Ministry by the Numbers - COBYS Family Services

Eleven new sibling groups came into
care and COBYS families cared for a
total of 28 sibling groups, including 18
groups of two children, seven groups
of three, and three groups of four! We
also provided care to seven children
with special medical needs, such as
brain trauma, prenatal drug addiction,
and congenital defects.
During the year, 20 foster children
were reunited with their birth parents
or relatives and 21 were adopted by
their COBYS foster family. Among
those adopted were six sibling groups.
We approved 11 new foster/adoptive
resource families, bringing our total
number of families at year-end to 64.
COBYS offers monthly informational
sessions at the COBYS main office and
at the Wyomissing Church of the
Brethren for families interested in
exploring foster care or adoption.
Permanency. The Permanency
Unit provided services for 70 children
from 45 families. Five of those children
took steps toward adoption, while 17
were able to return home to their
parents. Two others were placed with
Private Giving Comparison
a Permanent Legal Custodian, and two
more reached age 18 and signed out of
foster care to live independently.
The goal of this specialized
program—which is based in Lancaster
and operated in partnership with the
Lancaster County Children & Youth
Social Service Agency—is to find a
permanent home for foster children as
quickly and safely as possible. Staff
monitor the well-being of foster
children, support foster parents, and
assist birth parents to overcome the
issues that led to their children’s
placement in care.
Year ANE Churches Other General Total General Bequests
2012/13 $81,685.04 $460,688.24 $542,373.28 $33,196.96
2011/12 $91,120.41 $442,446.37 $533,566.78 $9,375.00
2010/11 $94,608.62 $412,110.84 $506,719.46
2009/10 $93,651.16 $399,492.80 $493,143.96 $8,179.37
2008/09 $107,590.67 $489,569.90 $597,160.57
Community Connections. In
this program’s second year, COBYS
partnered with four churches to help
them meet the emotional and material
needs of people in their congregations
and communities. COBYS provides case
management services to assist local
churches as they serve dependent
families. Caseworkers help clients set
goals and utilize community services,
so churches can stay focused on
spiritual needs and friendship. As their
support network widens, families’
financial dependence on the church
lessens. Community Connections
provided services to eight families.
Financial Support
COBYS Family Services’ annual budget
of $2.9 million is supported by public
funding, grants, fees for services, and
private donations. This report focuses
on private giving, which accounts for
one fifth of COBYS’ income. For the
third consecutive year private giving
grew, but still has not reached prerecession
levels. A strong year in
bequests further strengthened our
financial position.
A long-term downward trend in
giving from Brethren congregations
through the Atlantic Northeast District
(ANE) was even more pronounced this
year, although some of that can be
attributed to congregations sending
support in a variety of other ways.
Taking into account all giving from ANE
congregations (such as special
outreach, Bible school offerings, in
kind donations, etc.) total giving from
churches actually increased slightly.
We are grateful for the strong
financial support that enables us to
continue to serve children and families
in Christ’s name!
Audited financial statements are
available upon request.