Participate in Orphan/Adoption Sunday

Many churches choose a day to share about orphans and adoption with the congregation. Since November is National Adoption Awareness Month, many churches pick a day in November.

Here are some ideas from the Shaohannah’s Hope site:

1. Establish a date convenient for your fellowship. Preferably around other adoption related events/celebration. Historically, National Adoption Day is celebrated the Saturday before Thanksgiving during National Adoption Awareness month (November). Although any time is appropriate there are a few important dates to note that might help in encouraging your leadership to participate. Possible dates: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the Sunday after National Adoption Day, or a Sunday in November, National Adoption Awareness Month, or May, National Foster Care Month.
2. Advertise around the church on bulletin boards or where appropriate using “Adoption Sunday” posters.
3. Encourage your senior pastor to preach about God’s heart for orphans, using resources from Inspirational Materials or the Show Hope Store.
4. Play Build a Bridge of Hope video narrated by Steven Curtis Chapman , the Family Testimony video, the Hidden Treasure video, or the Facts video available on the Show Hope DVD.
5. Allow an adoptive family to give their testimony.
6. Dedicate a percentage of offering to your own adoption/orphan care ministry.
7. Bring ALL adoptive families on stage for closing worship/prayer.
8. Have a time of “Special Music” using one of the adoption songs mentioned in the Inspirational Materials, or show the “When Love Takes You In” music video.
9. Provide bulletin inserts using the H.O.P.E. guidelines with information on http://www.howtoadopt.org/ for those who may be interested in adopting.
10. Announce the first Adoption Ministry small group meeting. You may want to consider organizing an adoption workshop in your church as well.
11. Consider providing a departing gift or some materials for your church members.

Hold an Orphan Gift Fair at Church

Set up a table displaying items that orphan organizations are requesting. People can browse through and pay for an item to be sent to an orphan.

Here are some things that you can display on the table:

• clothing, bedding, diapers, toiletries for Buckner Orphan Care
• hand knitted blankets and hats for Lifeline of Hope
• pairs of new shoes for Shoes for Orphan Souls
• care packs for Global Aid Network
• have laptops displaying the online gift catalog for God’s Kids

Motivate Christian Families to Adopt

Promote adoption in the church.

• have special guest speakers talk about adoption
  
• show a movie to raise interest in adoption
• have a sermon about the need for Christians to adopt
  
• host an adoption workshop
  
• start an adoption fund for Christian families called to adopt
• have a fund raising event to help with a couple’s adoption expenses

Start an Orphan Ministry at Your Church

Family Life’s Hope for Orphans has resources to help your church establish an orphans ministry. They have a goal to help 1000 churches do this by the year 2010. Here are some orphan ministry ideas that your church may want to get involved in:

• pray for orphans waiting to be adopted
• start an adoption assistance fund
• provide financial support and humanitarian aid to an orphanage
• have fund raisers to support Christian orphan organizations
• make and send items to orphans
• hold an orphan gift fair
• have a baby shower to collect items for orphans
• recruit adoptive families
• hold adoption workshops
• get involved in the foster care system and mentoring
• support pregnancy care centers
• take members on mission trips to orphanages
• sponsor an orphan and raise money for orphans in the children’s church

Your Church Can Sponsor an Orphanage

Through Warm Blankets Orphan Care you can help sponsor a church orphan home in Africa, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, or Thailand. Your church can pay a portion of the orphan home’s monthly expenses, or it can sponsor the entire orphanage.

Adoption DVD Workshop for Churches

The Christian ministry, Family Life Today, now offers it's adoption workshop on DVDs that you can show in your church.

The If You Were Mine Adoption Workshop investigates adoption from a biblical and practical perspective. You can us it for small groups, a one-day event, or for individual families.

This DVD workshop costs $99 and includes - live workshop footage, interviews, video vignettes, and written materials. In this resource you’ll find:

• Seven DVD sessions that explain and help prepare you for your adoption journey
• One Leader’s Guide
• One Participant’s Workbook
• One CD-ROM packed with promotional material — video trailer, posters, flyers, and more