May 20-27: People Around the World Pray for Children in U.S. Foster Care System

Prayer Vigils Planned for Hundreds of Locations in Almost Every State and 11 Countries

PLANO, Texas, May 16, 2012—The numbers tell a tragic story: more than 400,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system - 56 percent of them have been there for at least a year and in many cases even longer.¹ These kids move to new locations within the system an average of three times while in foster care.²

From May 20-27, people across the world will join together to pray for children in the U.S. foster care system who are waiting for permanent homes. This year's National Foster Care Prayer Vigil continues gaining momentum with more than 300 locations expected in nearly every state and 11 different countries, including China, Zambia, Uganda, Latvia and more. During the week, people will gather to pray at various times during the day in coffee shops, parks, homes, churches and more.

"With hundreds of Bible-believing churches in the United States, finding a home for the children waiting to be adopted in foster care should be very possible. Our prayer is that there will be no waiting children in the United States," said Paul Pennington, executive director of Hope for Orphans, a ministry of FamilyLife.

Focus on the Family, Hope for Orphans and Show Hope (formerly known as Shaohannah's Hope, a ministry founded by award-winning musician Steven Curtis Chapman) are partnering together again for the 2012 National Foster Care Prayer Vigil. 

For more information about the effort, and to access downloadable materials to help promote, organize and facilitate their own prayer events, people can visit FosterCarePrayerVigil.org.

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¹The AFCARS Report, 2011
²Foster Care by the Numbers, 2011