Our History

Pastor Gwenn Trout served as the pastor at Zion Lutheran in Enola for many years. Zion Enola was the very first congregation in our network to ever host families and remained a faithful host until COVID. 

Zion generously supported FPHCR through fundraisers, special offerings, and with a large gift after they sold their building. 

Our Impact

Imagine all the stress of not knowing where you will sleep at night on top of all the hormones, acne, social media pressure, and exams of being a teen!

Our program keeps teens with their families no matter what. We make sure they get to stay at their same school. We help with resources for after-school activities. We do everything we can to keep things as “normal” as possible. 

Our “Why”

“We both feel that our lives consist of a series of blessing from God. That doesn’t mean there haven’t also been hardships and disappointments with which we’ve been challenged. However, we take the ‘cup half full’ attitude as we emphasize our many life blessings. It hasn’t always been easy to stay positive. We’ve had the support of God, our faith, family, and friends to get us through those challenges.

“The Family Promise clients are experiencing challenges with which we don’t have experience. But, we know that the same solutions that we rely on…support from God, faith, family, and friends will serve these families well.

“We are part of the ‘Family Promise family’ that is necessary to help the Family Promise families meet their current challenges. So, we volunteer with Family Promise knowing how important this life changing ‘family support’ is when facing life’s challenges.”

~Dave and Kerri Kline, Fishing Creek Salem UMC volunteers

Our Families

Updates from our recent grads:

Kim and her two daughters are thriving! Kim has been working hard and settling into her new routine, and her girls are soaking up all the excitement of summer break. With her oldest now out of school, the family is planning a special visit back to the Day Center soon—we can’t wait to see them!

Tasha, Jeff, and their awesome tweens are moving and grooving as always! Jeff has been clocking in many (and we mean many) double shifts to support his family, and Tasha is doing incredible work as a full-time caregiver. The kids are officially on summer break and absolutely loving their new schedule—hello, sleeping in! One of the happiest moments of all? Their dog, Scooby, is finally back home with them. The whole family is back together again!! 

Watching our families flourish after graduation reminds us why we do what we do. These stories are filled with hope, resilience, and love—and we are so honored to be a part of their journey.

What’s New?

Vendor Season

It’s vendor season! I’ll (Susan) spend many Saturdays at festivals and events talking about Family Promise, meeting great folks, and eating some wicked delish food truck fare. But it’s not all fun and games.

Last week I went to the New Cumberland Resource Fair. I met a woman who I directed to read our flyer, to which she replied, “I can’t read.” A little shocked, I was silent for a moment and then the conversation moved on. If I had seen her on the street, I would never has guessed her silent struggles. Read more here. 

FPHCR’s 15th Anniversary Updates

In case ya missed it, we’re turning 15 this year!!

We’ve got a monthly newsletter, celebration in October, and a campaign! We’re raising money to pay down our mortgage and renovate our building, better equipping us to care for more families. We’re well on our way! Thank you to everyone who has donated! 

You can donate here to be a part of this exciting project!