On this episode of the MBCBH Podcast, hosts Nate Melton and Jasper Rains continue their look into the Family Resource Development program at the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home. They are joined once again by Jasmine Hamilton Baldwin, Assistant Program Director for Family Resource Development, and Angie Gentry, Family Resource Development Supervisor from the Joplin office. Together, they share the raw data and look at the actual realities surrounding youth in foster care, helping to dismantle common misconceptions along the way.

Listeners will discover that the standard face of foster care is older than most people realize. While many prospective foster parents hope to take in babies, the reality is that the average age of a child entering care in Missouri is around 8 years old, and a staggering 35% of youth in care are 13 or older. Jasmine and Angie clarify the common misunderstandings about who can step into this role, explaining that licensed foster parents don't need to be married, but do require a reliable community network and a supportive faith background.

They also map out the licensing process, detailing the timeline of around 120 days from a family's initial class to completion, and explore alternative avenues of support, such as short-term emergency fostering or weekend respite care. Finally, Jasper highlights an exciting new cinematic resource, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, a faith-based film that demonstrates the explosive impact a local church can have when it chooses to wrap around vulnerable kids. Whether you can take a child for a night or a year, this conversation reminds us that there is a critical space for everyone to participate in healing the foster care crisis.

On this episode of the MBCBH Podcast, hosts Nate Melton and Jasper Rains introduce listeners to the Family Resource Development program at the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home. They sit down with Jasmine Hamilton Baldwin, Assistant Program Director for Family Resource Development, and Angie Gentry, Family Resource Development Supervisor from the Joplin office. Together, they discuss the critical purpose and function of the program in recruiting, training, and supporting foster parents to care for youth across Missouri.

The conversation highlights the sobering math and significant need for specialized foster homes in the state—where over 12,000 children are currently in care with only about 5,000 licensed foster homes available. Jasmine and Angie break down the realities of this deficit, sharing that many current homes are already at full capacity, and explaining the urgent bottleneck causing older youth to occasionally sleep in offices or hotels with staff while waiting for a permanent family placement.

Listeners will learn about the exact steps and requirements to become a foster parent, from background checks and home visits to the 11-week pre-service training process, which at MBCH uniquely integrates an extra week focused on spiritual development. The guests also touch on the flexibility of age preferences and clear up common misconceptions about marital status, emphasizing that healthy, loving environments can successfully come from single-parent homes just as they do from married couples.

Finally, the episode highlights additional ways for churches to wrap around local foster families, pointing out that everyone can step into love-in-motion—whether by opening their home to foster or by supporting the foster families already within their own faith communities.

On this episode of the MBCBH Podcast, hosts Nate Melton and Jasper Rayns sit down for part 2 of their conversation with Heather Gain, the Director of Communications and Outreach at Rooftop Church in Affton, Missouri.

In this episode, the team dives into the practical reality of living out a culture of service. For Rooftop, Care Portal is just one piece of the puzzle. Heather walks us through their multi-faceted local ministries, including their 18-year partnership with the Affton Christian Food Pantry and their dedicated "Street Team" homeless outreach. Lead by veteran coordinator Justin Stone, the street team goes beyond distributing essential supplies; they focus on looking people in the eye, listening to their stories, and bringing their specific prayer requests back to the church body.

Heather also discusses their Fostering Faithful Families ministry, which hosts essential "Parent Night Out" events to give foster and adoptive parents a much-needed break. Additionally, she explains how Rooftop balances global missions—allocating 12% of their budget to global work—with localized cross-cultural engagement right in South County, St. Louis.

Whether you are looking to get your own hands dirty in local ministry or seeking inspiration on how to build transformational community, this episode highlights how the simple, obedient act of serving shapes both the server and the served.

On this episode of the MBCBH Podcast, hosts Nate Melton and Jasper Rayns sit down with Heather Gain, the Director of Communications and Outreach at Rooftop Church in Affton, Missouri.

Heather shares her unique journey from working as a crime reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to transitioning into vocational ministry. She opens up about the heart and personality of Rooftop Church—a community that famously "takes Jesus seriously, but doesn't take themselves seriously" (yes, this includes throwing Easter candy off the church roof!).

The conversation dives deep into what it truly means to be an imperfect family following Jesus by putting love into motion. Heather explains how the church stays connected in a digital world and highlights their hands-on approach to serving through local food pantries, homeless ministries, and their long-standing partnership with Care Portal. Tune in to hear an inspiring real-life story of how stable, gospel-centered community support helped open doors for a family in crisis, and learn how one small "yes" can change everything.

In this second part of their conversation, hosts Nate and Jasper delve deeper into the Stronger Families Services program with guests Yolanda Johnson and Ruby Latoya Harris. Ruby share insights into the program's operations and its critical expansion following a devastating tornado in St. Louis City. They share that the program uses an assessment tool tailored to identify the unique needs of each family and connects them with necessary support services, including individual therapy, case management, housing resources, food pantries, and financial empowerment. Ruby also highlights the Missouri State Youth Advisory Board, a unique, youth-led initiative that empowers young people to advocate for themselves and propose meaningful policy and legislative reforms directly to lawmakers at the state capital. Finally, the team introduces the CarePortal network, which connects local churches with child welfare professionals to fulfill the tangible, immediate needs of families in their own communities—with the ultimate goal of keeping families together.

In part 1 of this segment, hosts Nate and Jasper focus on the Stronger Families Services program, designed to stabilize, strengthen, and preserve vulnerable families in the St. Louis area. They are joined by Program Director Yolanda Johnson and Supervisor Ruby Latoya Harris, who share insights into the program's operations and its critical expansion following a devastating tornado in St. Louis City. Yolanda highlights how the program, entirely funded by MBCH, was launched in July 2025 and quickly scaled to serve 67 families in its first six months alone—many of whom were displaced and facing acute crises like roofless homes, lack of clothing, and immediate housing shortages. The team shares the moving realities of providing direct, boots-on-the-ground support to help families navigate complex resources and maintain stability during their most challenging moments.

In this second part of their conversation, the Church Engagement team explores the vital tools and training resources available to churches through MBCH. Lawrence spotlights "Stewards of Children," an eye-opening, evidence-informed program designed to equip adults with practical steps to prevent, recognize, and respond to child sexual abuse, building safer environments within congregations and homes. He also details the adult and pediatric CPR and first-aid training provided across a wide array of Missouri counties. Drew highlights the power of CarePortal, an online network that connects local churches with child welfare professionals to fulfill the tangible, immediate needs of families in their own communities—with the ultimate goal of keeping families together. Whether large or small, churches are encouraged to step forward, leverage their networks, and engage in these life-changing ministries to make a lasting difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families.

The MBCH Podcast is dedicated to sharing inspiring stories, practical tools, and actionable ways for individuals and churches to support children and families throughout Missouri with hope, healing, and restoration. The program explores a wide range of topics, including foster care, adoption, CarePortal, and community partnerships.

Designed to equip pastors, volunteers, and concerned citizens alike, the show focuses on turning compassion into action. By highlighting one church, one family, and one story at a time, the podcast encourages listeners to work together to make a lasting difference in their communities.

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In this episode, hosts Nate and Jasper shift the focus from history to contemporary ministry as they introduce the full-time MBCH Church Engagement team, welcoming specialists Lawrence Baker from St. Louis and Drew Nola from Kansas City. Lawrence, a longtime local pastor with 25 years of ministry experience, and Drew, a dedicated veteran and local sergeant in the Missouri Army National Guard, share their insights into what it means to equip and empower local congregations to support vulnerable families. Lawrence emphasizes that while MBCH plays a short-term, specialized role in a child's life, it is the local church that is designed to be a permanent, lifelong network of spiritual and relational support. They discuss a variety of free, impactful tools and training resources available to churches through MBCH—including a Bible study loan program, adult and pediatric CPR/First Aid certification, and specialized training in trauma-informed care—designed to help churches safely and effectively meet the unique needs of families right in their own neighborhoods.

The MBCH Podcast is dedicated to sharing inspiring stories, practical tools, and actionable ways for individuals and churches to support children and families throughout Missouri with hope, healing, and restoration. The program explores a wide range of topics, including foster care, adoption, CarePortal, and community partnerships.

Designed to equip pastors, volunteers, and concerned citizens alike, the show focuses on turning compassion into action. By highlighting one church, one family, and one story at a time, the podcast encourages listeners to work together to make a lasting difference in their communities.

Connect on Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/mbch1886

In this second part of their conversation, hosts Nate and Jasper continue their discussion with Lisa Lowrance and Ben Umble about MBCH’s newly awarded Chafee contract, which provides critical transition services for older youth leaving state custody. Ben shines a light on the Missouri State Youth Advisory Board—a unique, youth-led initiative that empowers young people to advocate for themselves and propose meaningful policy and legislative reforms directly to lawmakers at the state capital. Lisa and Ben share how inspiring it is to watch these youth present passionately from their own lived experiences. They also discuss practical ways local churches can get involved through "church hubs," emphasizing that providing consistent support, whether through financial partnerships, mentorship, or prayer, can profoundly change the trajectory of a young person's life.

The MBCH Podcast is dedicated to sharing inspiring stories, practical tools, and actionable ways for individuals and churches to support children and families throughout Missouri with hope, healing, and restoration. The program explores a wide range of topics, including foster care, adoption, CarePortal, and community partnerships.

Designed to equip pastors, volunteers, and concerned citizens alike, the show focuses on turning compassion into action. By highlighting one church, one family, and one story at a time, the podcast encourages listeners to work together to make a lasting difference in their communities.

Connect on Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/mbch1886

In this episode, hosts Nate and Jasper welcome Lisa Lowrance, Program Director, and Ben Umble, Chafee Supervisor, to discuss the newly awarded Chafee contract for the Southwest and Northwest regions of Missouri. Ben explains that the Chafee program is a federal initiative designed to help youth ages 14 through 22 transition successfully out of the foster care system by building independent living skills, career preparation, and healthy support networks. Lisa highlights the critical hurdles these older youth face, such as housing insecurity and transportation barriers. To overcome these challenges, Ben shares an exciting new proposal to develop "church hubs" across the state, which will equip local congregations with trauma-informed training to provide consistent, reliable mentorship and a loving support system for youth right in their own communities.