Everyone Can Do Something A Field Guide For Strategically Rallying Your Church Around The Orphaned And Vulnerable

We're not all called to do the same thing, but we are all capable of doing something! When it comes to serving the orphaned and vulnerable, this can be the mantra of your church and the foundation of the foster care, adoption and orphan care ministry you establish - everyone can do something! Your church has the ability to make a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families. The questions are not "can" you or "should" you, but "how" can you and "what" does that need to look like? That's what this book is about. Everyone Can Do Something is a strategic field-guide specifically designed to help your church rally around caring for the orphaned and vulnerable. In it you will discover how to: Clarify your message Make the problem relatable Connect people into a community of support Develop a strategic plan Use existing discipleship mechanisms in your church Chart a clear path of ministry "next steps" Plan and promote events ...and so much more! Whether you are launching a new foster care, adoption or orphan care ministry or leading an existing one, you'll discover the principles you need to take the next best steps for your church, your ministry and the families and children you are serving. For bulk orders of 10 or more books, visit www.everyonecandosomethingbook.com. Discounts apply.

A practical roadmap for foster and adoptive families Caring for children is deeply important to the heart of God, and adoption and foster care are important callings that connect to God’s heart for children and families. But this road isn’t always easy. It’s important that foster and adoptive parents prepare to address their children’s history of trauma, separation, and disrupted placements, which can lead to mental health, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. It is also important to understand how this journey shapes and influences our children. We cannot ignore the deep feelings and questions that children experience as they try to understand their story. How can we help them navigate their identity, and sit with them in the unknowns of their story or the grief and loss that comes up? ​ Drawing on the latest science and research on trauma, attachment, sensory processing difficulties, cultural competence, and grief and loss, authors Josh and Jenn Hook provide a trauma-informed approach to help adoptive and foster families—and the church called to care for the vulnerable in our midst—to help their children heal, grow, and thrive.

Many people embark on the journey of adoption and foster care but are unprepared for the challenges that await them along the way. Replanted takes an honest look at the joys and hardships that come with choosing this journey and provides a model of faith-based support made up of three parts to help families thrive: Soil, Sunlight, and Water. Soil, or emotional support, addresses the need for grace-filled settings where families can connect with other families who understand their experience. Sunlight, or informational support, focuses on obtaining helpful training to raise children who may have unique needs or challenges. Water, or tangible support, deals with concrete resources such as medical care, child care, and financial support. Throughout the book, the Replanted model is brought to life by stories and examples based on the clinical work and personal experiences of the authors. Their candid insight will serve families who are actively involved in adoption or foster care, as well as people who are eager to help support those families. Replanted affirms that with the right support system in place, parents can answer this sacred call not only with open hearts but also with their eyes wide open.

On one memorable day, while Bishop Martin and his wife, Donna, were in prayer together, God gave them a one-word message: "Adopt!" Over the next five years, the Martins would adopt four kids. Others in their church community have heard the call and have now adopted 72 children.

Orphanology unveils the grassroots movement that's engaged in a comprehensive response to serve hundreds of millions of orphans and "functionally parentless" children.You'll see a breadth of ways to care with biblical perspective and reasons why we must. Heartwarming, personal stories and vivid illustrations from a growing network of families, churches, and organizations that cross culture show how to respond to God's mandate. The book empowers:- churches--to plan preaching, teaching, ministering, missions, funding adoption, supporting orphans;- individuals and families--to overcome challenges and uncertainties;- every believer--to gain insights to help orphans in numerous ways. Discover how to - adopt;- assist orphans in transition;- engage in foster care;- partner with faith-based fostering agencies;- become orphan hosts.Along with their families' adoption stories, Merida and Morton give steps for action and features on churches doing orphan ministry, faith-based children's homes, orphan-hosting groups, and other resources.

Christians are clearly called to care for orphans, a group so close to the heart of Jesus. In reality, most of the 153 million orphaned and vulnerable children in the world do not need to be adopted, and not everyone needs to become an adoptive parent. However, there are other very important ways to help beyond adoption. Indeed, caring for orphaned and vulnerable children requires us to care about related issues from child trafficking and HIV/AIDS to racism and poverty. Too often, we only discuss or theologize the issues, relegating the responsibility to governments. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Based on his own personal journey toward pure religion, Johnny Carr moves readers from talking about global orphan care to actually doing something about it in Orphan Justice. Combining biblical truth with the latest research, this inspiring book: • investigates the orphan care and adoption movement in the U.S. today • examines new data on the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children • connects “liberal issues” together as critical aspects or orphan care • discovers the role of the church worldwide in meeting these needs • develops a tangible, sustainable action plan using worldwide partnerships • fleshes out the why, what, and how of global orphan care • offers practical steps to getting involved and making a difference

It was never God's intent for children to be without a family! This is why scripture says He assumes the role of father to the fatherless and He sets the lonely in families. This is the heart of God - a good, loving and gracious Father. This is also the basis of His mandate towards us, the Church, to care for vulnerable children and families around us. Our call to care for the vulnerable and orphaned is rooted in God's care of us through Jesus. That's what this book is about - the work of Christ on our behalf in the gospel. ALL IN Orphan Care is a six-session study guide designed to prepare and equip those exploring the call to foster care, adoption or some aspect of supporting families. This multi-faceted curriculum can be used in groups, classes or other equipping environments. It includes: Six sessions on theology, realistic expectations, confronting fears, clarifying your role, etc. Engaging group discussion guides Encouraging personal reflection questions Powerful stories from real-life foster and adoptive families Inspiring articles on some of the most commonly asked questions ...and so much more! For bulk orders of 20 or more books, visit www.allinorphancare.com. Discounts apply.

This is not a how-to manual… (it’s a field guide) We all want to know, "How can I help without hurting in this specific situation?" But there’s no one answer, and there’s definitely no short cuts, but there are key principles—or ministry design principles. Think of these like the rules an improvising actor learns—the principles are crucial—but the actor must decide how to put them into practice based on the complexities of the situation. This book contains and explicates 20 ministry design principles developed over decades of observing, studying, and experimenting. They’re in no way perfect, but they represent the very best ideas we have to date for how to do effective poverty alleviation in the kingdom of God.

Have you ever been on a short-term mission trip and felt uncomfortable, wondering if you're really making a long-term impact? Do you want to understand what the best practices are when it comes to serving children, families, and communities in other countries? Do you ever wonder if your current global missions are hurting more than they are helping? Does changing your strategy seem complicated and confusing? IF SO . . . THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. Perhaps you're wrestling with a mission strategy that doesn't change much year after year--continuing forward in the way your church has "always done it." You want to see change, to set a clear and compelling global engagement strategy for your church moving forward, but you don't know where to start. You genuinely want to serve vulnerable children, families, and communities around the world with wisdom, excellence, and dignity, but how? It feels overwhelming at times, right? We want to make it simple. This book curates some of today's best practices, principles, and people to give you the clarity and confidence you need take your next best step forward in your global missions strategy. Through a dynamic integration of Scripture and science, you'll discover what the most current research says about best practices for global engagement in things like short-term mission trips, child sponsorship programs, forming strategic partnerships, family-based care of children and more, you'll be encouraged by how that scientific research works to affirm what Scripture has already established as true and right about caring for the vulnerable--and you'll be inspired by new ideas and fresh vision as you to take your next best steps forward in caring for the most vulnerable around the world.

This fascinating book is the first volume in a projected cultural history of the United States, from the earliest English settlements to our own time. It is a history of American folkways as they have changed through time, and it argues a thesis about the importance for the United States of having been British in its cultural origins. While most people in the United States today have no British ancestors, they have assimilated regional cultures which were created by British colonists, even while preserving ethnic identities at the same time. In this sense, nearly all Americans are "Albion's Seed," no matter what their ethnicity may be. The concluding section of this remarkable book explores the ways that regional cultures have continued to dominate national politics from 1789 to 1988, and still help to shape attitudes toward education, government, gender, and violence, on which differences between American regions are greater than between European nations.