Fostering Hope is a ministry program established by Destiny Church in De Pere, Wisconsin, to support foster children and social workers in Brown County. The program started in 2020 by providing Christmas gifts to kinship placements, which later expanded to involve foster families in Easter egg hunts and a Kids Summer Jam. The church is also home to one of North Central’s Academic Partner sites, Destiny School of Leadership.
Led by church members Bethany and Bob Angst, Fostering Hope works to build relationships with the county to show that the church is a trustworthy community that supports them. Bob was appointed as a missionary associate to foster care through the chaplaincy of the Assemblies of God, supporting the Fostering Hope program.
In 2021, Fostering Hope renovated the intake rooms of the agency to make them more welcoming and child-friendly. The church rallied a team of volunteers to refurbish the rooms with new floors, paint, furniture, and toys. One house even had a new playhouse built, which became a favorite of all the kids. The involvement in this project helped build trust with the county and social workers, and it showed that the church is committed to supporting the community.
Fostering Hope demonstrates how a church community can support foster children and social workers through small gestures, such as providing gifts and thank you notes. Bob said the long-term vision for the program is to expand in De Pere and establish more Fostering Hope locations throughout the U.S.
Tom Barrett sees powerful connections between the work of the church through education and serving the community. “It’s exciting when people in the church recognize the call on their lives and get equipped to answer the call,” he said. “Destiny School of Leadership’s relationship with NCU is an important avenue to help equip God’s people for God’s work.”
