More Than Just Mentors, We Became Their Parents | Randy

Pastor Randy Garcia has spent nearly 40 years leading in San Antonio — first as the founding pastor of 316 Church, now as executive pastor alongside his son, lead pastor Randall Shawn Garcia — but he’s honest that for most of that time, he had no real idea how deep the city’s foster crisis ran. That changed when his own son Matt and daughter-in-law Jessica fostered and adopted three siblings, and changed again at a 2024 gala when Randy and his wife Brenda met Juan (who goes by JJ), a 21-year-old who had legally adopted his own 13-year-old brother, Ray, just to keep him out of the foster system. Randy handed Juan his phone number that night; by the next afternoon, Juan and Ray were sitting in the back row at church, and before the hour was over, Juan had given his life to Christ. What started as mentorship became something more — Juan, his sister Julianne, and Ray now call Randy and Brenda family, and one young woman even asked permission to hug Randy because, she said, she’d never had a dad. It’s a conversation about the fatherless generation sitting in plain sight, and what it looks like to say yes to it even after you think your parenting years are behind you. 0:00 Welcome Back — Mike Kraft Introduces Pastor Randy Garcia of 316 Church 0:51 A Typical Weeknight as Empty Nesters — Five Kids, Eleven Grandkids 1:31 Forty Years in Pastoral Ministry, Started Right Here in San Antonio 1:54 From Founding Pastor to Executive Pastor — His Son Now Leads 316 Church 2:14 What's Kept Him Passionate About San Antonio 3:27 For Decades, He Had No Real Idea What Was Happening in the Foster System 4:09 Connecting With the Crisis for the First Time, About Ten Years Ago 4:31 How It Hit Home: His Son Matt and Daughter-in-Law Jessica 4:54 Matt and Jessica's Decision to Foster and Adopt 5:46 Falling in Love With Three Siblings, Ages Six Months, One, and Three 6:35 "How Do We Miss This?" — The Light Bulb Moment 7:17 Putting Faith Into Action, Not Just Praying About It 8:00 The River: Prevention, Capacity, and Kids Who Age Out 8:24 The Grim Statistics Facing Kids Who Age Out With No Family 9:12 Meeting JJ and His Siblings Through "Don't Go Alone" 9:32 Did God Call Randy and Brenda to Foster Too? Their Honest Answer 9:52 October 5, 2024: The Alliance for Orphans Gala 10:16 A 21-Year-Old Who Legally Adopted His Own 13-Year-Old Brother 11:27 "Do You Guys Go to Church?" — Randy's First Question 11:55 Handing Over His Name and Number the Night They Met 12:19 The Next-Day Phone Call: "What Time Is Church?" 12:52 Turning Around to See If JJ's Hand Was Raised 13:10 Saved at the Altar, Baptized Three Weeks Later 14:10 "These Aren't Just Our Mentors — These Are Our Parents" 14:29 Becoming Family at Thanksgiving and Christmas 15:13 Showing Up After a Car Accident — "He Had No One Else to Call" 15:39 Showing Up to a Birthday Basketball Game, Alone in the Stands 16:23 A Phone Call That's Just, "Can You Pray With Me?" 16:56 The Christmas Photo With Ninety-Five Million Stockings 17:23 Psalm 68: "God Places the Lonely in Families" 18:23 Realizing They Live in a Fatherless Generation 19:04 Young Adults Who Call Him "Dad" 19:26 "Is It Okay If I Ask Your Husband for a Hug?" 20:34 Is Fathering the Fatherless Every Christian's Calling? 22:49 How He Helps People Find Where They Fit 26:46 Mike's Own Story: The Call About a Six-Year-Old and the Bus to El Paso 28:22 What Will It Take for the Church to Be Positioned for Every Child? 30:33 His Advice to a Younger Version of Himself 32:11 Faithfulness in Ministry: Finishing What Most Pastors Don't 32:40 JJ, Julianne, and Ray — Kids Who Were Hungry for Family 33:22 Where to Hear More From Pastor Randy on AM 1100 KDRY — Thanks for watching! Follow South Texas Alliance for Orphans: 📲 Instagram:   / southtxalliance4orphans   📘 Facebook:   / southtexasalliancefororphans   🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5OW7Jlc... 🌐 Learn more about fostering & adoption: https://www.southtxalliance4orphans.org If today's story moved you — share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you've ever thought about fostering, even just once, let that thought be the start of something. 🤍 — Running Toward Podcast is brought to you by the South Texas Alliance for Orphans — real stories from real families walking the road ahead of you. Be sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode! We'll see you next week. 🤍