Get Involved

Practical ways to use your time, gifts and abilities to help orphaned and vulnerable children at Bethesda or in your own community.

Pray

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the Word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ…” Colossians 4:2-3

  • Pray that God will give us increased opportunities to share the gospel with our children and the community.
  • Pray for our houseparents to have wisdom, understanding and strength each day.
  • Pray for our Bethesda board members, staff and teachers to have the wisdom, strength and perseverance to lead well.
  • Pray that God will give you opportunities to be involved in helping orphaned or vulnerable children in your community.
  • Read our Updates and Child of the Month’s and pray for what you read there.

Give

Do you have resources to share? Would you like to make a difference in the life of a child? Here are the ways YOU can be personally involved in providing care to orphaned children.

Serve at Bethesda

For those desiring to serve at Bethesda, we want to help you to raise awareness, stimulate compassion, and encourage obedience in gospel-focused orphan care. Serving at Bethesda is the perfect place to gain practical experience in orphan care whether you are a team or an individual. The staff and facilities at Bethesda are very well suited to accommodate individuals, couples, families, or groups of people. For more detail, please refer to the FAQ’s below.

Bethesda recognizes that short-term missions trips have the potential to do great good or great harm.  The Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) has produced a helpful resource called “Eight Principles to do Wise Short-Term Missions” which is available in a variety of formats.  If you are considering a missions trip, you will want to take advantage of these resources and learn more about these 8 principles.

1. Protection – safeguarding children from harm is first priority
2. Attachment – support bonds between children and their parent or primary caregiver
3. Caregivers – honor the role of parents and primary caregivers
4. Community – support the communities surrounding vulnerable children
5. Expectations – make sure the trip purpose is clear and expectations thoroughly understood
6. Partnership – anchor every trip in long-term relationships with quality partners
7. Training – commit to learning before doing
8. Media – share stories and images with care

Short-Term Ministry Opportunities

Bethesda Outreach is blessed each year with individuals who come to minister for short periods alongside the full-time staff. We desire that these individuals come with a teachable spirit and a desire to use their unique gifts and abilities to glorify God through ministry to churches and families caring for orphans.

Teams and Interns
Teams include church, college, and other groups, and the usual length of stay is 2 to 3 weeks whereas interns (college age or older) generally stay from 1 month to a year. If you are interested in bringing a team to Bethesda or serving as an intern, please email us at serve@boi.org. You can also click on the links below to get answers to some common questions. Bethesda has a limited number of spots available each year, so requests need to be made as far in advance as possible. Include any additional questions you may have and we will gladly assist.

Short Term Team FAQ’s

Intern Reference Form

Advocate for Orphan Care

James 1:27 describes pure religion “in the sight of our God and Father, to visit [care for] orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

How can you become an Advocate for Orphan care?

  • Learn what God has to say about orphans and vulnerable children. Start by checking out our Resources page.
  • Get involved in your local community’s fostering or adoption programs (find out the local community statistics and spread the word).
  • Find out what orphan or foster care related needs there are in your church and seek to meet them.
  • Be a godly mentor to a vulnerable child, be available to them.
  • Give foster parents a night off by taking care of their children.
  • Find creative ways to help those who cannot help themselves (tutoring, set up a used clothing room, teaching a skill, listening, etc).

We would love to hear what you are doing to advocate for orphan care so please encourage us by emailing Bethesda-temba@boi.org to share what you are doing in your church and community.

Our Mission

Mobilising the local church and its members for the glory of God by: (1) Providing a gospel focused, family centred and church driven orphaned and vulnerable child care ministry and resource centre (2) Reaching out to the church to raise awareness, stimulate compassion and encourage obedience in the care of the fatherless

How can I help?

Do you have resources to share? Would you like to make a difference in the life of a child? Here are the ways YOU can be personally involved in providing care to orphaned children.

Click here to learn more.


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