The Local Church is Uniquely Equipped!

I must confess I’m blown away by all God has done through Tapestry over the last 5 years. They’ve made a profound difference for local families and the children those families have fostered and adopted." - Jedd Medefind, President of Christian Alliance for Orphans

Check out this post from Tapestry titled 'Three Things We Have Learned & Three Things We Would Do'! A glimpse at the depth of this post -

In the end, the growth that we have seen speaks far more to the needs of children and families in our community (and every community) and the power and reach of the local church, than it does to anything that we ourselves have done. We are humbled that God has used us to play a small part in the lives of so many, and we are excited about what He has in store for us as a ministry and a community.

During any given week, we receive calls from people across the nation wanting to start an adoption, foster care or orphan care ministry in their church. Many of them have very similar questions: How do you get started? What do you do at your small groups and events?  How do you handle this or that?   Three things we have learned in these past five years are that there are no easy answers (although there are some very accessible and available resources), there is no ’one size fits all,’ and there are no shortcuts (at least none worth taking)."

See you at Summit VI!

Adoption Has Changed My Kids

We are so excited that Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI has created a solution to the financial barrier many adoptive families encounter!

Elmbrook has an amazing ministry for foster/adoptive families and takes the word community to a whole new level! They are currently holding classes for families interested in adopting, raising funds for a church adoption fund, raising awareness for local foster care children in need, having weekly prayer meetings, and easing the transition for families opening their homes to children.

Check out their ministry blog here. I love this recent post -

Lincoln and I were driving home from Joe's work. We take lovely country roads and always enjoy checking on our favorite animals. Pretty close to home we pass a great country home with 20 or so sheep in the front yard. At that house we have a choice to drive right by the home or turn down another street and miss the sheep altogether.

Today, we decided to take the way of the sheep. We were giggling about how chubby the sheep have become over the winter. We noticed two horses hanging out with the sheep, which is a bit unusual.

Lincoln wondered why the horses were in with the sheep.

I replied, 'I don't know, Bud.'

Lincoln thought for a while and then said, 'Mom. I think the horses adopted the sheep. The sheep needed a mommy and a daddy so the horses decided to adopt them.'

Beautiful."

Advocacy in action... awesome!

Connecting Kids in Crisis with Caring People and Christ!

North County Christ the King in Lynden, WA recently started a church adoption fund with Lifesong for Orphans!

His Kids Our Homes along with the staff, council and missions board of North County Christ the King (NCCTK) believe that God is up to something very special as He forms families and transforms lives through the miracle of adoption.  

As a community of people who have been touched by this miracle, we want to play an active role in helping others who desire to adopt!

We have been witness to a God Sized movement on the hearts of people in our church and in our community to care for kids in crisis by reaching out to them thru adoption!

How can my church become more 'adoption-friendly'?

World Magazine article, Look After Orphans (Paul Golden, January 30, 2010), presents 20 proactive ways in which your church can answer the call to 'look after orphans in their distress' (James 1:27)

Here are some highlights:

#1--'Pray that you and your church would become adoption-friendly'

#4--'Make adoption resources available to the church'

#10--'Create a standing chruch fund for adoption costs'

#16--'Sponsor a child'

Want to know more?

Read the article online or join us on our Facebook fan page as we feature these 20 ways in the next 20 days!

Church Adoption Fund Webinar

Are you considering starting an adoption fund at your church?
 
Is God stirring in your heart to take the next step toward engaging your local body of believers? 

The webinar will include:

• An overview of the Lifesong Church Adoption Fund concept.
• Lifesong partnership with churches and solutions to overcome "Common Barriers".
• Personal testimony/experience from Irving Bible Church / Tapestry Ministryof how Lifesong has partnered with his church and ministry, including obstacles he encountered.
• Concerns churches often face when starting an adoption fund
• Q&A- an open forum allowing you to ask your questions to Michael Monroe (Iriving Bible/Tapestry) and/or Lifesong staff

 Please join us for this opportunity to hear the heart of a ministry leader and adoptive parent.