One of my
favorite topics is caring for orphans as
a church. Wanna know why? Because
caring for orphans is gospel work.
“God has
called us to be a defender of the defenseless because that is who He is.
We are
returning worship to God when we show His character
to the world by championing
the cause of the least of these.”
- Orphanology
Caring for orphans is not the responsibility
of the state or the government of another country; it’s the work of God’s people.
Before we
dive in, let’s be clear on who we are talking about. According to UNICEF there
are 163 million "orphans" worldwide. Most of us, when we think of the
term "orphan", think of children without parents.
UNICEF and
other agencies "adopted the broader definition of orphan in the
mid-1990s as the AIDS pandemic began leading to the death of millions of
parents worldwide, leaving an ever increasing number of children growing up
without one or more parents. So the terminology of a ‘single orphan’ – the loss
of one parent – and a ‘double orphan’ – the loss of both parents – was born to
convey this growing crisis."
So the
number of vulnerable children worldwide is
estimated to be 163 million. Some of these children have two living parents but
are highly vulnerable because the
parents are not able to afford their care, abuse them, neglect them, are very
ill...
Of those 163
million vulnerable children, only 18.5 million are "double orphans".
I say only because, if we just looked
at the 163, it would be our assumption that homes are needed for
all of those children, but that is not the case.
Nearly 90%
of those children have homes and living family members. Their entire family needs
support. And love. And prayer.
This is not
just a global problem. There are thousands of orphans right here in Kentucky.
We don’t use the term orphan in the United States, but our society is not above
this crisis.
The scriptural mandate is clear: Caring for
orphans is the churches business.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their affliction,
and to keep oneself unstained
from the world.
- James 1:27
learn to do
good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause
- Isaiah 1:17
I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
- Psalm 140:12
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Psalm 82:3-4
Starting an orphan
care ministry may sound a little overwhelming.
Here are three words to help you get
started:
I realize it’s not quite that simple, but in some ways, it is.
Here’s a bullet
point list of steps you can take to start an orphan care ministry at your
church:
Get permission.
Depending on the size of you church this may or may not be an easy task. If you
have a large church you can always start with your small group and work up from
there.
Find like minded people. Connect with
other singles/couples/families that have a heart for orphans and start small.
The first “project” our orphan care ministry took part in was just a few
families heading to Target to purchase items for kiddos in Sudan.Easy peasy.
Develop a mission statement based on
scripture. Your mission statement is your road map. Why do you exist? What
will you focus on? Here is ours:
The Antioch orphan care ministry exists to
educate, encourage,
equip, and engage families and the church
as we seek to live out James 1:27.
Start an adoption fund and put it in
the budget. People will not know you are behind it until it’s in the budget.
Choose a local partner. You can support
this partner in many ways but b
eing local, the number one way I would suggest is
this: warm bodies. (with hearts for orphans of course) Most likely, your local
partner will be fairly small and staffed almost entirely if not completely by
volunteers. They need you to rally your troops and provide them with some
relief.
Choose a global partner. We desire to
support
our global partner through sponsorships, prayer and annual trips.
*A note about choosing your partners.
Don’t overlook anti-abortion, human trafficking and organizations that support indigenous
mothers/families. This work is essential in the fight against the orphan
crisis.
Raise awareness and educate your church
members. The absolute best way you can do this is for it to
come from the pulpit. I know this can be extremely challenging in some churches. I am beyond
blessed to not have that problem but here’s my advice: PRAY. Pray for the Holy
Spirit to speak to your pastor. Pray for his heart to be broken as the Father's is for the fatherless.
Host an Orphan Sunday event. This can
be as small as an info table in the lobby and as big as an orphan sermon/concert/meal extravaganza.
Celebrate with couples that adopt.
Throw them a shower, meet them at the airport, throw parties for their
court dates.
Support foster/safe families within your church. Take them meals, be respite
care providers, babysit so they can have a date night, etc.
Orphan care is warfare!
Cover your
ministry in prayer. No matter how big or small your orphan care ministry is, the
place to start is on your knees.
I'd love to hear what you are doing at your church or among your small group? What does orphan care ministry look like where you are?
