Orphan Sunday - November 2012 - One day. One voice. One purpose.

November is International adoption month and we want to see churches all across Canada joining together in support of Orphan Sunday. Christian Alliance for Orphans, has been a huge advocate for Orphan Sunday and provides many resources and materials to help your church develop your own Orphan Sunday. We have provided some helpful links and resources that are Canadian focused, that you can use. Feel free to incorporate your own ideas or let us know of any way in which we can support or assist you.

Each event is locally-led and can consist of sermons, small groups, concerts, prayer gatherings, shared meals, youth activities, or any combination. Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to awaken your church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan. Many churches and organizations have hosted “Orphan Sundays” over the years and inspired believers to ask what they can do to serve children without families.

Below, you will find a list of helpful resources that your church could use in bringing awareness to the orphan crisis. Perhaps your church would be willing to host an Orphan Sunday, have a special message or host an awareness night/fundraiser for adoption grants or an orphanage.

Choose a date in November, begin planning, and let us know! Visit ABBA Canada Foundation for more information and resources, added weekly. They have a listing of all churches/organizations participating in Orphan Sunday (can be any date in November) all across Canada!

Email info@abbacanada.com if you are interested in hosting an Orphan Sunday and we will help you get started and post it on our website.

Click here to see a list of churches hosting an Orphan Sunday

Click here for Prayer Guides.

Click here for Orphan Sunday Videos.

Adoption Info Seminar

We are having our next adoption information seminar on Saturday, September 22. If you or someone you know is considering adoption, please send them our way!

This workshop will be held at Southgate Church (#120 - 5501 204th St. Langley) on Saturday, September 22, from 9am - 4pm, with lunch and breaks included. The information will be given over a 6-part DVD series, with topics such as: God's Heart for the Orphan, Making Basic Decisions, Evaluating Agencies, Investigating Funding Options, and Paperwork, Completing your Home Study, etc.

There will also be time for discussion. We will be breaking into small groups to discuss common questions, concerns, thoughts and to go over ideas from the DVD series. This will be a free seminar, with a small charge for lunch. This seminar is open to anyone interested in, or beginning the adoption journey, so feel free to pass this on.

Please RSVP to tamara@southgatechurch.ca.

If you have other specific questions regarding this event, we would be happy to answer them for you!

Controversy over Pat Robertson’s adoption comments

We tuned into our social media sites tonight to see a flurry of controversy over Pat Robertson’s recent comments about adoption. The comments were distasteful and obviously cause for concern about the attitudes they represent. We’ve read a few posts today responding to the comments, but probably the best was by Jason Cornwell over on the Together for Adoption blog.

Click here to read the full post.

Here are a couple of quotes from his post:

“Dr. Robertson responds to a viewer’s question concerning her 3 adopted children and the men who lose interest in dating her once they find out she has 3 adopted children (thankfully, Dr. Robertson’s co-host stands up for her and calls out the fellas). Dr. Robertson gives them a pass, saying they “didn’t want to take on a United Nations,” and “you don’t know what problems are there.”

“Let me be clear in saying that not everyone is called to adopt, nor should everyone adopt. Adoption is not the only way to engage in orphan care. With that in mind, Dr. Robertson’s comments are troubling to say the least. Dr. Robertson’s comments smack of the notion that children are something of a trophy that makes us look good; that it’s somehow possible to predict how children will “turn out,” adopted or otherwise; that our comforts are to be cherished at all costs. That, my friends, is complete tomfoolery and poppycock in the truest sense of those words. Anyone who’s engaged in any type of orphan care knows that it’s difficult, messy, and scary. Those who say adoption is a fad simply reveal to others that they’ve never really engaged in any type of serious orphan care (but that’s another discussion…I digress).”

“No, Pat Robertson. Orphan care isn’t a friendly game where you get neat little trophies. It’s a Christian mandate that is driven, motivated, and fueled by the effective and loving work of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We enter the suffering of others, because God has entered ours and because He is forming the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, in us. And concerning Adoption, God is absolutely serious.”

Dr. Russell Moore also responded to these comments and his post can be seen here.

In all of this, pray for Pat Robertson, pray for the attitudes of people to change towards adoption and pray especially for the millions around the world that don’t understand all of the politics and debating, but just desire to have a mommy and daddy.

We want to note that after the first part of this post was written, Pat Robertson issued a public apology for his comments. We also want to make it clear that in situations like these, our responses, as followers of Jesus, should never aim to destroy or attack the character of another person. Our aim is not to discredit or attack Pat Robertson. However, when comments are made by a very public figure, misrepresenting God’s heart for adoption, we feel it is important to give a Biblical response. At the end of our last post when we said to pray for Pat, we sincerely mean that. The comments represent a mindset still present in our world and we ask you to pray that people’s hearts would experience a revelation of how God views adoption and the plight of the orphan.