These are notes on the sessions specially addressing Adoption and Foster Care - this DEFINITELY gave us lots to think about...hopefully it will do the same for you.
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| Our friends Emily & Moody who have a beautiful family including adoption |
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ORPHAN CARE
// We cannot live the Christian American Dream
// We could get the statistics on adoption, but it is a simple Biblical principle
// Building programmes that are focussed on people’s gifting is wrong – begin with the needs of the children you are trying to help first!
// Every church should have Orphan Care
// “God sets the lonely in FAMILIES” (Psalm 68:6) – we should be seeking to children within families (whether through fostering or adoption)
// We cannot be satisfied with children living in orphanages, temporary places of transition; they need permanency.
// Man made orphanages for children, but God made families for children
// Jesus set it all aside to enter into our world. Enter into the pain of some of these children and lay aside our feelings.
// The church in the USA needs to work with the church globally to place children in homes permanently (family-like setting) – international adoption isn’t the only option
MEN
// Since the Garden of Eden, men have been passively stepping back. They need to step up.
// Adoptive should not be a back up plan for couples, but a normative idea
// Only 3% of husbands start the conversation of adoption – husbands should be the ones to start it off
// More things need to be shown from the father’s perspective – much of adoption is geared towards mothers
FOSTER CARE
// 115,000 children waiting for adoption through the Foster Care system
// Foster Care manages but does not solve the problems
// 42% of children who age out of foster care will be in the criminal courts by the age of 24
// Children in foster care are 3x less likely to graduate high school
// The older children in sibling groups are less likely to be adopted
// There is a high correlation between homelessness and being in foster care
// We cannot rely totally on our government – we have to engage in the community
// Where possible, children shouldn’t be moved to other parts of the state/town
// If considering foster care, you need to be prepared to have them for a season – anything from a few days until a few years. There will be an element of grief when this season ends.
- random end thought from me - the BAAF (British Association for Adoption & Fostering) says the average age of an adoptive parent is 38...where are the younger people rising up to make a difference?? Could children benefit from having adoptive parents in their 20s too??
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