November is Adoption Awareness Month, and yesterday was Orphan Sunday!
Sadly, we did not corporately recognize the day.
See, to speak of the orphan is invasive. It's disturbing.
Some are tired of hearing about it and even think that to adopt 'may be for you, but it's not for me.' I'm certainly glad my Heavenly Father didn't decide to give up on adoption before He saved me.
People don't much like to acknowledge there is a crisis that is OUR problem. Yes, if we are a follower of Christ, it is our problem.
Oh, but we are so busy. We don't have time to think about the millions of children around the world who deserve love and hope. So, let's not be bothered by the truth.
After all, we have our own problems, right?
Which place will we celebrate Thanksgiving?
Which car will we drive to work?
Which new outfit will we wear today?
Which restaurant will we eat at tonight?
My friend Adeye has posted about the need for awareness, and you can read it here.
I contend that if we claim to follow Christ and believe God's Word, this is indeed our problem.
Please tell me how your church either recognized Orphan Sunday or is planning to do so.
12 comments:
Sadly, our church didn’t do anything either....
However, a different church in town is hosting a play day this coming weekend to honor adoptive families, and we were invited by a friend to come. They are having the bouncing houses and other games for the children. I am so grateful for this!!!
Our church turned into an orphanage - no chairs in the auditorium, we had a special speaker, then we ate like an orphan - beans and rice, with discussion time.
It was a great experience.
Last year I was able to share our story and this year our pastor planned to show the short video, but of coarse the sound wouldn't work, so there went that idea. I love what your church did drakefam! I think if all of us that see the need, keep praying, advocating, educating...changes will come...churches will start to see the need. Focus on the Family has risen to the challenge and is doing huge things in promoting the need...can't wait to see what impact it will have!
Our church hosted an afternoon conference on adopting, which I think is the plan to do every year on Orphan Sunday. I didn't attend the worship service, so I don't know if it was mentioned in the morning, but I'm sure it was. Our congregation's minister has a goal that our congregation's members will adopt 500 orphans during his tenure here, and I think we're well on the way. I don't know what the actual number is, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were well over 100 adopted kids in the congregation. When I walk down the hallway on Sundays, I count the number of trans-racially adopted kids I see, and for every five kids, I give my kids a kiss on the top of their heads. :-)
pray for our church - we are doing something this coming Sunday.
Nope....nada. Nothing has been said at our church :( Which is so sad....and I feel like they are tired of our family "always" talking about adoption/what we should be doing as a church.
Wake up church!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Lynnea :)
www.hamelothjourney.blogspot.com
We celebrated Orphan Sunday at our church yesterday. We watched the video, Hope is Fading and our pastor preached on adoption- our adoption through Christ and then how God calls for believers to step forward and make a difference in the Orphan Crisis in many different ways- sponsorship, orphan care, adoption, foster care, etc. I was hoping to do an Orphan's Table meal but there was a huge Operation Christmas Child (a great ministry too) packing party at another church that our youth and others were involved in. We are now planning to do an Orphan's Table meal and invite friends to our home instead of a whole church event.
I asked our Pastor if he would mind if I created a short video to be shown during the service. He happily agreed. I used the song "I Refuse" by Josh Wilson and included statistics on the orphan crisis and included pics of many of the children from our 2 travel groups. Thought seeing pics of children we know personally would have a greater impact. I ended it by saying that what God does for us spirtually, He wants us to do physically....protect, adopt and provide. Last clip was "Refuse to do nothing....be the hands and feet of Jesus for these children". Several folks commented to me afterwards that they had no idea there were so many orphans worldwide....I pray it opened the eyes and hearts of a few folks!
Sadly, no. The sermon was about Love and the Greatest Commandment, but nothing was mentioned about Orphan Sunday or adoption in any way.
Our church recognized Orphan Sunday and it was truly an answer to the prayers of many families there including DH and I. We have been praying for that day for 4+ years along with several other couples who have been impacted by adoption and/or orphans they have visited and come to love through missions trips.
I encourage you all to go and listen on-line. Our pastor who used to say things that made me shudder when it came to orphan ministry has been changed from the inside out! Praise God for shattering hearts as our pastor put it and included his own in that. Here's the link:
http://thompsonstationchurch.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=201122&programId=137754
(click on Nov. 4 "One Less")
Not. One. Word. at our church . . . even though the Senior Pastor is the father of 3 orphans adopted from Ethiopia. There are multiple other families at church (in addition to our family) who also have internationally adopted children.
Sad.
Laurel
have you seen my new blog:
http://musingsofamentormom.blogspot.com
Our church does not recognize OS, either. :(
It's unfortunate, because there are several adoptive families, and I think if some could share their stories, and people would say, hey, if you want more info about adopting, talk to these people, it would seem so much more doable to folks. I long for people to see that we are just ordinary people with "normal" families like theirs.
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