One Ukranian Adoptee's Story

Hope">http://vimeo.com/81709887">Hope for Orphans: Galina's Story
from Hope">http://vimeo.com/user9087707">Hope for Orphans on Vimeo.https://vimeo.com">Vimeo.>

Webinar: Inside the Adoption Circle

Inside the Adoption Circle Perspecitves. Conversations. Insights   Quick Links Joint Council Website Donate Now Sponsors     New Webinar! January 22nd, 2014  7:00 PM Central Q&A: 8:00 PM      Webinar panel - an adopted person, a birth mom and an adoptive mom - reflects back on their own experiences with adoption and pose questions to each other giving adoptive parents insight into the thoughts and feelings of members of the adoption circle.   Sharing their personal stories, and asking challenging questions of each other, offers an understanding of different experiences to parents who may not be able to ask such questions in their own adoption relationships. Our panel will also answer YOUR questions. Pose your question here.

Matching Grant for CAFO

CAFO does little fundraising.  But we’d love your help with this amazing opportunity through December 31.   A $35,000 matching grant will double every dollar you give for CAFO’s global work!   The vision is simple: the local church in every nation rising as the answer for the orphans in their midst.    It’s happening.  And the entire CAFO community is united to help grow and guide it.   Join us...

Adoption Informational Meetings

 

Are you considering adoption? Not sure where to start? Learn more about adoption and the current opportunities to adopt through Sunny Ridge Family Center. These are free Adoption Information Meetings where you can learn more about adoption and services offered.

There is a great deal to learn about adoption. Come and learn about the many types of children in need of a family, both in Illinois and internationally. You will also learn more about the requirements for adopting, the adoption process, paperwork, length of time, costs, and more.

Register for Meeting

Great Video Story

Check out this wonderful video that shows how a church can take up the cause of the orphan!

Buy a Cookie - Bring Hope for Orphans

We are so excited to let you know that our Cookies For Orphans event with Chick-fil-A© is coming up THIS Friday (December 13)! If you live in Austin, San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Lufkin or Bryan Texas, make sure to visit your local Chick-fil-A© When you do, add some cookies to your order! Chick-fil-A© will then donate 100% of their cookie sales to Hope for Orphans! Buy a half-dozen for your family, or buy a tray for your office, small group, or school, and bring more hope to more kids! Contact your local Chick-fil-A© to order your tray early, so they will be warm and ready for you on Friday! These funds go directly to helping us serve every church to reach every orphan! If you do not live in one of these Texas cities but know someone who does, make sure to let them know! After you buy your cookies, make sure to thank our dear friends at Chick-fil-A©—their generosity and yours, (with a little help from some delicious cookies), will help us to serve churches, worldwide, to love and care for orphans! Make sure you post cookie pics with #CookiesForOrphans! Blessings, Hope For Orphans

Book Discussion: The Global

 

The Vulnerable Children’s Ministry

 

Invites you to

 

A Book Discussion

January 22, 2014, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road, South Barrington, IL 60010

 

God calls His people to care for the orphaned and vulnerable children of the world. Many hearts around the world are stirred by this calling, and yet it is hard to know what to do without understanding the issues surrounding the global orphan crisis and without knowing exactly how to get involved.

In Diane Lynn Elliot’s book, The Global Orphan Crisis, she takes her readers on a journey of understanding and a call to action. The book discusses the factors that are contributing to the orphan crisis, the dangers that orphaned children face, and what this crisis looks like in different parts of the world.

Diane then talks about what it looks like to redeem orphaned and vulnerable children. She calls her readers to transformation so that they can then transform the lives of orphaned children around the world. The book contains many practical and real ways to get involved and how to invite others along that journey.

To enhance discussion, please come prepared by writing down your answers in advance to the questions at the end of each chapter.

 

Diane Lynn Elliot

 

Diane is an author, professional photographer, and business administrator.  She has a heart for people and a passion for ministry, specifically with women and children.  She has co-written two youth management books, and has spent many years in the not-for-profit and corporate settings.  Diane and her husband are fellow members of Willow Creek Community Church.

Webinar: Orphan Care Movement Update

 

 

 

		YOU'RE INVITED... The 2014 Orphan Care Movement Update & Investor Report   Wednesday, December 11, 2013  |  2:00 PM (Eastern)        Whether you've invested prayer, funds or passion in the Christian Alliance for Orphans, here’s a special chance for an insider’s view of:   The growth of the adoption & orphan care movement across America The biggest challenges facing the movement The expansion of indigenous movements around the world The impact of your investment & key 2014 priorities of CAFO     . . . The Christian Alliance for Orphans Webinar Series is designed to help individuals like you create and grow effective adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry in local churches.  Each 60-minute webinar is free and will give local advocates access to the knowledge and experience of top Alliance

 

 

Isaiah 58

If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
   with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
   and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
Then your light will rise in the darkness,
   and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
   He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
   and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
   like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:9-11

Human Trafficking Concert at Willow Creek

 

 

 

Human Trafficking Concert: The "We Need Your Light" Project

 

Wednesday, December 11, 2014

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road

Room: Chapel

Support the movement to end human trafficking by expanding your understanding of key issues through this forum, which includes a concert by Willow worship artists Dell Washington, Shawn Christopher, Don Leach, Rachael Proulx, Char McAllister, Delwin Eiland, and Pasquale Tenneriello. 

Participants will have an opportunity to purchase the CD "We Need Your Light" after the performance. Proceeds will benefit a local Willow-partner organization dedicated to combatting human trafficking.

REGISTER

 

"A Home for the Holidays" Adoption Special on CBS

 

 

The 15th Annual “A Home for the Holidays with Celine Dion,” an entertainment special celebrating the joys of adoption, to be broadcast Wednesday, December 18 on the CBS Television Network.  Sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

November 15, 2013

The 15th Annual “A Home for the Holidays with Celine Dion,” an entertainment special celebrating the joys of adoption, to be broadcast Wednesday, December 18 on the CBS Television NetworkCeline Dion, Ne-Yo, Chris Young and others will perform on this moving annual holiday special, which features inspirational stories about children adopted from foster care.

 The 15^th annual A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH CELINE DION, an entertainment special to be broadcast Wednesday, Dec. 18 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, will be hosted by multiple-platinum-selling and five-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Celine Dion.  Her sensational new album, Loved Me Back To Life, was released Nov. 5 and made an impressive debut across the globe, coming in at Number One in Canada and Number Two in the U.S.  Dion will perform songs from this critically-acclaimed album on the special.  Also, Ne-Yo, Chris Young and others are set to perform.

The special continues to tell uplifting stories of adoption from foster care in order to raise awareness for this important social issue. The inspirational stories of these American families are enhanced with performances by some of today’s most popular artists.

Musical performances will accompany the heartwarming stories, which are introduced by celebrities who have their own adoption experiences or are involved with children’s issues.  The stories highlight the remarkable American children and families involved in this rewarding process.

Message to President Putin from Kids Adopted from Russia

How Choosing Adoption is Part of the Journey

Adoption Agency Fundraiser

Here's a chance to support adoption by supporting

a local adoption agency!

 

 

 

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Copyright © 2013 Sunny Ridge Family Center, All rights reserved. You are receiving this e-mail because you requested to be included. Our mailing address is: Sunny Ridge Family Center 270 Remington Boulevard Suite C Bolingbrook, Illinois 60440

CCAI China Heritage Tours

 

CCAI is pleased to announce that online registration is now open for all THREE of their Spring and Summer 2014 Heritage Tours!!!  Register online at http://ccaifamily.org/heritagetour  to reserve your spot!!

 

China adoptees of any age travel FREE for all in-china tours!  This is your family’s chance to experience many of the most famous sights in China! Please visit their website for detailed itineraries and additional cost information for each tour.  An additional stop can be added to visit your child(ren)’s orphanage at the end of the main tour.  The 2014 tour dates are as follows: 

 

Spring Tour: March 21-31, 2014

1^st Summer Tour: June 15-25, 2014

2^nd Summer Tour: July 13-23, 2014

 

These tours are open to everyone: CCAI families, non-CCAI families, your friends or relatives.  So please spread the word!  If you are a FCC chapter member in your area, please help get the word out to FCC communities. 

 

For any questions about the upcoming 2014 tours, please email heritagetour@chinesechildren.org or call 303-850-9998 x21, x50, x16, x48. 

 

Webinar: Adopting From Foster Care 101

 

		YOU'RE INVITED... ADOPTING FROM FOSTER CARE 101   Wednesday, November 20, 2013  |  2:00 PM (Eastern)     In recent weeks, the nation's heart was captured by Davion Only, a young man in Florida foster care who asked an entire congregation for a family.  His actions have caused many to wonder if they should consider adopting one of the other 100,000 children who wait in our foster care system for a family.   If you have ever considered adopting a child from foster care but weren't sure where to begin or how the process works, this webinar is for you. We will discuss the basic steps of adoption from foster care and important considerations along the way.     PRESENTER: Dr. Sharen Ford, Former President of the National Association of State Adoption Programs & Child Welfare Consultant . . .   The Christian Alliance for Orphans Webinar Series is designed to help individuals like you create and grow effective adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry in local churches.  Each 60-minute webinar is free and will give local advocates access to the knowledge and experience of top Alliance member churches and organizations nationwide.

A Christian's Guide to Foster Care

 

 

 

Hope for Orphans has a new publication called Safe Harbor - A Christian's Guide to Foster Care.  To get your guide, click here or visit www.hopefororphans.org.

International Adoption Informational Meeting

 

 

We are pleased to announce that Bethany Christian Services is offering a free Adoption Information Meeting at Willow Creek!  If you or anyone you know is interested in international adoption, we invite you to come.

 

Monday, December 9th, 2013

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Willow Creek Community Church

Room B207 (down the hall from the Chapel)

67 E. Algonquin Road, So. Barrington, IL  60010

 

This meeting will provide you with up-to-date information as you make a decision about pursuing adoption. You will have the opportunity to hear from an adoptive family and receive information about country specific requirements, fees and the adoption process.  Please call 708.385.4889 or email bcschicago@bethany.org for more information and to reserve your spot.

 

If you don't live in the Chicago area, go to www.Bethany.org to find an informational meeting in your area.

National Adoption Month: The Dave Thomas Foundation

November is National Adoption Month!  Therefore, I will be featuring different organizations, ministries and relevant information on adoption.   To start us off, here's a post from the Dave Thomas Foundation.

November 1, 2013		Connect with us
November is National Adoption Month National Adoption Month was first recognized in 1995, and each year it brings much-needed awareness to the cause of foster care adoption. Join us in celebrating all adoptive families and advocates this month. Not only do we want to celebrate with you, we need your help.   At the Foundation, we believe that every child deserves a safe and permanent home. We also believe that everyone has a story to tell. Let us hear yours. Go to bit.ly/16LENAd and download our icon. Decorate it, tell us your story, or show us your favorite memory. Share it socially using #nationaladoptionmonth & #myfamilyis and we'll update the submissions on our Tumblr page every week to celebrate you! And join the conversation. Follow and friend us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tumblr for daily photos, updates, and success stories of youth and families. Happy National Adoption Month!		Facebook » Twitter » Pinterest » Tumblr » YouTube » Quick links Wendy's Wonderful Kids A Home for the Holidays   About us Donate    Sign up for mobile messages Text DTFA to 50555 to receive unique messages for National Adoption Month. SMS subscription service. Up to 4msg/mo. Msg&Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 50555 to STOP. Full terms: mGive.com/E Privacy Policy: mGive.org/P

New Book: "Becoming Home" by Jedd Medefind

When Christians choose to adopt, foster, mentor, or support care for orphans around the globe, it reveals God's true character to the world like nothing else we can do. Becoming Home unpacks specific steps everyone can take to help.
	GET THEM ALL In times of uncertainty we look for guides. For thirty years Barna Group has built a reputation as a trusted analyst of religion and culture, guiding you through a complex world. Now, we turn that experience into an annual series called FRAMES. Shipping begins January 7th