Adoption Awareness Month

November is National Adoption Awareness month and November 4th {my birthday!} is Orphan Sunday. Find out what you can do to make a difference in the lives of those around you who might be in the midst of an adoption, or maybe there's a family who just got home with their new bundle, or maybe there are some kids in the foster care system who need a little love, or maybe you have some extra money each month that you could give to support a child somewhere or maybe you could do some type of fundraiser an give the proceeds to an orphanage...there are so many things you can do! Maybe this could be the month that you open your heart to an orphan that needs a forever home. Start praying now and then wait for God to show you where and how you can be used!

 

 

 

Here's a video on adoption: http://vimeo.com/41789537

If you've wondered how you can make a difference, here's a list of things you can do. Not every family is called to adopt, but as Christians, we are ALL called to care for orphans. There are so many things you can do, you've just got to take that first step!

 

Ways to Get Involved

What are some of the ways for me and/or my local church
to get involved in caring for the fatherless?

20 Ways Individuals and/or Local Church Can Care for Orphans

1. Adopt a child from foster care or from another country
2. Become a foster parent
3. Offer your facility to host foster parent training classes in your church
4. "Adopt" a family of siblings in foster care for Christmas, providing toys & clothes
5. Provide support for a foster family (meals, respite, help with yard work, prayer, etc.)
6. Host a drive to collect needed items for children in foster care ( i.e. school supplies, diapers, clothes, food)
7. Mentor children in your church and community who need a godly role model in their life.
8. Go on a Work & Witness trip to an orphanage. Beware, God may do something unexpected in you!
9. "Adopt" an orphanage (hopechest.org), building relationships with the children, raising money to help meet their physical needs, etc.
10. Host a drive to collect much needed items for orphans around the world such as school supplies, shoes shoesfororphansouls.org, ncm.org
11. Invite an adoption agency to come do an informational or educational seminar at your church
12. Become involved in an overseas hosting program, in which older orphans (typically 6 yrs and older) come to the US for several weeks as a cultural learning experience
13. Begin an adoption support group
14. Begin a Bible study about adoption (Considering Adoption: A Biblical Perspective,hopefororphans.com)
15. Give financially to the KC District Adoption Fund, coming alongside those who are called to adopt and help them bear the financial burden.
16. Recognize National Adoption Month in November with a worship service emphasizing adoption
17. Recognize National Foster Care Month in May
18. Become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer, and advocate for a foster child in the court system
19. Contact your local child welfare office or international adoption agency and ask for names and, if possible, pictures of children waiting to be adopted. Pray for them before the Father.rainbowkids.com, adoptuskids.org
20. Decorate a bulletin board or cabinet in your church, raising awareness and educating about the orphan crisis around the world.