2023 has come and gone. Goodbye 2023, Hello 2024!
As I reflect on the year that it was, I am thankful to the Lord for His grace and provision. Last year was my first year serving as Executive Director of Raleigh’s Place. The Lord has been preparing me for this my entire life. Yet there were times when my flesh felt completely unprepared and overwhelmed. Taking over a ministry is no small task. There are things required of the job that you simply do not learn in school or merely by observation. 2023 was a year of learning for me. The Lord was gracious and sustained the ministry by providing phenomenal supporters. As I say hello 2024, I am excited about continuing my personal growth as Executive Director.
There is much to look forward to this year! One of the projects that we have been working on for the last three years is finally gaining some legs. We greatly look forward to getting our Transitional Living Apartments up and running. These apartments will serve young adults, who have aged out of foster care, with a safe place to live while they are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to be independent adults. This will certainly take a community effort. There are so many ways for our community to take action as we seek to transform lives through our apartments and accompanying program. Regular updates will be made regarding the status of the apartments and specific needs that we may have.
This summer will feature our 13th year of Camp 1:27. Camp 1:27 has met such a great need in the foster care community. It has provided a safe place for foster children to experience the love of Christ and one of the best weeks of their life. Foster parents simultaneously enjoy a week of rest while their children are at camp. I call that a WIN-WIN for everyone! What makes Camp 1:27 so successful is the love that is shown to our campers. This love comes directly from our staff, chapel speakers, and special guests but also indirectly by so many amazing, generous supporters who pray for our campers and give generously to sponsor them.
One area of growth we experienced in 2023 was in our Partner Homes. A core commitment of ours is to partner with local foster and adoptive families by simply helping meet needs. Food can be a major need for foster families so we provide a food box each week. By the end of the year we were helping provide food for nearly 200 people on a weekly basis. Thank God for other ministries like Oak Mountain Mission and Grace Klein Community and their partnership with us. We were also able to host a couple of foster parent night outs and a foster parent training class.
Katie’s Kloset has continued to thrive as a thrift store and clothing closet for foster children. The community has blessed us with great donations that we have been able to share with foster children and foster families at no cost while also being able to sale items to the community at large. Katie’s Kloset has enabled us to provide much needed resources to the foster care community while adding a revenue source to benefit our other programs and ministries.
Our Workmanship Initiative continues to provide life skills training to teenagers in foster care. Through our partnership with Chilton County Department of Human Resources, we are able to lead their Independent Living Program by teaching a life skills curriculum. The goal is to prepare these teens for life after foster care. The hope is that this training will take root in their hearts and minds so that they do not fall into the negative statistics that so many foster youth fall into. We are trying to prevent homelessness, substance abuse, incarceration, early pregnancy, and more. These things torment so many young adults who age out of the foster care system, which is why our Transitional Living Apartments are such a big need.
2023 was a great year. It was a great year for me personally as I gained valuable experience and knowledge about leading this ministry. The Lord sustained Raleigh’s Place so we could continue to Live the Gospel by Loving the Fatherless through our programs and services. As we say hello 2024, I cannot wait to see what God is going to do this year!
Ephesians 3:20–21
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Mike King