The Open Homes Core Team is a new addition to the Bowling Green and Wood County community which is
focusing on the needs of orphans. The organizers and several area churches are partnering with the
national Orphan Sunday observation scheduled for Nov. 2.
Local churches who have committed to participate in at least one of the various ways available include
five Bowling Green churches along with Main Street Church in Walblridge
The BG churches involved in the grassroots effort are Bowling Green Covenant Church, Brookside Church,
Dayspring Church, H20 Church and First Baptist Church.
In a recruitment letter, the team issued the following opening statement, "Did you know that all
around the world, orphans are hungry, homeless, voiceless, and without hope? And it’s just not a need
that exists in a faraway place – it’s a need right here at home in Northwest Ohio, as well. Throughout
Wood and neighboring counties, there are foster children waiting and praying for a loving family who
will care for them."
The core team of the new Open Homes organization, which is overseeing this initiative and awareness
campaign, is comprised of Terence and Alisson Armentano, Michael and Teresa Brown, Craig Flack, Greg and
Bethanie Jenkins, Grant and Veronica Mierzejewski, Steve and Sandy Rieske, and Joe and Beverly Spencer,
all of Bowling Green.
These people have been meeting each month to dream and pray about how they can respond to God’s heart for
the orphan. Consequently, the seeds of this movement have been planted and the beginnings of a
non-profit organization have emerged.
The members of the organization have committed to to partnering with public and private foster care
agencies throughout Northwest Ohio, despite being still in its beginning stages.
Organizers said in their outreach letter, "The overarching vision for this group is to assist local
children’s services agencies to match abandoned and forgotten children and teenagers with positive and
permanent families. And who better to join with us then the vibrant faith communities within our town?

Each faith community’s investment can range anywhere from displaying an Orphan Sunday poster to crafting
a sermon about caring for orphans… and everything in between, including but not limited to: bulletin
inserts, pre-printed coffee cup sleeves, printed congregational snail-mail letter, event t-shirts,
social media postings, three-minute upfront announcement, foster care testimony, or a short video that
powerfully illustrates the need for our community to respond to this pressing need. One other option is
to allow Open Homes’ representatives to set up a Heart Gallery in the foyer or lobby of a church
facility that will feature the photos and brief stories of adoption-ready children who are residing
within our community.
If requested, a member of the Open Homes team would be available to assist each church in developing an
Orphan Sunday plan.
Among the objectives of Open Homes are:
• Promote strategies to tangibly express care and compassion for the neglected and abused children in
local communities
• Educate community leaders and families about foster care opportunities in our own backyard
• Advocate for the adoption of children and teenagers who find themselves in the permanent custody of the
state
• Invite every positive family in Northwest Ohio to play some role in assisting modern-day orphans to
experience hope and help
For other ways to become involved visit www.orphansunday.org.
Volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to:
• Caregivers: foster and/or adoptive families who provide stable short-term, long-term, and/or permanent
homes for children and teens
• Champions: community members who provide babysitting and/or transportation services for foster and/or
adoptive children
• Companions: community members who are willing to run errands and/or provide meals, gift cards,
clothing, toys, or supplies for foster and/or adoptive families during times of need
• Coaches: seasoned community parents who are willing to serve as both compassionate listeners and wise
mentors for foster and/or adoptive caregivers who are seeking safe spaces to share struggles and seek
advice
—
Website: www.openhomesohio.org
Contact: [email protected]