Promoting Adoption and Foster Care
Information Meetings
Host information meetings. You can either use the videos supplied by Bethany Christian Services or ask a Bethany representative to speak.
Announcements
Use bulletin inserts and PowerPoint slides provided by Bethany during National Adoption Month (November), Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (January), and Foster Care Month (May) in your worship services.
Child Dedication/Baptism
Have a special “Child Dedication Sunday” in November specifically for children who have been adopted. This differs by denominations from baptisms to special prayers. This should be optional for adoptive families as they may wish to participate in regularly scheduled baptisms or dedications.
Commissioning Prayer
Have a “Commissioning Prayer” for intercountry adoptive families. On the Sunday before a family leaves for their intercountry adoption, bring them up and pray for them just as you would a mission team that is being sent out. We need to remember that Christian adoptive families traveling abroad are missionaries of Jesus Christ. People in other countries will be very inquisitive about the U.S. and why this family is choosing to travel to adopt one of their children. We have personally seen some people in other countries become Christians because of the adoption of a child.
The adoption of a child is a visible example of the Gospel. Remember what St. Francis of Assisi said: "Preach the Gospel. And if necessary, use words."
Information Center
Set up a Bethany Information Center in your church. Contact your local Bethany office for brochures that can be used for distribution.
Picture Board
Use a bulletin board at your church to post pictures of children who are waiting for families. Make sure that there is sufficient contact information available. *Remember to get permission from the agency responsible for the child before posting any pictures of children on the Internet.
Bulletin Announcements
If your church uses printed bulletins, consider offering free inserts at strategic times during the year: Foster Care month, National Adoption month, and Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. For a complete list of bulletin announcements, click here.
Heart Gallery
Many cities have what is known as "The Heart Gallery." Local professional photographers donate their time and talent to take pictures of children in foster care. The pictures are then put together in displays that can be used in many different public places. Their mission statement is given here:
"The mission of Heart Gallery of America ® Inc. is to facilitate and utilize the power of photography to capture the individuality and dignity of children living in foster care, in order to advocate for their permanency, raise public awareness about their needs, and obtain support to help meet those needs.
An integral part of honoring this mission is to provide assistance and resources to Heart Gallery chapters nationwide to help them achieve parallel goals for the waiting children they represent."
Many churches will ask their local Heart Gallery to come and set up in a lobby or visible area of the church. The pastor can then make reference to the displays during his sermon. Make sure you have a representative available who can answer questions.
Visit the Heart Gallery website to learn more. They also have a listing of each Heart Gallery around the country, which will enable you to find the one nearest you.
Create a Website for Your Ministry
If your church has a website, ask to have a page within the site for your ministry. In it you can give contact information and a schedule of events. You might also decide to create your own website. If so, you can recruit someone to help create and maintain it. You can have your own domain name (www.yourministryname.com) if you choose to create your own site.
Host an Adoption Fair
Choose a Sunday morning to ask several different agencies that represent different countries for adoption to set up displays and information booths.
Host an Orphan Care and Adoption Workshop/Conference
Contact orphan care and adoption agencies and invite professionals to your church for an all-day workshop. The morning sessions could be general sessions about adoption or orphan care, and the afternoon could feature breakout sessions for more specific information. Agencies can also set up display tables for attendees to learn more about them.
For more information about hosting a workshop at your church, e-mail Johnny Carr at jcarr@bethany.org.