Woodland’s Child of God Bed Ministry was created to provide beds for children served by Child Protective Services. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) does everything possible to keep families together — we work with Child and Protective Services (CPS). One way DFPS does this is to ensure every child in the home has their own bed to sleep in. Some families have children sleeping on pallets on the floor, some on couches, and some sleep 2, 3, or more in the same bed. Woodland provides these beds at no cost to families.

Woodland Church has a Child of God Bed Ministry line item in the Missions & Ministries budget of $6,000 for 2024. The Bed Ministry also receives donations from individual donors. Woodland has received grants from Home Depot, 84 Lumber, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Big Lots, HEB, Greehey Family Foundation, McCombs Foundation, and San Antonio Area Foundation. We use budget money, donations, and grants to purchase lumber, hardware, beds, mattresses, mattress covers, pillows, and bedding. The Child of God Bed Ministry accepts new or gently used twin bed frames and new mattress donations.

Volunteers build wooden twin beds and when the demand is greater than the ability to build beds, we purchase wooden twin beds.  Volunteers deliver, assemble, and dress the beds.

We have partnered with CarePortal, a national organization that enables care-sharing: a method of collaboration that empowers people to share the responsibility of caring for people in need. Right now, in real-time. Referrals are made by CPS to the CarePortal by entering the needs of the family into an online portal and notices are also sent by email to participating churches.  The Child of God Bed Ministry Response Team reviews the request to determine if we can meet the need for beds and then begin the process of coordinating with the carpenters, purchase beds if necessary, gather mattresses and bedding, and find a team to deliver and assemble the bed(s).

The South Texas Alliance for Orphans created the Alliance Prevention Network in 2023, inviting a group of churches to provide assistance to foster families in need.  Each request for assistance is vetted by the Community Engagement Team of the Alliance, and a request is sent out to participating churches to inquire about who can meet the needs.  All along the way members of the Alliance monitor the progress with the case manager working with the family and the church providing services.