Congress Introduces Bill to Help Orphans. You Can Help!

Much of the adoption community is getting behind a bill introduced in Congress at the end of June that would greatly streamline the efforts to give foreign-born adopted children the rights of citizenship of a US born citizen. As a father of foreign-born adopted children, this seems like a good piece of legislation that would be very helpful to families and children.

The FACE Act (Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act) is sponsored by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and James Inhofe (R-OK) and Representatives Diane Watson (D-CA) and John Boozman (R-AR). To read the act, you can go to: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3110/text. If you want to understand the impact of the bill, Small World has a pretty good summary on their website at: http://www.swa.net/news-detail.aspx?cid=2150

In addition, the Families for Orphans Coalition is calling on everyone with an interest in helping orphans find homes to call their Congressmen and Senators to encourage them to sign on as co-sponsors of the Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act. Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff and tell them that as a constituent you are requesting their boss' support by becoming a Co-sponsor. You can direct the staffer to contact Senators Mary Landrieu and James Inhofe and Representatives Diane Watson and John Boozman for information on becoming a Co-sponsor. To find your Congressman or Senator go to: http://www.opencongress.org/ and click on "Senators" or "Representatives." Call them today to make your voice heard.

Together for Adoption Conference in Franklin

Christ Community Church in Franklin is hosting Together For Adoption Conference in October. Notice that childcare assistance is available. You can get more information at the Together for Adoption blog http://www.togetherforadoption.org/?page_id=14

Information below.

T4A Conference 2009
Date: Friday-Saturday, October 2-3, 2009
Location: Christ Community Church (Franklin, TN)
General Sesssion Speakers: Michael Easley, Russell Moore, Scott Roley, Maridel Sandberg, Scotty Smith, Ed Stetzer, and Dan CruverChildcare: Childcare will be provided - limited availability, additional fee.

Contact onsite Conference Coordinator, Debi Armstrong (debi.armstrong@comcast.net), if you have general questions about childcare. If you plan on utilizing childcare for more than 2 children, please contact Dan Cruver (dan.cruver@TogetherforAdoption.org).

I have been reluctant to jump on the bandwagon of some in the adoption community to protest the upcoming movie, "Orphan" from Warner Brothers. As an adoptive parent and adoption proponent, I don't appreciate the harsh light this movie shines on adoption. However, I think most people see it as a fictional horror flick and not a true-life adoption story. Also, I didn't see any need to help create a controversy that would ultimately promote the movie even more. Therefore I kept quiet.

Now, a new website actually turns the negativity of the movie on its head. Christian Alliance for Orphans built a website that uses the movie as an opportunity to advocate on behalf of orphans. The website (www.OrphansDeserveBetter.org) features a petition to Warner Bros about the movie, but it also has sections on:

• FACTS related to the plight of orphans
• YOUR ORPHAN STORY a way to share common experiences
• HOW YOU CAN SERVE places to plug in
• VIDEO MESSAGE a short, wonderful video that I highly recommend.

What a great "spin" on this movie. I highly recommend that you visit the site if you have any interest in adoption or orphan care. Thank you Christian Alliance for Orphans.

"Safe Families" Organizing in Middle Tennessee

Today, the Middle Tennessee Church Alliance met to hear Dave Anderson of Safe Families. Safe Families provides parents with safe homes to temporarily place their children in times of crisis. Too often, families are separated for long periods when families face a temporary crisis such as the loss of a home or a job. In Safe Families, the children are placed in a loving temporary home until their parents' situation stabilizes. Then the children rejoin their families without having to enter state custody and the foster care system.

This year, Safe Families will place about 2000 children in Chicago and operates in 9 other cities throughout the US. Katie Couric and CBS did a piece on Safe Families in Chicago. View it here: www.tinyurl.com/safefamilies

Bethany Christian Services has agreed to serve as the social agency and program administrator in Middle Tennessee. They will team with churches throughout the region to provide families and resources for children and families in need.

The Middle Tennessee Church Alliance meeting today was attended by representatives of 10 churches and 7 Christian organizations. The group enthusiastically endorsed the effort to start Safe Families in Middle Tennessee and agreed to re-convene in July to begin planning the start-up.

Please pray for this initiative as it will need seed funding, families and other resources for children and their families. For more information, go to http://www.safe-families.org/.

SBC Passes "Orphan Sunday" Resolution

On June 24th the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution supporting adoption and orphan care. For those of you who are not Baptist, this has little to no direct impact on any individual church except as a message of encouragement.

This is great news and yet another indication that God is moving in our churches on behalf of orphans. Hopefully churches everywhere will hear this plea as a rallying call to care for children in their community and throughout the world.

Among other things, the resolution called on the SBC churches and missions organizations to focus on orphan care and named November 8, 2009 as "Orphan Sunday."

Here are the resolving clauses from the resolution.

RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment as a denomination of churches to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it furtherRESOLVED, that we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God’s concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we ask our International Mission Board and North American Mission Board to prioritize the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in recognizing November 8, 2009, as “Orphan Sunday,” focusing that day on our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we hope what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is defined not by “the flesh” racial, economic, or cultural sameness but by the Spirit unity and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that we pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches increasingly will announce and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

Adoptive Parent Webinar Schedule

The Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS) has announced a webinar series specifically for adoptive parents. JCICS is an association of adoption agencies with a mission "To advocate and protect the right of every child to a safe, permanent and loving family."

Here is some information from a press release sent out by Bethany Christian Services.

On behalf of the Joint Council Distance Education Committee we are pleased to announce that registration starts TODAY for our new webinars for prospective adoptive families, adoptive families, adoptees and adoption professionals! Joint Council has gathered some of the most renowned adoption experts who will resent various adoption related topics in a webinar education series.

When & Where
Webinars will occur on the first Tuesday and the first Thursday of each month at 7 PM EST and participants will gain access through submitting a nominal fee of $10 per webinar. Joint Council is excited and privileged to offer this unique opportunity to hear directly from adoption experts and to pose questions to these experienced professionals. For detailed information, including the webinar schedule see http://www.jcics.org/Webinar.htm.

Rick Warren to Preach on Children without Fathers

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church has announced that he will focus his Father's Day sermon on orphaned children who have no earthly father. The services from Saddleback will be streamed live over the Internet, and you will be able to view them at the following times:
Saturday - 4:30 & 6:30 p.m.
Sunday - 9:00 & 11:15 a.m., 4:30 & 6:30 p.m.

After the weekend, the service will be available in the archives section of the church’s website. To access the sermons, go to http://www.saddleback.com/ and click on "Watch Services Online."

Wendy's Donates to Adoption for Father's Day

Father’s Day Frosty WeekendWendy’s restaurants will be donating 50 cents for every Frosty product purchased over the Father’s Day weekend (June 20-21) to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s initiatives. Customers can also stop by Wendy’s and donate by purchasing a Frosty pin-up for $1 each.

This year, Wendy’s started a new tradition for Father’s Day. Kids can go to FrostyCard.com to create a free custom Father’s Day eCard and Wendy’s will donate an additional 25¢ to the Foundation for every Frosty Card sent. Kids choose from a variety of scenes and objects, from sandcastles on the beach to baseball in the backyard, or they can give Dad a taste of Hollywood by selecting a pre-designed card created by a celebrity.

Day of the African Child: June 16

Today is the Day of the African Child. The following is an exerpt from a UNICEF press release:

The Day of the African Child is celebrated on June 16 in recognition of the day when, in 1976, thousands of black school children in Soweto, South Africa, took to the streets to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot; and in the two weeks of protest that followed, more than 100 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured.

UNICEF Press Release about the Day: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40005.html

Article from Namibia "More Children Face Orphanhood" http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=4962

"Another Man's War" Orphans in the Southern Sudan

I just finished a fascinating book about Sam Childers and his Children's Village in Southern Sudan called "Another Man's War."

Sam Childers was a rough and tough, drug dealing, sex-crazed, fight-loving teenager who lived only for himself. He eventually learned the construction trade and grew a construction company. Then one day God came into his life through his wife and a South African preacher. The South African preacher talked Sam into coming to Africa and Sam's heart never left.

God called rough and tough Sam Childers to establish an orphanage in the middle of a civil war in Southern Sudan. Using his construction skills, he built the orphanage from the ground up and surrounded it by a fence. Sam and the guards carry AK-47s to protect themselves and the children. Sometimes they rescue children from the site of atrocities committed against the people and the children; sometimes the children come to them. But there are always children. Children without parents. Children who have seen and done horrible things. Children with no hope. For them, Children's Village is an outpost of hope.

Its a story of God's preparation, God's calling and God's protection. Its a story of God sending one man to provide hope for his children. It is a quick read, inspiring and fascinating.

The Children's Village website is http://www.boyerspond.com/

An Orphan's Ticket Home Gala

From Amanda Lawrence at America World Adoption.
Contact Amanda at (703) 891-3278

It is with great humbleness and excitement that I announce that this year our agency is holding an Orphan’s Ticket Home Gala right here in Nashville, TN!!! This great orphan awareness event will take place Saturday, August 8th at the Gaylord Springs Golf Club. As you know with any fundraiser, you go with great faith but great dependence on the Lord to open the storehouses of heaven and pour out the blessings on it. We held this event in San Antonio last year and it was incredible. Many of you have heard our Guest Speaker before or read his books so you know the truth that he comes to share about orphan care will and can change lives. Unity is the cry of the church and we can do so much more together than apart. Plus, we could help spread orphan awareness in our Nashville metro community even more! God has already so blessed this event!

Our incredible program includes a Silent Auction and Dinner with Guest Musician, Award winning Britt Nicole (thank you Bryan Ward!) and Guest Speaker, Author of Fields of the Fatherless and Red Letters, Tom Davis. Nicole is famous for her song, Set the World on Fire and will be releasing her new album that same week. So, we will be the first to hear some of her new songs and be led in a wonderful time of worship pursuing the heart of God for the orphans.