Upcoming Events

Hello bloggy world,

Here's a few upcoming events that may catch your eye. For more events, check out the Lifesong calendar frequently!  

Empowered To Connect, together with Show Hope, hosts the Empowered To Connect Conference — a two-day conference for adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders and professionals designed to help them better understand how to connect with children from hard places in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be. The next Empowered To Connect Conference will be on September 23-24, 2011, in Nashville, Tennessee at Brentwood Baptist Church.

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Connecting Community Crafters for Global Good! 

Crafts for a Cause is newly established initiative. The structure is simple! The booth fee, silent auction proceeds, and concessions are all donated to our sponsored cause!

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Join us October 21-22 in Phoenix for Together for Adoption Conference 2011. Over 1,200 people will gather together at Redemption Church (Gilbert Campus) to explore the theme Missional Living, the Gospel and Orphan Care. One of our primary objectives for this year’s conference is to create a forum to consider the good news of the Gospel, explore its implications for how we think about and implement orphan care strategies, and discuss how we can move toward greater collaboration as the people of God for the sake of orphans worldwide.

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The Tapestry Conference is completely free!  But even though it is free, we believe the breadth and quality of the conference is truly outstanding. 

We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store through these fabulous events!

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.

Empowered to Connect

Virtually every facet of the Christian orphan movement—from foster care and adoption ministries to overseas orphan care—is growing more robust by the day. In both discussion and ministry-emphasis, however, one vital element can often be overlooked: the resources, training and support needed by families whose children via adoption, foster care or otherwise have special emotion, psychological or relational challenges to overcome.

Our friends from Tapestry, Michael and Amy Monroe, and Dr. Karyn Purvis have teamed up to engage this need with a significant new website, Empowered to Connect. It promises to be a great resource for sharing wisdom and skills among families, ministries and others committed to helping parents connect fully with their children, even in the face of real difficulties. The site already contains a solid and growing online library of articles, audio and video presentations. It will play an important role in helping to build out an aspect of the orphan movement that has often been underdeveloped. More importantly, it will help many families overcome real barriers to grow deep connectedness between parent and child.

"Saved" | Nikolas' story

Nikolas (before surgeries)

Have you ever thought about the dangers of the "savior mentality" that san be so prevalent in adoption today?

...because there are so many kids out there who need a home and family. I think we can save one

Often it is a motivation by faith, seeking to love and serve the ‘fatherless’ through adoption. This topic is a sensitive and nuanced one and is ripe for misunderstanding. 

Check out this recent Adoption Today article, that by the telling of a story - the Saynors – may illustrate what it means to truly “save” a child through adoption.

Despite the fact that little Nikolas’ story here on earth ended suddenly and tragically, I think the Saynors’ adoption journey illustrates uniquely well what it means to “save” a child through adoption...be sure to read the excerpt from the eulogy of Nikolas' memorial service - see the reality of God’s adoption of us and how His redemptive love changes everything – our past, our present and our eternal future.

...a little glimpse into what it may mean to be “saved by adoption,” both here and now as well as for eternity.

 Nikolas (after surgeries)