Preface: I’m new to this topic, but for me, the topic is a perfect example of why I started this account. I went to a forum on Adoption the other night and had several thoughts I wanted to capture and keep alive, contribute my thoughts and, as my Header says, “Keep it resonating.”
My wife and I aren’t ready to adopt or foster b/c we don’t yet meet the requirements, so some of the info from the forum wasn’t pertinent to me (which countries are “most open” for international adoptions). What I am really interested in is what the Christian response to adoption looks like. The quote that really framed my thoughts for the rest of the night went something like, “We should have a heart for adoption - whether we ourselves adopt or support those who will.” So, what does that look like? What primacy do we give to Orphan Care in the church?
If we aren’t in a position to adopt or foster, we are certainly in a position to support those who do. My personal feelings are that church leadership should treat this as a mandate. We just went through a sermon series on marriage, but I think we should go through one on parenting, that aims to legitimize Orphan Care amongst the congregation. When I went the other night, the attendance was mostly couples and single females. It was also alluded to by the panel that a lot of the guys in these couples were not as interested as their partners. How can we legitimize Orphan Care in the eyes of our congregation?
Practical ways a church can support Orphan Care: 1) no-interest loans and grants to reduce adoption fees, 2) tax preparation for tax credits, 3) I saw someone recently talk about wanting to create a website where people could share frequent flyer miles with people wanting to adopt. 4) Go through the classes your state requires to foster or adopt even if you don’t intend to do so yourselves.
