The Alliance semi-annual Board meeting last week in Nashville left me with an overwhelming sense of what a privilege it is to get to ride in a boat when a whole team is working the oars in unison…and God is the one blowing in the sails.  From 8 AM to 5 PM, the Board sat at the football-shaped table, digging with both graciousness and vigor into the critical issues facing the Alliance, from prioritizing initiatives to the Alliance’s fundraising needs.  Every board member has the weight of other leadership roles and ministry on their shoulders, representing organizations large and small, church and parachurch, adoption, foster care, advocacy and global orphan care.    But as a team, everything else was drown out by the driving passion of each Board member for God’s purposes and the broader movement…even when it required sacrifice from their own organizations’ individual interests.  It was visible in the Board member who, even while facing a reduced budget for his own ministry next year, pledged funds to begin bridging the needs of the Alliance.  It was others, hard-pressed for time, volunteering to help coordinate Alliance initiatives that will bring no recognition or direct benefit to their own organizations.  And it was countless other choices as well, large and samll, where narrower interests were put secondary to the broader mission of a united Alliance.  That’s something we see all to rarely, even in ministry.   But when we do, it’s powerful.

A piece of legislation recently introduced in Congress carries a name any orphan advocate could support:  “Every Child Deserves a Family Act.”   The bill, however, could strike a crippling blow to Christian foster care and adoption agencies across the U.S.   By attaching new strings to funds the Federal government provides to States, this measure would effectively ban government partnerships with any public or private agency that chooses not to place children with same-sex couples.

This bill is troubling on many fronts.  It would not only cut off adoption and foster care nonprofits that hold Christian convictions from receiving direct Federal grants.  State and local governments would face losing critical funding from the Federal government if they entered any more than the most arms-length partnerships with these groups.  Furthermore, government policies always echo beyond government; many foundations and private funders would likely redirect funds away from groups suddenly deemed by government to be unworthy of partnership.

Even many people who don’t agree with the Christian commitment to traditional marriage will likely be struck by the irony.  While claiming to advance tolerance, this legislation works to marginalize groups because of their sincerely-held convictions.  While purporting to value diversity, it seeks to cut off a large and vibrant segment of the nation’s response to the needs of foster youth.  And while declaring its goal as being to help children find families, it essentially erects barbed wire between government offices charged with finding homes and the organizations and families that have proven most willing to provide them.

The following comes from the statement of Congressman Pete Stark as he introduced the bill:

…Currently, over 65,000 adopted children and 14,000 foster children are living with a gay or lesbian parent.  Studies suggest that upward of 2 million gay and lesbian individuals are interested in adopting or fostering a child.  Yet, statewide discriminatory bans and the practices of individual adoption agencies have resulted in fewer children being placed in safe and permanent homes.

When considering a potential placement for a child, the only criteria should be what is in the child’s best interest and whether the prospective parents can provide a safe and nurturing home.  Bigotry should play no part in this decision.  That is why I am introducing the “Every Child Deserves a Family Act.” This legislation would simply prohibit any entity that receives Federal child welfare funds from denying or delaying adoption or foster care placements based solely on the prospective parent’s marital status or sexual orientation.  States and child welfare agencies that fail to end discriminatory practices would face financial penalties…

Assuming that Congressman Stark sincerely desires to help foster children find good homes, let’s hope that he will come to see that cutting Christian adoption and foster care organizations from government partnerships is decidedly not the best path for achieving this goal.

Art moves us all.  It’s certainly fine that many Christians gravitate towards words as their primary way to express what God puts on their heart.  Admittedly, that’s true of me.  My singing rarely garners anything but annoyed glances from the people in the pews in front of me, and my drawing skills haven’t progressed since the 6th grade.  Still, I love the way well-crafted art can convey the good, true and beautiful in a way words alone can’t.  The Bible affirms the value of this creative expression, from the poetry and music of the Psalms to the visual art of Bezalel in God’s temple.  The truth is, art can play a potent role in engaging hearts, minds and actions on behalf of things that matter. Think of the potent effect of a story like Uncle Tom’s Cabin or a song like the Battle Hymn of the Republic in the movement towards abolition.  That’s why it’s particularly exciting to see art springing up that stirs hearts and minds for the cause of the fatherless.   Here’s just a few examples.  (And if you’re an artist, know that you’re needed! Use that gift for things that matter!)

• Eric Schumacher, pastor of Northbrook Baptist Church of Cedar Rapids, IA collaborated to create a poignant new hymn for Orphan Sunday, entitled “Though I was Born an Orphan.” (He’s even provided the sheet music and learner recording free for download.)
• Brook Fraser’s song Albertine tells the story of her encounter with an orphan in Rwanda.  The imagery of the music video is equally compelling.
• Eleatta, an accomplished painter, created the painting “The Orphan’s Dream“ to celebrate Orphan Sunday 2009.   The painting seeks to capture the hope and beauty of orphans from across the world being adopted into loving homes.
• Adoptive father and Minnesota musician Peder Eide wrote the song Why Wouldn’t I? as he reflected on the gift his adopted children are to him.
• Sara Groves’ song and video I Saw What I Saw also centers on Rwanda, exploring the joy and pain and call of God she experienced in orphans and other children there.

Friends who battle forest fires tell me it never gets worse than when  fire takes flight.  Of course, a firefighter’s heart starts pounding anytime wind gets blowing behind a fire.  But when burning particles start soaring and setting new blazes hundreds of yards beyond the fireline, there’s not much to do but get out of the way.  The mountain is going to burn.

In the forest, this kind of conflagration is tragedy.  But when the Church is lit up by a blaze like this, it’s magnificent.  And the truth is, from what I see and hear from Christians around the country, that’s just what is happening.   In big cities and small towns and everything in between, hearts are sparking with God’s call to defend the cause of the fatherless, lighting up with desire to make the Gospel visible in loving service to the orphan.

Read the rest of Jedd’s blog post on Tom Davis’ Notes From The Field

When you start to notice, it’s hard not to be blown away at the multiplicity of ways God is stirring His people to stand for the orphan. Last week in Atlanta, the Catalyst conference devoted an entire section of the program for its 13,000 participants to orphan ministry. You can see some of the remarkable videos they produced here, including one of a portion of the program described as “one of the most powerful moments in Catalyst history.” Why powerful? The simple truth is, when God’s people start acting on the things He cares most about, everyone involved is changed. Yes, ministry to orphans meets tangible needs. But in the process it also transforms—and blurs the lines between—giver, recipient, and onlooker.  That’s true catalysis!

By Michael Monroe

As believers from across the country re-discover God’s heart for the fatherless and the clear call in Scripture to take up the privilege of loving and serving orphans, more and more local churches are stepping forward to launch adoption, foster care and international orphan care ministries.  With orphans numbering in the tens of millions worldwide, the need is truly staggering.  But equally significant is the difference that each and every follower of Christ and local church can make in the lives of these children.

With so many needs there are almost as many different ways that local churches can become involved.  Raising awareness of the needs of children and workers in the foster care system and mobilizing people to meet them, partnering with an African orphanage to provide much needed supplies and equipment, educating and supporting adoptive parents and those considering adoption – these are just a few of the nearly endless ways in which local churches can compassionately and boldly proclaim the love of God in action.

In response to both the needs and opportunities, churches of various sizes and denominations have begun to ban together with other churches in their area in order to share resources and ideas, enable the creation of new ministry efforts and more holistically live out God’s heart for the orphan.  While one church may be called to support adoptive families, another may be uniquely equipped to serve children in foster care even as another is invested in many different ways in serving orphans half a world away.  Individually, these churches may only be able to serve in one aspect of orphan ministry; collectively, however, they have the opportunity to see God at work in a multitude of ways, and to encourage their people to respond as God has uniquely called and equipped them.

Less than three years ago a small group of churches in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area came together to pray and dream about how God could collectively use them in the area of orphan ministry. Some had already established ministries in their church, while others still dreamed of doing the same.  As a result, the DFW Alliance of Adoption and Orphan Care Ministries was born.  The DFW Alliance has now grown to include over 20 churches, encompassing church ministries with a broad range of orphan ministry focuses and activities.  But each of these churches share a common bond – to see God’s heart for the orphan lived out in tangible and life changing ways.

Here are just a few of the exciting things that are happening among some of the many DFW Alliance churches:

Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Conference – Tapestry (Irving Bible Church) is hosting its annual conference on Saturday, October 24.  With 500 adults and over 200 children already registered to attend, Tapestry is excited about the opportunity to educate, equip and encourage pre- and post-adoptive and foster parents, as well as many professionals.  Tapestry’s annual conference is unique for its focus on a wide range of post-adoption and foster care topics.  For more information about the 2009 Tapestry Conference visit at www.tapestryconference.org or check out resources from past Tapestry conferences.

Lake Pointe Adoption & Foster Care Conference – Lake Pointe Adoption & Orphan Ministry (Lake Pointe Church) will host its annual conference on Saturday, November 14.  You can learn more about Lake Pointe’s adoption conference at www.adoptionconference.net.  You can also listen to the breakout session from Summit V that was led by Tapestry and Lake Pointe entitled How to Host an Effective Church Adoption & Foster Care Conference.

Centro Internacional Aliento – Aliento is a Spanish speaking church in Dallas.  A little over a year ago Carlos and Sonia Alvarez, lay people at Aliento, first became aware of the need of orphans around the world and in their local community.  Since that time, they have obediently followed God’s leading to create one of the first orphan ministries in a Spanish speaking congregation.  Aliento will be launching its orphan ministry, focusing primarily on the need of children in the foster care system, on October 25, 2009.

Christ Chapel Bible Church & Kidmia – Christ Chapel Bible Church was instrumental in helping launch the DFW Alliance and shortly thereafter they helped create Kidmia – an organization that is partnering with both U.S. and Ethiopian churches to build transitional living centers in Ethiopia to provide holistic care and shelter to children in need, while being the catalyst for their adoption into local gospel-loving families.  God is using Christ Chapel and Kidmia to touch the lives of many orphans (and others) in Ethiopia.

Michael Monroe serves as a leader of Tapestry Adoption and Foster Care Ministry at Irving Bible Church in Irving, Texas.

By Andy Lehman, Vice-President of Lifesong for Orphans

Imagine church orphan ministries that intentionally go out of their way to give away their experience, articles, videos, strategies, presentations, finances, time and volunteer staff – so that other churches, other orphan ministries, and families can be more effective!

For example, one challenging reality is that there are always more families seeking funds to help complete their adoption than funds typically available.  What if Church Adoption Funds across the country had a paradigm shift?  Instead of thinking only about our own churches and families, what if we sought to mobilize and utilize funds to help the most children and families as soon as possible?  Certainly, establishing adoption assistance for families in your church is a great thing.  But if we can mobilize more dollars, to serve more children and enable more families with real financial needs to pursue God’s calling in their lives – seems to me that may an even better thing.

Its excited to see this Kingdom-minded concept actually being lived out in church orphan ministries in a variety of ways. Here are just a few examples:

Louisville Orphan Care Initiative (LOCI) has created an Adoption Fund to help remove the financial barriers of adoption costs (adoption grants & loans), for Christian couples in the Louisville area.  This fund was originated by some key orphan advocates at Southeast Christian Church.  Since then it has expanded to come alongside Christian adoptive couples regardless of which church they attend. LOCI is living out this open handed abundance mentality to financially bless Christian families from various churches throughout their community. Not only that, LOCI also shares its knowledge, experience and vision with other churches desiring to start an orphan ministry – helping church ministries create websites, develop better government contacts/relationships in the foster care system as well as establish their own Church Adoption Fund.

Tapestry Adoption & Foster Ministry at Irving Bible Church has also created a modest sized Adoption Fund (grants & loans) with the expressed purpose of not only offering financial assistance to families/members of IBC, but being Kingdom-minded to serve Christian families from other churches as well.  Like LOCI, Tapestry is also intent on being open handed with what God has blessed them with, sharing a vast array of stories, articles, videos and audio resources (free of charge) through DFW Alliance, Empowered to Connect and Tapestry sites.

As we look around we see this approach to ministry more and more:

• Arkansas
• Kansas City
• Minnesota
• Michigan
• Saddleback Church

• Dallas/Fort Worth
• Middle TN Alliance

No doubt this type of ministry approach has its share of challenges.  After all, ministry itself can be quite messy.  But the responsibility and privilege of standing up for vulnerable and orphan children is simply too great to allow our man-made limitations and boundaries to hold us back.  After all, church is not a building, and church orphan ministries can be bigger than just my church. Scripture is clear – God desires that we be the (one) Body of Christ accomplishing what He has called us to.

So let me just put this challenge before you, even as I’ve been challenged: consider how you and your church orphan ministry can best share your most precious resources with others who need it most.