church adoption fund

We love our church! This is a copy of the proposal I wrote last year for the church to set up an adoption fund. We are in the process of getting things set up and getting it going!! God loves the orphan and so does our church!



Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

On Sunday November 7th we are going to be focusing on the plight of orphans. This day, November 7th, has become known as Orphan Sunday. As you may or may not know, we have many families at Grace that are involved in all aspects of orphan care. One aspect of orphan care is adoption. Several of us are very excited to be launching an “adoption support group” here at Grace. We aren’t sure exactly what form this will take, but we are starting it to be an information and support group. These types of adoption groups have been very successful and have grown by leaps and bounds at other churches. We would like to ultimately open these groups to the local adoption community as well.

He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:5

One of the biggest roadblocks to families being able to adopt is finances. In my opinion, this is the biggest roadblock for people. The reality is that adoption, both international and domestic, can range anywhere from $15,000 to $45,000 in cost. While there are some financial resources available for families, these funds are not nearly enough to help all the families that desire to adopt orphans. Also, with the downturn in the economy, many of these resources have been closed down or are so heavily inundated with applications that they cannot even process all of them. The other issue is that the resources that remain available have tightened restrictions in such a way that many families do not even qualify to apply for the assistance. This is a matter of life and death for orphans.

Let me give you an example of this. My son was adopted from the Democratic Republic of Congo in November of 2010. I was only able to apply for 2 grants because the DRC is not a member of the Hague Agreement and the organization we used was not a licensed adoption agency in the state of Washington. We did not receive either grant. Three days prior to my son being removed from the orphanage, the baby girl that was supposed to leave with him died due to complications from starvation and malaria. When they removed my son, they took him straight to the international clinic as he was dying from malnutrition. They were sure he was going to die. This truly is a matter of life and death. While people wait for more money, children die.

I am proposing that Grace set up an adoption fund to help assist families with the high cost of adoption. The initial fund can be set up through a special opportunity of giving. This could happen on Orphan Sunday so that people are given a tangible opportunity not only to help orphans, but to bring those orphans into our Grace family. Can you imagine if Grace became a place that was a haven, an extended family to even more former orphans in this world?!?! It would be wonderful to give the church family this opportunity every year on Orphan Sunday. I would like to further propose that in the 2011 budget, that Grace set aside monies to contribute to the adoption fund. I am proposing that in 2011, the fund become dually funded, both by special giving opportunities and through the annual budget as well.

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 26:11-12

There are many ways to manage and distribute an adoption fund. One of the most simple ways is to use an organization like LifeSong for Orphans who handle the management and disbursement of funds based on agreed upon criteria. They do this at no cost to the church. It can also be handled in-house. The newly formed Adoption Care Ministry would happily work with staff and counsel to put application procedures in place. There are many other churches that have adoption funds and handle them much like a benevolence fund.
The financial burden that adoption places on families is truly a practical roadblock and it needs to be removed. The Grace family has a wonderful opportunity to help bring those babies out of the pit of the enemy and show them the love of Jesus. Not all are called to adopt, but all are called to do something.

Thank you for your consideration,

Chelese Bergstrom
An adopted child of God