Large families, good neighbors, and common myths with Dr. Kimberly Offutt

05/15/23 • 58 min

Summary
In our first episode, Juan welcomes Dr. Kimberly Offutt, author, speaker, and coach with more than 20 years’ experience championing children and families. Juan and Kim discuss growing up in a small town with a large family and how this experience can often change our definition of who we consider family. Kim tells her unique journey with foster care and adoption, including some of the most common myths about fostering and adopting teens. In the first (and maybe last) edition of a segment called “Yep, that just happened,” Juan and Kim exchange funny stories about their families and reflect on how family life can be challenging but always worth the investment. Kim offers practical advice for building community and championing families, specifically highlighting the needs of the 400,000 children in foster care today.

About this episode's guest
Dr. Kimberly Offutt is Bethany’s national director of family support and engagement. She earned her BA in child and family development at Georgia Southern University, an MSW in clinical social work at Michigan State University, and a doctorate in Christian education at Midwest Theological University. At Bethany, she’s served almost 20 years with roles in foster care, adoption, recruitment, and church engagement. Kim is an inspirational speaker, author, foster and adoptive mother, mentor to youth who’ve aged out of foster care, and coach to other foster and adoptive parents. She passionately brings her faith into broken places and hard conversations, leading to life-giving transformation in individuals, families, programs, and systems.

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The Champions for Family podcast is hosted by Juan Fernandez and produced by Bethany Christian Services. Guests include authors, speakers, experts, advocates, and volunteers who share their stories of uplifting and empowering families. Learn more about becoming a champion for family at Bethany.org/Champion.
The Champions for Family podcast is presented by Just Love Coffee Café. Check them out at JustLoveCoffee.com
Copyright © 2011 Aunt Gertrude Music Publishing Llc. (BMI) Bridge Building Music (BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Previous Episode

Trailer: Champion for Family

In a world filled with things we disagree on, the importance of family is something we can all get behind. For some, family brings painful memories. For others, family is a place of love, nurturing, and healing. And for most of us, it’s something in between.
No matter how we’ve experienced family, we know family changes everything.
Champions for family are those who have stepped up to the challenge to support and empower families. They’re willing to have hard conversations and take action that may be uncomfortable.
When you subscribe to our podcast, you’re saying “yes” to championing families. You’ll hear from people changing the national conversation on how we should support families individually and collectively. This podcast will challenge you to look beyond a traditional definition of family to a biblical definition of family: Family is much more than blood relatives—it’s also those we chose to live in community with.
Whether you’re single, married, young, old, a church attender or not, however you choose to live out your life and your faith, this podcast is here to inspire you around one simple question: How do we help families thrive?
Copyright © 2011 Aunt Gertrude Music Publishing Llc. (BMI) Bridge Building Music
(BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Next Episode

Welcoming others, living in diverse communities, and parenting large families with author Kayla Craig

Juan Fernandez sits down with author and podcast host Kayla Craig for a fun and thought-provoking conversation about creating spaces of welcome, living in diverse communities, and parenting large families. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Kayla’s nuanced yet accessible reflections on family, community, and faith. Throughout the conversation, you’ll hear Juan and Kayla dive into practical ways families and individuals can create what Kayla calls “spaces of welcome” for those around them. Our host and guest will also explore how churches can be more welcoming as they seek to build community and champion families in their hometowns.

About our guest

Kayla Craig is a former journalist who brings deep curiosity and care to her writing. She’s the author of “Every Season Sacred” and “To Light Their Way.” With a poetic, prophetic voice, she created the popular Liturgies for Parents Instagram account, which Christianity Today named an “essential parenting resource.” She also hosts the “Liturgies for Parents” podcast. Kayla’s reflections, essays, and prayers are featured in various books, devotionals, and Bible studies. Kayla lives in a 115-year-old former convent in her Iowa hometown, where she hopes to create spaces of welcome alongside her four children, two dogs, and pastor-husband, Jonny.