LITTLE ROCK, Ark – A Sunday School class from Geyer Springs First Baptist Church recently made personal summertime gift baskets for the families at Desired Haven Family Care in Little Rock and Monticello.
Martha Reeder of the Sunday School class said that about two years ago, the discipleship pastor at Geyer Springs encouraged every Sunday School class to get involved with one of the nonprofit ministries Geyer Springs supports. Their class chose Arkansas Baptist Children and Family Ministries (ABCFM).
The Sunday School class visited ABCFM, took a tour of the building and learned more about their organization and their ministries, which includes Desired Haven Family Care.
ABCFM Director of Community Outreach Tonya Larmoyeux said the group serves one of their divisions about every other month. The first thing they did was a big Christmas party, supplying gifts to all their Connected Foster Care children from Little Rock and south Arkansas. For their Christmas party, the class collected money and gifts which included zoo passes, sensory sheets, and weighted blankets and they wrapped gifts.
Additionally, since starting their partnership with ABCFM, the Geyer Springs group has put up furniture at ABCFM’s preschool in Monticello, put together welcome baskets for all the Desired Haven mothers in Little Rock and Monticello and more.
Their most recent endeavor was assembling summertime baskets for the children in Desired Haven Family Care.
Reeder said the objective of their Sunday School class is to get people involved, to know more about the organization, and support them as things emerge.
“Their involvement has been fantastic,” Larmoyeux said.
In addition to Geyer Springs, several other churches across the state support ABCFM. For instance, the youth minister First Baptist Church in London previously brought his junior high school students to Central Office and Desired Haven. They ripped up carpet in the Little Rock Desired Haven location as families moved out. They heard from one of the moms who lives there and played basketball with one of the kids.
“Volunteer groups get a better understanding of trauma and its effects on children and families. They are inspired by the stories of hope and healing through the people served by ABCFM and our churches. They understand how to be missional church members and families that are the solution to serving vulnerable children and families,” Larmoyeux said.
For information on ABCFM and ways to volunteer, click here.