I have been wanting to host an adoption seminar at Sunshine. I contacted the Ohio office of the agency we're using about this and they are very willing to come to Sunshine and do a seminar. They are always looking for churches to come to in order to promote adoption and I believe Sunshine is an excellent candidate for this. I believe this is a wonderful thing to promote and as the church, we should be doing this. The seminars are open to the public and I think it would be a great thing for the community to know that they can come to the Sunshine Church of Christ for support in adoption. It's a wonderful opportunity to teach the community about our own adoption through Christ as well as encouraging the adoption of children in the world who need families desparately.
Here is what I was told in an email from the Ohio office of America World Adoption Association:
"The essentials are pretty simple. We need a room that can comfortably hold 40-50 people, a projection screen or an open white wall for video. Additionally, if we are allowed to offer refreshments during the seminar we would need a table for refreshments and a table for registration. I normally hold weeknight seminars from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon. We can provide the church with color flyers and bulletin inserts for promotion, and would likely promote the seminar on local Christian radio."
Tim and I are planning to go to our first seminar at a church in Columbus this saturday if any of you are interested in going along with us to see what it's like. Two of the families that we did our homestudy with will be some of the speakers (along with their little treasures from China). It only lasts 2 hours.
Let me know if you will help me support this idea and I'll get things set up as soon as possible! I'm so excited about this! I'm anxiously awaiting your response.
Jennifer
6 comments:
I agree with Taylor. Discussing this with the Elders is the place to begin.
I have planned to discuss this with the elders from the beginning.
I am wanting to see what the rest of the congregation's thoughts are on the idea as well. I want to know what people are thinking at Sunshine concerning orphans and finding families for them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to post the information on this blog.
Any thoughts?
Jen,
You have been very open about your personal efforts to adopt a baby from China. You have shared information about how the process works. You have shared your emotions as you have endured the various steps along the way. In many ways it has been a blessing for those who have experienced this vicariously through you. As you well know, many are supportive of your quest.
Personally, I did not expect the adoption process to be so tedious and slow. I cannot imagine the intense frustration with which you must deal as you navigate this journey.
I suspect that (opposite of what you intended) folks are discouraged about adoption due to their vicarious frustration. I know that I, at least, have felt it; the impact on others might be quite different.
Waiting for something for which you greatly desire is emotionally strenuous. To have a time frame in mind, only to have it repeatedly extended can be torturous. Of course, you know this better than I. I wonder if many folks, though fully supportive of you and Tim, are not at all eager to engage this themselves.
What do you think?
I would imagine alot of people are feeling frustrated about the wait time. I would hope that extended waits would not keep people from caring for orphans and wanting to add them to loving families. It has been my fear throughout all of this that Chinese adoption would look like something terrible and people would choose to leave orphans in China to their own demise because "it's just too hard" or "it's too much stress or money". China is where God told Tim and I to go. That doesn't mean that God will tell everyone to go to China. There are other countries as well as our own that have orphans that need families desparately. My first child just happens to be in China for reasons that only God knows at this point.
For so long now, I have seen great and wonderful potential at Sunshine involving children. Adoption is just one of the many ministries I see for Sunshine to get involved in. I'm not asking that everyone at Sunshine adopt a child. I am asking that Sunshine get involved in community outreach by promoting adoption, and providing the church as a whole as well as the surrounding communities with the resources and knowledge to decide for themselves if adoption is right for their family. Many people go to these seminars I am referring to just to see what they're all about. Some end up coming away from the seminar deciding to adopt.
My goal is to connect a child with a family one at a time. I don't believe that sending a check for a bunch of money is the only thing the church is called to do when it comes to caring for orphans. I want to give them love, their own room, their own family, freedom in America like they've never known, etc.
I'm not promoting Chinese adoption, persay. I'm promoting adoption in the best way I know how and that's through my own experiences. Jesus didn't give up on us when He came to earth to pay the price of our adoption. Neither should we give up on those without families.....and especially those who may live in countries where the gospel is forbidden.
I really, really hope that people aren't turned off of adoption because of my experience. I'm dealing with the stress alot better than everyone else, it seems. You see, I'm waiting on God.....not Zoe.
I say, let's give children what they've always dreamed of......a family! : )
I think that the seminar would be a good idea. I agree with Taylor and Jason that presenting it to the elders is the first step, but it sounds positive.
I know that we already support the Midwestern Children's Home and this appears to be very worthy, but opening our eyes to something new is always enlightening.
Thank you, Kristi, for your kind words! I'm so grateful that Christ is being seen through me. This is exactly what my ultimate goal is in everything I'm involved with. Thank God He is seen through adoption!
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