The church that I work at launched a foster ministry about a year ago, apparently it's going very well. I hadn't given it much thought until I walked into the building the other day and found these carboard displays.

They're pictures of all the local kids in the ministry, taken in action - they're all playing football or waving at the camera - except they've been blown up into full-size cutouts, like a celebrity-endorsed beer display in a convenience store. Then, on top of the cutouts, small cardboard signs with fake hand-lettering are pasted, advertising that these children are orphans in need of a good home. "I could make your family complete!" says one. "Do you have room in your heart for me?" asks another. The biggest shocker was the one closest to the sanctuary door, where a slightly pudgy girl had a sign simply labeled "Just love me!" It is infinitely sadder than the "Pet Of The Week" section of the local paper, and considerably more humiliating. 

Unfortunately, due to a mix-up at the printer, they aren't quite life-sized (they're about 20% too small) so there's this disconcerting, inhuman element to them - especially since there are dozens of these displays,each placed about 20 feet away from the next one. It's like our church is being occupied by a tiny, needy, child army.

This being the place of my employment, it probably wouldn't behoove me to comment excessively on the displays - or the mindset necessary to create such a campaign - but I will leave you with several pictures I took around the church of some of the more memorable entries.