Sharing Faith in Foster Families

Epworth Children’s Home, based in Columbia, S.C., provides supports, services and programs for children in foster care and the families who care for them. These services and supports are part of the legacy of Epworth, which began offering residential services to children in 1896 on its historic campus. In residential care, children receive services including safe and secure housing, nutritious meals, mental health counseling, academic tutoring and health care.

“Epworth has been doing this for 128 years,” says Executive Director Beth Williams. “We try to meet a child and family wherever their point of need is. That could be early intervention and education for young children facing developmental challenges and their families. It could be residential care, or it could be in prevention services,” she explains.

Today, Epworth features the Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing, where Centers of Excellence provide an array of focused services, supports and programs to meet specific needs of children and families.

Through the Institute, families can receive higher education and career counseling for children aging out of foster care at 18, in-home services to build positive parenting, communication, and behavioral health skills, peer supports in the Circle of Parents program, Homebuilders® crisis intervention to prevent unnecessary placement of children in state-funded care, and Family Care Center treatment for mothers with substance abuse addiction.

The Institute was created with support from The Duke Endowment and partnerships with the S.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Pan-Methodist Campaign for Children in Poverty.

When birth parents are unable to care for their children for a variety of reasons, foster families often provide care until and if circumstances change and birth families may once again care for their children in a safe, stable and loving environment.

In South Carolina, nearly 4,000 children are in foster care. As Epworth has evolved and grown to meet the changing needs of South Carolina residents, expanded services for these foster care families have become a priority for the organization.

Through the proven Together Facing the Challenge program, foster care agencies and parents connected with Epworth can receive practical parenting and supervisory techniques, alongside ongoing coaching.

In a pioneering collaboration, Epworth and United Methodist churches across South Carolina have created a Foster Care Support Network.

“Since 2008, we have really focused on mobilizing with the United Methodist churches across South Carolina to meet children and families where they are, in their local churches. We have foster care programs, prevention programs, and counseling centers being opened up across the state,” says Williams.

Foster parents Melinda and Charles Viohl credit the support of their church as critical to their success.

“It takes a village, and the church is a big part of our village. They [church members] might drop by with a box of diapers, or a birthday gift. They offer family appreciation nights and coordinate parent nights out. Anything that we feel like we might need. Just to see how they accept our children with open, loving arms is just incredible,” says Melinda.

In 2024, approximately 2,000 children are waiting for placement with a foster care family in South Carolina. This sobering reality has motivated Epworth and its Foster Care Support Network church partners to take on the challenge of growing the number of families available to provide foster care to children in need. Through Epworth, families who are stepping up to open their hearts and homes for foster care can receive training and guidance to become licensed foster caregivers.

Charles and Melinda are both military veterans who feel a strong calling to community service.

“We said for a long time that if we ever decided to have kids, we would try to foster,” says Charles.

“We are people of service. This is what we are meant to do. This is the direction our life is supposed to go,” says Melinda.

“I don’t think that it would be possible without an organization like Epworth. I had no idea what I was doing or what I was getting into when I first started, but they were guiding me each step of the way,” Melinda adds.

The vibrant partnership between Epworth and United Methodist Church congregations across South Carolina is yielding positive results for children and families.

Since the Foster Care Support Network began, Epworth has licensed more than 240 homes across South Carolina and continues to expand foster care services statewide. In 2021, 91 percent of children and youth enjoyed stable placements in Epworth’s foster homes.

Across the U.S., nearly 50 percent of families who become licensed to provide foster care subsequently decide to end their participation within one year. “This isn’t for everyone, but there are a lot of supports available through Epworth to help you succeed,” says Charles.

Data backs up Viohl’s statement. A 2021 survey of Epworth foster parents found that 71 percent of Epworth foster parents value the Together Facing the Challenge program and believe it has improved their parenting skills. On the strength of this and other services, Epworth and its faith-centered partners have achieved a striking 80 percent retention rate of foster parents.

Moving forward, Epworth will continue to build on its legacy of impact. “We continue to evolve, and to look at how we can serve the community better, helping children and families as much upstream as possible,” says Williams.

The future is also on the minds of the Viohls.

“I understand how important this work is. Every child matters. And even if it’s just one, it makes a huge difference in that one child’s life and that makes it all worth it,” says Melinda.

Learn more about Epworth Children’s Home.