignites a larger passion for missions, showing volunteers how God can work through them to minister to needs close to home.
“There’s a reason for everyone to go, to minister to the kids and staff, and you get blessed in return.”
Hale’s relationship with COMPACT has developed into one of confidence and trust over the past several years, and he has become someone the agency calls if a situation arises on campus that needs immediate attention.
“COMPACT is only a three-hour drive, and we can assemble a team pretty quickly from our church, so they call me when they need help in an emergency situation,” says Hale.
COMPACT Family Services, part of the Assemblies of God Foster Care Network, is located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and has had a foster child on its campus every night for the past 80 years, according to its executive director, Alan Bixler. Beyond its programs and clinical services, the heartbeat of COMPACT remains gospel centered.
Gurley recalls Bixler sharing a story of placing a child for adoption in a home with no faith background, knowing that the child would be exposed to a lifestyle that was not compatible with Christ, all because there were no Christian families to take in the child.
“It was a gut-check,” says Gurley, “and it showed that if the Church won’t step in, someone else will.”
Gurley and his wife have adopted four children, and three other couples in their church have adopted or are fostering, one of whom adopted a little boy who will now be raised on the African mission field and will spend his life watching and learning how to effectively share the Gospel.
