 At Project 1.27, we believe the Church is uniquely positioned to see every child in a nurturing, well-supported home by recruiting and walking alongside foster and adoptive families as they care for the children in their homes. Through partnerships with churches, we can equip congregations to engage foster care with compassion, preparation, and ongoing support. We want to help believers live out James 1:27 in tangible, transformative ways.
Throughout the year, there are several opportunities for churches to partner with Project 1.27 or highlight foster care and adoption. To help you plan ahead, I’ve included a 2026 overview of ways we can work together: April- Topgolf Challenge: Learn more about Project 1.27 while supporting our mission by sponsoring a bay. A great opportunity to connect with families, staff, and other supporters. May- Hope for the Journey Parenting Conference: A must-attend event for foster and adoptive parents, church staff and volunteers, teachers, and therapists. Churches can support by volunteering in children’s areas or hospitality, or by donating gift cards to bless families with dinner. July- Family Picnic: See Project 1.27 in action as current and former foster families gather for connection and encouragement. Opportunities to volunteer or sponsor are available. November- Comedy Night: Celebrate the impact of Project 1.27 with a fun evening. Churches can sponsor a table and invite staff or members to enjoy dinner, hear stories of impact, and laugh together. November - Pure Religion Sunday: Led by the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), the second Sunday of November is set aside globally to raise awareness of foster care and adoption. We can provide resources to help make this a meaningful experience for your congregation. December- Family Christmas Party: Volunteer to help serve families at our Christmas party OR donate gift cards that we can share with our families. These can be gift cards for a dinner out, a fun family experience, or for big stores like Walmart or Target. These don’t have to be big, but they can go a long way in making a family feel seen and loved during the Holidays. We would love the opportunity to buy you a coffee, connect, and explore how your church might engage in this life-changing work-whether by hosting a foster care info night, mobilizing Neighbors, or simply learning more. Contact [email protected]. By Kym Schnittker, Community Engagement and Events Manager
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 When we started our time as a foster family, we were confident about what the experience would look like. We had four children, ages 7-11, and that was plenty for us. When we got phone calls from placement workers, one of the questions we would ask was, “Does this case seem likely to go to termination?” And if the answer was yes, our answer was no. We were not trying to adopt; we were working with families in crisis to reunify. We all know the pithy phrases about what happens when we make plans. A couple of years into our foster care experience, we received a phone call about a newborn. I should say, my wife received a phone call about a newborn. It seemed like there was about a 50/50 chance that the placement desk would call me versus my wife, but on this one, they called my wife. We had already discussed the age ranges we were open to (elementary to middle school), and those ranges did not include newborns. We were done with diapers, bottles, cribs, and middle-of-the-night feedings. But my wife called me after talking to the placement desk and told me she had a feeling about this one. Baby A came to us at about 10 days old. I am not a mystical person by any stretch, but I remember feeling something powerful, a deep well of love that I didn’t realize I had in me when I first held her. It’s one of my most vivid memories. But we were still committed to reunification, and my wife especially worked tirelessly to cheer on the birth mom, while loving this little baby. After eleven months, we got balloons, took the birth mom out to brunch to celebrate, and handed over baby A. We all cried the whole way home, and for days after. The grief was heavy, but we did our best to hold on to the joy of a family reunited successfully. Our grief and joy were short-lived, as a month later, baby A came back into care and re-joined our family. A few short months after that, termination was finalized, and we were added to the list of families adopting on National Adoption Day in November. We celebrated this incredible addition to our family and mourned the brokenness of a birth mom who lost her child.  Often, the adoption story ends there. But my wife believed that no one was out of the reach of God’s grace and offered love and acceptance to this birth mom who needed it so badly. She went through recovery and found stable housing. We grew closer as friends, and she joined our church. Our daughter would worship Jesus, sitting next to her “first mom,” and attend childrens' classes with her half-sister and brother. Now, this amazing woman–who battled homelessness and addiction and won–works for a local nonprofit that shelters the unhoused in the South Denver area. She offers her lived experience to the organization as they craft policy and procedures. And she and her family are regular fixtures in our home (as I write this, I know they are coming over for dinner tonight).
It’s so easy to be myopic about our expectations of what God might do in us and through us. We set out our plans and limit our imaginations. But every once in a while, we are reminded that God can do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). And we are reminded that no one is out of the reach of God’s grace. By Mark Gomez, Front Range Church and Community Engagement Manager  I am not a flexible person, physically speaking. I struggle to touch my toes without bending my knees, and most yoga poses are just wishful thinking. But while my body lacks flexibility, our time in foster care taught me a different kind of flexibility, and the importance of having a support team that could bend and flex with our family.
My wife got a call from the county, asking if we would be willing to take one or two boys from a sibling set of three. They had given up on keeping them together, and since we already had five children in our home, they were only asking us to take one or two. After discussing it with each other and our children, we offered to take all three (there is another article to be written here about knowing your limits, but we’ll save that for later). But adding three kids to our existing house meant we had to shuffle our existing family into different spaces in the home. We had one open storage room in the basement that we wanted to convert to a bedroom in order to accommodate the extra kids. We put out the call to our support community, and they responded. My dad covered the cost of an egress window for the room to ensure safety and once the window was cut out, we needed to paint and move furniture. Our community group had a regularly scheduled men’s night out every other week. It was always a great time for us to grab a drink together, enjoy some food, catch up on each other’s lives, and pray for each other. But on that particular night, every single one of them skipped the restaurant and showed up to help paint and prep the room. Our oldest twins moved into a new room in the basement, leaving a room upstairs available for three boys who wanted to stay together. Foster care is unpredictable, and our best laid plans can be scrapped as quickly as a phone call. Having good friends and family who are able to flex and pivot with the dexterity of a yogi is essential to the long-term success of foster families. How can we build communities of support that can set aside plans to offer help in critical moments? By Mark Gomez, Church and Community Engagement Manager  On average, 200 children age out of foster care in Colorado every year. In 2026, 200 young people will turn age 18 in foster care and find themselves on their own with limited support. Many will exit care without a safe place to land and a plan for their future. The statistics are not in their favor as they navigate adulthood on their own. They are at an increased risk of unplanned pregnancy, incarceration, and homelessness. The good news is, they don’t have to face their future milestones on their own. We are creating a way to introduce young adults, ages 18-24, to a caring adult committed to their well-being. We are calling it New Ground because both Mentors and young adults will be stepping onto new ground, facing new challenges, learning new things, and most importantly, doing it together.
At Project 1.27, our vision is “every child in a nurturing, well-supported family”. This is true for every child in foster care and every 18-year-old aging out of the system. That is why we are launching New Ground, a mentoring program for young adults transitioning out of foster care. These young adults also need the family-like support a Mentor can provide. Mentors offer guidance, share life experiences, and provide encouragement. Most importantly, they build genuine friendships and help young adults feel connected to their communities. Mentors will be available to guide young people in big life decisions, but more importantly, will offer a consistent, loving presence to a young person who has experienced significant trauma and broken relationships. Advent is the season when the Church remembers that God came near as a baby. We remember his first coming and anticipate his return. It is the season when we hold tight to the truth that proximity matters. It helps us feel less alone - knowing we are not doing life alone. It seems fitting that this time of year is when we are launching New Ground, as we are introducing people to each other so we can all be less alone. For connections to happen, we need Mentors who will give their time, attention, and care to be with a young person. If you are interested in learning more about what is involved in being a Mentor, visit our website or contact Alysa Dudrey at [email protected]. “‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name ‘Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” -Matthew 1:23 By Alex Kuykendall, Director of Community Engagement  As nonprofit employees, we love the spirit of generosity that blooms at this time of year. A rush of open-hearted donors, giving end-of-year donations, desiring to bless families with gifts: toys, pajamas, teddy bears. With our Neighbor Program, you can be the gift even after the holiday season is tidied up and swept away! Beyond the material gift of presents, you can offer your presence to a family that needs encouragement and social connection year-round. This holiday season, we have eleven families across Colorado (and one in northern California) waiting for a Neighbor. You can be the gift, like Kerri, who makes a Puerto Rican dinner for Val and Tito, grandparents raising preschoolers. Val says they feel so "seen," eating the food of their heritage, prepared by loving hands and delivered with a friendly smile and chat. You can be the gift, like Lisa, who doubles her dinner recipe once a month for Ashley, a single foster mom with five precious little ones. In the middle of a busy week for Ashley, navigating ongoing medical needs for the kids, Lisa delivered a box of diapers. Even after the six-month commitment, Lisa and Ashley have a friendship built on shared care for Ashley's kids. You can be a gift, creating a relationship where you personally know the children in your kinship or foster family. We encourage Neighbors to personalize their relationship: a birthday care package for a weary mom, the child's favorite meal in their birthday month, or takeout from a favorite burger joint to celebrate Father's Day, specific prayers as your assigned family moves toward adoption or reunification with the biological family.
You can be a gift by donating to the Neighbor Program to help recruit and resource volunteers to serve foster families. We need each other, not just in the holiday season, but all year long. To learn more about volunteering as a Neighbor with one of our waiting families (minimum commitment of 6 months, with one meal of your choice delivered each month) click below!  The above is Project 1.27’s tagline--but what does it really mean?
Foster care can feel like a world of unknowns. It may seem overwhelming, intimidating, or even out of reach. Many people believe that unless they are willing to bring children into their own home, there’s no meaningful way to engage. But the truth is this: caring for children in foster care is far bigger than the family that opens their home. Foster families cannot do this work alone, and the Church is uniquely positioned and called to support them. When foster families feel seen, loved, and surrounded by community, they are better equipped to offer stability, compassion, and hope to the children in their care. The first step is simple: identify the foster families already in your congregation or neighborhood and begin looking for ways to serve them. Consider hosting a lunch or a casual social gathering just for them. Providing childcare during these events makes it even more meaningful, giving parents a moment to breathe, connect, and be encouraged. Foster parenting is hard and often lonely. A supportive community, even in small ways, can be life-giving. Knowing their children are cared for while they build relationships with other foster families, or with church members who genuinely want to walk alongside them, can empower them for the challenging and beautiful work God has called them to. Parenting can feel isolating at times, and fostering can feel even more so, especially when others don’t fully understand the “why” behind it. Your presence, your support, and your willingness to create space for these families can make all the difference. If you would like more ideas or information on how to begin to support foster families, Project 1.27 is here to help! Contact Kym Schnittker at [email protected]. Someone from our Church Engagement team would love to meet with you and share more ideas for supporting foster families! By Kym Schnittker, Church and Community Engagement Manager  If a child is struggling during the holidays, know that the root cause may lie deep in their past. You can’t predict or prevent all trauma triggers, but you can practice compassion, empathy and understanding. Building resilience takes time and patience, along with trial and error. Keep these tips in mind during the holiday season:
By Marilyn Robinson, Director of Family Connection  Early in my post-college years, I spent too much time arguing about the Bible on internet forums and social media. There was so much to argue about and so many hard positions to take. Eschatology (are you pre-, post-, or a-millennial?), modes of baptism (paedo or credo?), Calvinism (4-point, 5-point, infra- or supra-lapsarian?). It was easy to find disagreement, and it seemed like the Bible was saying different things in different places at different times. However, one thing consistently found throughout the Scriptures, and difficult to argue with, is God's special love and care for the poor and vulnerable.
The writers of the Bible refer to what has come to be known as the quartet of the vulnerable: the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant. These communities have historically been at risk of missing out on society's benefits and blessings. They are prone to being left behind, outcast, downtrodden, and oppressed. They often have no voice in society, no one to take up their cause. Let’s look at a few examples from different places in Scripture. Starting in the Torah, we see God’s heart early on. Exodus 22 tells the Israelites, “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.” It continues with serious consequences if they do. In Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing,” and “Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.” So God is establishing this emphasis in the fledgling nation that He was setting apart to be a light to the world. Moving to the prophets, we can see that God’s people were not always faithful in caring for the vulnerable. Malachi prophesies that God will put the people on trial, and those who oppress the widows and the fatherless will be judged with sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers. Isaiah offers them a way forward, saying “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow,” and later, “if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Jeremiah promises them a long life in the land if they care for the poor and the vulnerable. Finally, the Gospels and Epistles offer the same viewpoint. Jesus, in Matthew 25, tells a parable of judgment, where the condition for deliverance from judgment is care for the poor and needy. Paul tells the Galatians about the Jerusalem council and offers this takeaway from the discussion: “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” Our organization draws its name from James's letter, where he condenses religious activity to “look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Project 1.27 has focused on one of those groups in the quartet of the vulnerable, the fatherless. What does it look like to take up the cause of the orphan, or to offer justice to the poor? We believe that it looks like every child being in a nurturing, well-supported family. Eventually, God moved me away from the keyboard and into the foster care community, where we encountered Jesus in the person of the kids in our care and the families struggling with brokenness, poverty, and addiction. If you are interested in learning more about how your church can engage with this community in the quartet of the vulnerable, one of our engagement managers would love to sit down and talk about the resources that are available for your church and family. You can contact us here. By Mark Gomez, Church Engagement Manager  For just over a decade, we were foster parents.
If you have friends, neighbors, or family who are fostering, here is my most significant advice: No matter what they say, they could use your help. The days are long, the nights are even longer, and the extra appointments, visits, driving, and people constantly coming in and out of the home can really wear you down. During our time fostering, nine children came through our home. One stayed just for the weekend, one stayed forever, and the rest stayed with us for one to two years. The only reason we could serve for as long as we did was was the grace of God and an incredible support network. Often, when people asked what we needed or how they could help, I didn’t even have the brain capacity to answer. But when someone said, “When can I bring dinner this week?” or “I left a treat on your porch.” or “Can I pick up Lily from soccer?” That kind of support kept us going. Here are some practical ways to support foster parents: 1) Babysitting: One thing I rarely saw in ten years was alone time, with myself or with my husband.
One of my favorite gifts was getting a break from planning, shopping, and cooking.
When we had eight kids at once, even a quick diaper run felt impossible.
Some nights, I would sit for hours trying to get three little ones to sleep.
By Jenny Watson, Director of Communication and Development How foster care reshaped the Cohicks—and formed a next-generation calling in their daughter.  When Craig and Afton Cohick opened their home to foster care a little over two years ago, they expected bottles, nap schedules, and caseworker visits. What they didn’t expect was how deeply the journey would reshape their outlook—and their children’s. “Before foster care, we didn’t realize how many children were out there who needed care—or how much support the parents themselves need,” Afton reflects. Their guiding conviction is simple and counter-cultural: love the child fully and honor the child’s family by welcoming them into the circle of care.  Their 17-year-old daughter, Aniyha, describes the shift with striking clarity. She once felt “comfortable,” even a bit sheltered, but meeting children who hadn’t had the same opportunities “opened our eyes and our hearts.” Her advice to other teens whose parents are considering fostering is honest: be brave enough to care, even when caring might hurt. “You have to be willing to put your heart out there—and be willing to get your heart broken,” she says. “The ache is real, but there is a lot of beauty in it as well.” That beauty shows up in milestones: first smiles, first steps, and first words. The Cohicks talk about the joy of watching babies thrive, but they also recognize that every child’s story begins long before their home. For them, loving a child means honoring that story and the parents who are part of it.  The Cohicks see foster care as a ministry of restoration—loving children while walking alongside the parents working to bring them home. They babysit when asked, offer encouragement to parents pursuing sobriety and stability, and celebrate each step toward reunification. “If we can step in and say, ‘We’re a friend—we’re here to help in any way we can,’ we will,” Afton says. For them, involvement with parents isn’t an add-on; it’s part of loving the child well.
To honor those parents even in their absence, the family assembles “memory boxes”—photos, keepsakes of their firsts, a tiny hospital cap, and notes to mom. The keepsakes travel with the child and preserve every parent’s place in the story. While many children in their care return home, not every story ends in reunification. Some journeys take a different path, but the Cohicks believe every child deserves lasting love and stability, whatever form it takes. That’s where Dexter, the baby they adopted, comes in. His presence, Aniyha says, is “a forever impact.” She jokes that the family would “keep them all” if they could, but they also celebrate reunifications and keep cheering for biological families from the sidelines. Asked whether she’d foster one day, Aniyha doesn’t hesitate. “I think I will be a foster parent when I’m older, because I just feel like it’s a path that I’m meant to be on,” she says. She wants to give back, to love deeply, and, if necessary, “let her heart break a little to help others.” Why this matters for all of us The Cohicks’ story reminds us that foster care is ordinary and holy. It’s bedtime, bottles, paperwork, courage, humility, and hope stitched together by the community. There is a profound need across all ages, from infants to teens. Consider this your nudge if you’ve wondered whether your family, small group, or church could play a part. Take the next step with Project 1.27
By Janet Rowland, Delta County Manager |
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Project 1.27 • 14000 E. Jewell Ave. • Aurora, CO 80012
EIN 26-3341511
Copyright Project 1.27 • All Rights Reserved
EIN 26-3341511
Copyright Project 1.27 • All Rights Reserved