Orphans & Vulnerable Children

We seek to bring a greater awareness of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) to our church and our community and to support and advocate for the care, protection, and needs of orphaned and vulnerable children both locally and globally. The OVC Ministry meets monthly to pray and work on ways to inform and involve others in the care of orphans and vulnerable children and to support our church members who are considering or currently involved in foster care or adoption. Did you know?

• Every day over 5,700 children become orphans.
• Every 3 seconds a child dies from preventable causes.
• 25% of U.S. children aging out of the foster care system become homeless.
• 1.2 million children were trafficked each year as of 2000.
• 150 million children between the ages of 5 and14 are engaged in child labor.
• There are an estimated 163 million orphans in the world. (That’s more than half the U.S. population.)
• It only takes ONE caring person to transform the life of an orphan.

(Statistics from UNICEF, UNHCS, and The Orphan Foundation.) Our calling:

• Over 40 times in the Bible God commands us to care for the orphaned, widowed and poor. We were once these orphaned children and God brought us into his eternal family through Jesus Christ.
• “In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will . . .” Ephesians 1:5
• “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress . . .” James 1:27

Opportunities:

• Personal prayer for orphans and vulnerable children and the people and agencies that are working to help
• Join us to pray (contact us)
• Learn more by visiting the websites below or reading some of the recommended books
• Sponsor a child (see links below)
• Mission trip opportunities (contact us to learn more)
• Foster care or adoption

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 Resources and Organizations:

• Christian Alliance for Orphans
• Compassion International (Child sponsorship)
• Bethany Christian Services (Foster care, adoption, sponsorship)
• All God’s Children (Adoption, mission trips, sponsorship of children)
• Adoption Associates
• Adoption Orphan Outreach (Sponsor a child, mission trips, monthly prayer updates)

Books (many of these are available in our church library):

• “A Passion for the Fatherless” by Daniel Bennett
• “Too Small to Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most” by Dr. Wes Stafford
• “Dangerous Surrender: What Happens When You Say Yes to God” by Kay Warren
• “Adopted for Life” by Russel Moore
• “Fields of the Fatherless: Discover the Joy of Compassionate Living” by Tom Davis
• “Just Courage: God’s Great Expedition” by Gary Haugen
• “The Strength of Mercy: Making a Difference in the World One Child at a Time” by Jan Beazely