GAP Ministries, a 501c3 social services nonprofit serving Southern Arizona since 1999, stands in the gap to bring help to children, healing to families, and hope to our community. Our mission is to serve children from hard places of neglect, trauma, and abuse. Our cause is to love the orphan by showing them love and acceptance and to provide them with hope and healing. We want to find ways to reach these children in all aspects of their lives, including Social and safety, educational, mental health, and spiritual issues. Children who have experienced trauma live with ruptured hopes, trust, and dreams.
“Everyone cares about each other and is open to sharing their thoughts. The CEO has an open-door policy and is always open to sitting and discussing anything that you would like to bring up. The company runs like it is a big family and every person is a key person in this environment. This is by far the most fulfilling job I have ever had.” - GAP Employee
GAP Ministries began by caring for foster children in the home of our founders who became the first house parents. The homes are called “SPLASH” Houses, which stands for Spirit-Powered-Love-Aggressively-Shaping-Hearts. Over the years depending on the need, GAP has operated a number of family style group residential homes where the love of God is shared with the children and teens each day. Each home is run by house parent couples who care for up to 10 children. The larger capacity of our homes often allows for sibling groups who come into foster care to stay together while they are away from their parents.
We call our group homes SPLASH Houses. It stands for "Spirit Powered Love Aggressively Shaping Hearts.”
House parents are people who have a heart to provide a loving, family-like environment to children coming from hard places. They are people who feel called to impact the lives of children and teens to help them see their potential and the destiny that God has intended for their lives.
SPLASH houses are staffed with full-time, live in house parent couples and support staff who have a desire to share God’s unconditional love with the children in care.
SPLASH Houses look like homes, except bigger! SPLASH homes are in residential areas and are lovingly decorated to become a place of refuge and healing for the children. Founders Greg and Pam Ayers always said, “Why wouldn’t these children deserve a home that’s just as nice as the ones we provide for our own children?”
Because the SPLASH homes can have up to 10 children in them, large sibling groups are able to stay together and live in the same home. Boys share rooms with boys, and girls with girls. Everyone in the entire home sits around large tables for breakfast, dinner, homework and games. The homes have a large playground outside and some even have swimming pools. Whether children stay for a couple of days or many months, they will be loved and honored.
To learn more about working as a houseparent at GAP, visit gapmin.com!
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