Last week dozens of area pastors and leaders of faith-based organizations gathered at First Baptist Church Covington to learn about James Samaritan and Open Table and the ways the organization and its mentoring program, respectively, support teens transitioning out of the foster care system.
Organized by James Samaritan, Dr. Michael Sprague (Louisiana State Chaplain, Capitol Commission) and Judge Scott Gardner (22nd Judicial District Court, Division G), the forum served to educate the faith-based community about the hurdles these youth face and to mobilize forces to strengthen Open Table, a program that pairs a small group of volunteers, or “table,” to form a support family for a young person who is aging out of the foster care system and who has accepted the offer to join a table.
Also taking part in the one-hour forum were St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper, James Samaritan Executive Director Lisa Murphy, James Samaritan Board President Bradley Cook, and First Baptist Church Covington Senior Pastor Waylon Bailey.
For more information on James Samaritan and Open Table, visit jamessamaritan.org.
