Every Child's Hope - Mission Moment

On Sunday, April 13 we heard from Sherry Gerke, the Chief Development Officer at Every Child's Hope. ECH was founded in 1858 as an orphanage for children who lost their parents in the cholera outbreak. It is no longer an orphanage, but ECH continues to provide services for vulnerable children across Missouri. They are dedicated to preventing child abuse, treating emotional trauma and mental health issues, and providing aftercare, education, and follow-up services.

Sherry highlighted the expansion of ECH's foster care program. The program has doubled in sized in order to serve more of the 14,000 children in foster care throughout Missouri. The primary goal is to help these children find stable, loving homes, but the work also has an impact on ECH's staff and volunteers.

We heard the story of one case manager, Maddie who began working with ECH in 2022. Her first case involved 5 severely neglected siblings. The children had to be placed in different foster homes because of their special needs. Reunification with their birth parents was eventually ruled out, but Maddie and one incredible foster parent were able to bring the siblings back together. They were all adopted into one home where experienced healing, growth, and a new understanding of family. Maddie described this experience as one of the most meaningful of her life.

There are so many children, staff, and volunteers who are impacted by the work of ECH. You can learn more about there work on their website. Your contributions to the St. Lucas UCC general fund supports this valuable work!