Anyone else out there? I would love to hear about other churches doing adoption/orphan ministries!
Showing posts with label orphans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orphans. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Church adoption/orphan ministry!
Although we are not yet an official ministry of our church we had our first major event! A few of us have been meeting to pray over the past several months. Then Aimee and I attended the Orphan Summit. On Sunday we had a pool party social event and invited those interested in being a part of an adoption/orphan ministy! We had a great turn-out and more importantly a lot of great conversation. As a ministry we desire tooperate in 3 channels. The first is adoption. We want to be a source of information and support for those who are interested in adopting. We also want to provide ongoing care and support for those in process and beyond. We are also hoping soon to start an adoption fund! We have been in conversation with the great folks at Abba Fund and are excited about what that can mean for future adoptive families. The second channel is orphan care. Not everyone at our church may be called to adopt, but we are all called to care for the orphan. We hope to connect our church to a village/church/orphan home, most likely in Africa, where we make multiple trips and have mutually beneficial cross-cultural relationships. The third channel is foster care. To start out, we are hoping to come alongside some foster parents in the area and help them meet some practical needs. Long-term we would love to see our church become a place that recruits, trains and supports foster parents.
Anyone else out there? I would love to hear about other churches doing adoption/orphan ministries!
Anyone else out there? I would love to hear about other churches doing adoption/orphan ministries!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day
Today I am not at church for Mother's Day. Instead I am home with my sick daughter while my husband has taken the boys to church. Although the doctor thinks she has croup she is actually not seeming overly sick - mostly just hoarse and a little less active, but we don't want to take any chances at infecting anyone else today! I was fine to stay home as I spent all day yesterday at a Womens Retreat.
I have a lot of different thoughts about Mother's Day this year. It's kind of nice to be home with some quiet time so that I can try to process and pray through what I am feeling today.
My main thought is that there are many women around the world today that are sitting at church, sitting home alone, dying under a tree in Africa, that find today more full of pain than celebration. There are also many children that LONG DEEPLY for the love of a mother and have yet to experience it.
I wanted to share some thoughts of another adoptive mother that attended the Orphan Summit last week. Here is the link for her blog.
She was also really moved by Kay Warren's talk. She (Kay) said that she met a woman who was skin and bones dying from Aids. She must have been a week away from death. Kay asked her. "What can I tell the people in America? What can they do for you?" Kay imagined she would say, "Bring me some food or medicine." or "we need money and a warm home" Instead she looked Kay in the eyes and said "Who?Who? who is going to come to take care of my children after I die? what will happen to them?' Kay said she hears the same questions from mothers in China, Russia, India and in places all over the world affected by the AIDS pandemic. When she told this story I just cried picturing Grace, Ella and Jared's sweet birth mom Bayoush. I imagine she had the same plea. I know my wish would be also somehow for my children to never forget me and my love for them. And I would fear they would forget my face and eyes. I would pray they would remember how I looked and smiled at them. I would pray they would always know how very much I loved them and would never ever want to leave them.
In her blog she goes on to say Mother's day is coming next week. Many of us will get dressed up and have our lunches paid for so we won't have to cook. We will enjoy (and should really enjoy and cherish) being in the presence of our children. Or knowing that they are a phone call away. My plea is that we can all remember the children of the world who are orphaned and have no mother's to hold them or read stories to them. I pray that some of you will be inspired to encourage someone else to remember the cries of mother's around the globe who just want to know that someone will come to scoop their children up into their arms and bring them back into a family that will love and take care of them.
So today while I relish in the love of the family that God has graciously given me - I also mourn for the mothers with empty wombs or those who have had to sacrifice raising their sons and daughters. I also grieve for the children who have never felt a mother's embrace. Lord, please forgive me for all the ways I have forgotten these mothers and children that are so dear and precious to your heart. Please show me how I can be a voice and advocate for them from here on out!
I have a lot of different thoughts about Mother's Day this year. It's kind of nice to be home with some quiet time so that I can try to process and pray through what I am feeling today.
My main thought is that there are many women around the world today that are sitting at church, sitting home alone, dying under a tree in Africa, that find today more full of pain than celebration. There are also many children that LONG DEEPLY for the love of a mother and have yet to experience it.
I wanted to share some thoughts of another adoptive mother that attended the Orphan Summit last week. Here is the link for her blog.
She was also really moved by Kay Warren's talk. She (Kay) said that she met a woman who was skin and bones dying from Aids. She must have been a week away from death. Kay asked her. "What can I tell the people in America? What can they do for you?" Kay imagined she would say, "Bring me some food or medicine." or "we need money and a warm home" Instead she looked Kay in the eyes and said "Who?Who? who is going to come to take care of my children after I die? what will happen to them?' Kay said she hears the same questions from mothers in China, Russia, India and in places all over the world affected by the AIDS pandemic. When she told this story I just cried picturing Grace, Ella and Jared's sweet birth mom Bayoush. I imagine she had the same plea. I know my wish would be also somehow for my children to never forget me and my love for them. And I would fear they would forget my face and eyes. I would pray they would remember how I looked and smiled at them. I would pray they would always know how very much I loved them and would never ever want to leave them.
In her blog she goes on to say Mother's day is coming next week. Many of us will get dressed up and have our lunches paid for so we won't have to cook. We will enjoy (and should really enjoy and cherish) being in the presence of our children. Or knowing that they are a phone call away. My plea is that we can all remember the children of the world who are orphaned and have no mother's to hold them or read stories to them. I pray that some of you will be inspired to encourage someone else to remember the cries of mother's around the globe who just want to know that someone will come to scoop their children up into their arms and bring them back into a family that will love and take care of them.
So today while I relish in the love of the family that God has graciously given me - I also mourn for the mothers with empty wombs or those who have had to sacrifice raising their sons and daughters. I also grieve for the children who have never felt a mother's embrace. Lord, please forgive me for all the ways I have forgotten these mothers and children that are so dear and precious to your heart. Please show me how I can be a voice and advocate for them from here on out!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Dangerous Surrender - Chapter 2
I am doing an online book discussion on Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren - the host of the book discussion is Angel - check out her AWESOME blog here. For the first chapter I put my thoughts in the comments section of her blog, now that I have this space I will have her link her readers to this post.
It's so cool that in the midst of doing this book discussion I had the opportunity to hear Kay Warren speak. Much of what she spoke on was from the book, but there is something about seeing someone in person, hearing their voice and seeing their tears that makes it that much more personal and real.
The title of this Chapter is "The Kingdom of Me". This is the critical part of the concept of Surrender. Am I going to live for God's Kingdom or My Kingdom. Of course, if you were to ask me who I am living for I would give you the answer I think you would want to hear. Kay challenges me to truly look at my life and see by my actions, values, priorities, motives and schedule, which Kingdom is ruling! One of the main passages is Mark 8:34-37 about denying self, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. I have always been fascinated by this passage, because when I think of taking up my cross, I think of Jesus dying on the cross, but the disciples didn't have this in their minds, because He hadn't done it yet. What would have been the disciples understanding of that? If someone had to take up their cross, it meant that they were going to die. It meant that they were going to give up their life. In fact the next part of the passage says "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world , yet forfeit his soul?" I am realizing more and more all the things I do to "save my life" - to make it more comfortable and convenient and to make sure I come out best in all situations. As I become more and more aware of the needs of others and the pain and suffering that others are enduring, I realize that all the effort I put (with or without realizing it) into keeping control of my kingdom is a waste of my time and energy. I want God more than I want my comfortable life. In fact, my comfortable life often keeps me distant from God. How much more real are God's promises and words of comfort to those that are suffering than to me in my comfortable world? Not that I am asking to suffer, but am I willing to enter into another's suffering? Might that cause suffering to enter in my life? Maybe what God is asking me to surrender is a fear of suffering? But maybe that is the very thing that gives me more of GOD!
Angel's two questions to answer:
1. What are the main reasons you don’t want to get too involved with people in dire need? Oh, I think I just kind of answered that. Will it be uncomfortable or inconvenient for me? Will I have to face suffering of my own, or how will I comfort someone who is suffering in a way that I cannot relate to?
2.Kay explains that her growing understanding of God’s sovereign design created an expectation that God would someday use her for his good purposes. Describe your current sense of the purposes God may have in store for you.
I have kind of answered that as well. I am feeling that my purpose lies in the realm of being a voice for oppressed children that have no voice. The waiting child, the orphaned child, the foster child that lives in my neighborhood? God is unfolding His plan for me and I am learning to surrender and to simply follow!
It's so cool that in the midst of doing this book discussion I had the opportunity to hear Kay Warren speak. Much of what she spoke on was from the book, but there is something about seeing someone in person, hearing their voice and seeing their tears that makes it that much more personal and real.
The title of this Chapter is "The Kingdom of Me". This is the critical part of the concept of Surrender. Am I going to live for God's Kingdom or My Kingdom. Of course, if you were to ask me who I am living for I would give you the answer I think you would want to hear. Kay challenges me to truly look at my life and see by my actions, values, priorities, motives and schedule, which Kingdom is ruling! One of the main passages is Mark 8:34-37 about denying self, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. I have always been fascinated by this passage, because when I think of taking up my cross, I think of Jesus dying on the cross, but the disciples didn't have this in their minds, because He hadn't done it yet. What would have been the disciples understanding of that? If someone had to take up their cross, it meant that they were going to die. It meant that they were going to give up their life. In fact the next part of the passage says "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world , yet forfeit his soul?" I am realizing more and more all the things I do to "save my life" - to make it more comfortable and convenient and to make sure I come out best in all situations. As I become more and more aware of the needs of others and the pain and suffering that others are enduring, I realize that all the effort I put (with or without realizing it) into keeping control of my kingdom is a waste of my time and energy. I want God more than I want my comfortable life. In fact, my comfortable life often keeps me distant from God. How much more real are God's promises and words of comfort to those that are suffering than to me in my comfortable world? Not that I am asking to suffer, but am I willing to enter into another's suffering? Might that cause suffering to enter in my life? Maybe what God is asking me to surrender is a fear of suffering? But maybe that is the very thing that gives me more of GOD!
Angel's two questions to answer:
1. What are the main reasons you don’t want to get too involved with people in dire need? Oh, I think I just kind of answered that. Will it be uncomfortable or inconvenient for me? Will I have to face suffering of my own, or how will I comfort someone who is suffering in a way that I cannot relate to?
2.Kay explains that her growing understanding of God’s sovereign design created an expectation that God would someday use her for his good purposes. Describe your current sense of the purposes God may have in store for you.
I have kind of answered that as well. I am feeling that my purpose lies in the realm of being a voice for oppressed children that have no voice. The waiting child, the orphaned child, the foster child that lives in my neighborhood? God is unfolding His plan for me and I am learning to surrender and to simply follow!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Re: 4th annual Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit
I had the great opportunity to go with my dear friend Aimee to Ft. Lauderdale last weekend for this awesome event. I am still trying to process all that I heard and learned. I want to take a few minutes to recap the highlights.
The Summit started 4 years ago with 38 leaders in Adoption/Orphan Care ministries. It has doubled each year and this year there were around 600 participants. About 200 were laypeople like Aimee and I that either lead adoption/orphan care ministries at their church or are looking to start one (that would be us!). The Alliance was formed in November of 2007 and it's goal is to "motivate and unify the body of Christ to live out God's mandate to care for the orphan". The Alliance includes Focus on the Family and Family Life Ministries and many other organizations focused on adoption and orphan care. You can check out their website here.
Our first keynote speaker was Dennis Rainey - President of FamilyLife
He spoke of the orphan crisis as a GIANT! And the church as being the PIVOTAL institution to handle the crisis. He gave us a CALL TO ACTION - to not be gluttons of God's Word, by filling up on it, without living it out! He challenged us not to be sold out to a lesser loyalty (comfort, materialism, etc)
The second speaker was Kay Warren - Director of the HIV/AIDS initiative at Saddleback Church and wife of Rick Warren.
I have just recently read her book Dangerous Surrender, so seeing her speak was one of my major highlights! She shared that in all of her international travels she has found that a mother's greatest plea is: "WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN WHEN I DIE?" Although I have yet to look death in the face, this resonantes in my heart as I have often thought how devastating it would be for my children to lose me. I feel almost funny to even say that, but in these younger years, their world's revolve around me being there 24/7. Kay asked us what keeps us from moving on behalf of these mother's of the world who will and are leaving behind their children. She says that it will take becoming "seriously disturbed", by all that we learn and see, then making a "dangerous surrender" to God and the work He has called us to. And then we will become "gloriouly ruined" - meaning that normal life will never satisfy in the ways that it previouly did! She was a wonderful storyteller and she was transparent and inspiring! I really admire her, as I believe the work that the Lord has done in her life has affected the evangelical church as a whole to "wake up" to the social justice issues that the church has been all but ignoring (I am generalizing here).
The other keynote speaker that I was IMPACTED by was Bob Coy. He is the Pastor of Calvary Church Ft. Lauderdale which was the host church. He shared about how 10 years ago there was a crisis in the foster system of South Florida. There were many headlines about foster kids sleeping in office buildings, and there were also reports of sexual abuse and children missing from foster homes. ONE women from his church was "seriouly disturbed" about the situation and came to him about it. I loved his honestly in that he did not respond to her initially in fact he said that she "wearied him" about the issue. So as a church they started to get involved, by coming alongside foster parents with babysitting, donating supplies such as cribs, diapers, etc. This led to the pastor challenging the congregation to consider becoming foster parents, which lead to training classes, etc. After a time they bought some local houses and renovated them to become foster homes with houseparents. Ten years later they are 4Kids of South Florida and they have significantly impacted the foster care system. Check out their website - watch a few of their videos and you will be AMAZED! At this session they also had 2 young ladies (now in their early 20's) share about how their lives were transformed by loving foster parents and this program! Both came into the system as teens - I was so challenged as I would tend to think at that point it was too late to really make a difference in that child's life. They both said that even though there were 16 years old they still longed for a family.
I really think God had a great purpose in having the conference at this church and exposing so many of us to the plight of the "modern-day orphan" right here in our own backyards.
It was so encouraging to be with a large group of people with a passion for orphans - so many have worked tirelessly for so long on their behalf. It is exciting to see this FRESH NEW WORK that God is doing. Local churches all over the country are starting adoption/orphan care ministries and GOD IS ON THE MOVE!
Our flight home was quite bumpy as we were flying over a cold front most of the way back. I was able to have some time talking with God as we were flying through the clouds. I had one of those moments where I really felt He was affirming this new passion in my life and letting me know that He would lead my steps and equip me to be a voice for the orphan. As we came down through the clouds, I saw my city all lit up and it took my breath away. God gave me a deep love for the children of this city and an excitement of a new beginning of a new chapter in my life and service for Him!
The Summit started 4 years ago with 38 leaders in Adoption/Orphan Care ministries. It has doubled each year and this year there were around 600 participants. About 200 were laypeople like Aimee and I that either lead adoption/orphan care ministries at their church or are looking to start one (that would be us!). The Alliance was formed in November of 2007 and it's goal is to "motivate and unify the body of Christ to live out God's mandate to care for the orphan". The Alliance includes Focus on the Family and Family Life Ministries and many other organizations focused on adoption and orphan care. You can check out their website here.
Our first keynote speaker was Dennis Rainey - President of FamilyLife
He spoke of the orphan crisis as a GIANT! And the church as being the PIVOTAL institution to handle the crisis. He gave us a CALL TO ACTION - to not be gluttons of God's Word, by filling up on it, without living it out! He challenged us not to be sold out to a lesser loyalty (comfort, materialism, etc)
The second speaker was Kay Warren - Director of the HIV/AIDS initiative at Saddleback Church and wife of Rick Warren.
I have just recently read her book Dangerous Surrender, so seeing her speak was one of my major highlights! She shared that in all of her international travels she has found that a mother's greatest plea is: "WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN WHEN I DIE?" Although I have yet to look death in the face, this resonantes in my heart as I have often thought how devastating it would be for my children to lose me. I feel almost funny to even say that, but in these younger years, their world's revolve around me being there 24/7. Kay asked us what keeps us from moving on behalf of these mother's of the world who will and are leaving behind their children. She says that it will take becoming "seriously disturbed", by all that we learn and see, then making a "dangerous surrender" to God and the work He has called us to. And then we will become "gloriouly ruined" - meaning that normal life will never satisfy in the ways that it previouly did! She was a wonderful storyteller and she was transparent and inspiring! I really admire her, as I believe the work that the Lord has done in her life has affected the evangelical church as a whole to "wake up" to the social justice issues that the church has been all but ignoring (I am generalizing here).
The other keynote speaker that I was IMPACTED by was Bob Coy. He is the Pastor of Calvary Church Ft. Lauderdale which was the host church. He shared about how 10 years ago there was a crisis in the foster system of South Florida. There were many headlines about foster kids sleeping in office buildings, and there were also reports of sexual abuse and children missing from foster homes. ONE women from his church was "seriouly disturbed" about the situation and came to him about it. I loved his honestly in that he did not respond to her initially in fact he said that she "wearied him" about the issue. So as a church they started to get involved, by coming alongside foster parents with babysitting, donating supplies such as cribs, diapers, etc. This led to the pastor challenging the congregation to consider becoming foster parents, which lead to training classes, etc. After a time they bought some local houses and renovated them to become foster homes with houseparents. Ten years later they are 4Kids of South Florida and they have significantly impacted the foster care system. Check out their website - watch a few of their videos and you will be AMAZED! At this session they also had 2 young ladies (now in their early 20's) share about how their lives were transformed by loving foster parents and this program! Both came into the system as teens - I was so challenged as I would tend to think at that point it was too late to really make a difference in that child's life. They both said that even though there were 16 years old they still longed for a family.
I really think God had a great purpose in having the conference at this church and exposing so many of us to the plight of the "modern-day orphan" right here in our own backyards.
It was so encouraging to be with a large group of people with a passion for orphans - so many have worked tirelessly for so long on their behalf. It is exciting to see this FRESH NEW WORK that God is doing. Local churches all over the country are starting adoption/orphan care ministries and GOD IS ON THE MOVE!
Our flight home was quite bumpy as we were flying over a cold front most of the way back. I was able to have some time talking with God as we were flying through the clouds. I had one of those moments where I really felt He was affirming this new passion in my life and letting me know that He would lead my steps and equip me to be a voice for the orphan. As we came down through the clouds, I saw my city all lit up and it took my breath away. God gave me a deep love for the children of this city and an excitement of a new beginning of a new chapter in my life and service for Him!
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