Answering the Call in James 1:27
Pastor. Social worker. Foster and adoptive dad.
Chris Woodall, pastor of Pinckard Baptist Church, has experienced all these roles, giving him a deeper understanding of God’s heart for hurting foster children.
Early on in their marriage, Chris and his wife, Stacey, felt the Lord calling them to pursue adoption.
Then they met 10-year-old Robert. The Woodalls were both working at a special education school in Ozark, and he was a student there. As they got to know him, they discovered not only that he was in foster care, but he was eligible for adoption. God opened the doors for them to adopt Robert, their first child. A few years later, they expanded their family and adopted Adrian, who was 13 at the time. They also have two biological children.
Over the years, God has grown a desire in Chris to encourage the local church to live out James 1:27. He is currently working on his doctorate, focusing on a project to launch We Care: A Foster and Adoptive Ministry in his church this fall. His desire for this ministry is to connect willing church members with the needs of foster families and kids in their area.
“[My experience] has given me a platform . . . to articulate the need for Christian foster families,” shared Chris. “I feel like I can speak from it scripturally, personally, and professionally. I would probably even go a step further [and say I’m able] to humanize it, to make it more real.”
This ministry will emphasize three ways members can make a difference—become foster or adoptive parents, serve foster and adoptive families through events like a family night out, and/or financially supporting foster or adoptive families and ministries.
“I want to use my story and experiences to help people know that they can do this,” says Chris. “God can use you if you’ll just allow him to.”
We are not all called to foster, but we’re all called to help. To learn how your church family can make a difference, visit here.