Heritage Builders is a program designed for teenagers in the foster care system. This program, developed by East Cooper’s local partner, Lifeline Children’s Services, provides practical support and training for teenagers to help them age-out of the system well and become healthy, productive adults. It is also an opportunity to share the hope of the gospel with these teenagers at a critical stage in their lives. Lifeline partners with churches to equip members to be advocates for these kids. One of East Cooper’s faithful members, Teddy Talisman, has been serving as an advocate since 2024.
In 2023, Teddy attended East Cooper Baptist Church with his girlfriend, Claire. It was his first time being in church since he was a kid. After working on Sundays for several years, the Lord provided Teddy with a new job that opened up his Sundays and allowed him to attend church again. Although Teddy enjoyed the core values of East Cooper, he was intimidated by the size. “It is such a big church. On our first Sunday, I looked at Claire and said, ‘How are we not going to get lost here?’” He and Claire continued showing up and eventually decided to take the next step to become members. Shortly after attending the Membership Class, Teddy received a text from Dave Bruner inviting him to lunch. “He showed the values of East Cooper to me and didn’t let us get lost.”
After becoming a member, Teddy started looking for a place to serve. He had a desire to get more involved at East Cooper and also find a way to serve the local community. Because he worked on Saturdays, Teddy looked for opportunities to serve during the week. “The opportunity with Heritage Builders worked with my schedule, so I signed up to be an advocate. I remember my teenage years, and I wanted the opportunity to be someone these kids could call on outside of their foster parents or social workers.”
Teddy went through the advocate training and was soon matched with a teenager living with foster parents in Summerville. “I got to know him the most during the car rides when I would pick him up for the class,” Teddy shared. The car ride was a challenge for Teddy because of the distance, traffic, and other factors, but it was also a great opportunity to get to know Juju. On one of their first car rides together, Teddy learned that Juju liked to fish, so they made plans to fish together on the weekend. From there, Juju continued to open up more and be receptive to deeper conversations.
Juju, raised by parents who practiced the Muslim religion, was unsure what he truly believed about God. As Teddy got to know him and shared his own story, Juju continued to be more receptive to talking about faith and praying together. “I’ve enjoyed watching Juju open up and be more social. He has gained a lot of confidence in himself.” Because Juju does not see his birth parents or his siblings, who are also in the foster care system, he was looking for someone to care about him. Teddy is able to be that person. Through their relationship, Teddy reminds JuJu that there is love available to him in this world through Jesus.
When asked why people should be open to becoming an advocate, Teddy shared, “Remember how awkward you were at that age? Now, imagine being away from your family and placed in a foster or group home at that age. You can step in and be someone to go to outside of their foster parents or social worker. This is an opportunity to share the love of Christ with kids who are at a stage of being receptive to an outside perspective.” Because the majority of these kids have not experienced a healthy, traditional family or felt loved by a church, they can be skeptical and afraid to trust anyone. Advocates have a unique opportunity to be a reliable person in their lives, offering not only guidance for adulthood, but also the hope of the gospel and an invitation to be a part of the family of God.
Heritage Builders meets on the third Thursday of each month. If you are interested in becoming an advocate and being an influence in the lives of these teenagers, please reach out to Stefanie Hendrix to learn more.