Countdown to Orphan Sunday - 1 Week Away!

Do you ever wish you could be a voice for orphans and vulnerable children?  On November 3rd, Orphan Sunday, you can!  Plan to host or attend one of thousands of events happening throughout the world.  Click here to find an event near you.  By attending an event, you are giving voice to the 143 million orphans and vulnerable children worldwide.  Attend an event. Show them you care.  www.orphansunday.org. 

Orphan Sunday at Park Community Church

 

 

YOU’RE INVITED!!

PARK COMMUNITY CHURCH

ORPHAN SUNDAY EVENT

 

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2013

7 – 9 PM

PARK COMMUNITY CHURCH, NEAR NORTH

CAMPUS 1001 N. CROSBY, CHICAGO, IL 60610

  

LEARN MORE ABOUT DOMESTIC ADOPTION, INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION,

FOSTER CARE AND REAL WAYS WE CAN RENEW OUR CITY AND MAKE A GLOBAL

IMPACT BY OPENING OUR LIVES TO CHILDREN IN NEED.

 

HEAR FROM BETHANY CHRISTIAN SERVICES (THE LARGEST ADOPTION AGENCY IN THE U.S. FOCUSING ON BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION) AND LAWRENCE HALL YOUTH SERVICES (ON FOSTER CARE, RESPITE CARE AND DOMESTIC ADOPTION).

 

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT CORA PASSIS AT CORAPASSIS@YAHOO.COM

 

Countdown to Orphan Sunday - 2 Weeks Away!

2013 Special Broadcast from Ukraine

This year, we will journey to Ukraine for a special Orphan Sunday event.  God is moving across the Eastern Europe, and many hearts are being moved for the orphan.  We are witnessing a great awakening in the Ukraine church to foster care and adoption, as well as improved orphan care.  Our team will film and produce an Orphan Sunday broadcast, suitable for viewing for Orphan Sunday events (with subtitles and voice over, some content in English).  The broadcast will be webcast on Sunday, November 3, 2013 as part of the worldwide celebration of Orphan Sunday.

The program will include worship in Russian with subtitles, prayer for the orphan, testimonials, and snapshots of how orphans are being adopted, fostered and cared for in Ukraine and other nations

Please plan to join us via the Web for this special event!  We anticipate the broadcast to be approximately 35 minutes long, allowing for your event to show the program and also add your local elements or prayer.

We would like to thank our brothers and sisters at Ukraine Without Orphans for helping us produce this special event.

The program will be available for download and testing on November 1, 2013 on this page.  To register to receive it directly, click here.

Reece's Rainbow Fundraiser at Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday Community GIVE BACK Program

Join us for lunch or dinner! on October 25, 26 & 27! We're so grateful to our friends at Ruby Tuesday for another opportunity to raise awareness for people with Down syndrome in our communities! CELEBRATE DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH! Come join Reece's Rainbow at RUBY TUESDAY for lunch or dinner   on October 25, 26, & 27! Every Ruby Tuesday restaurant in the states of Maryland & Virginia are participating! Reece's Rainbow will earn 20% of your meal total!   CLICK for a complete list of participating restaurants in your state!   *You MUST print out this flier to give to your server for Reece's Rainbow so we can receive 20% of your purchase! Every Ruby Tuesday in DC, Maryland & Virginia are participating! Reece and his younger brother Owen CLICK for a complete list of participating restaurants in your state!

Orphan Sunday at Willow Creek Community Church

 

Thousands of churches across the U.S. and around the globe will celebrate Orphan Sunday,

calling Christians to reflect on God's heart for orphans through adoption, foster care and global initiatives.

 

Please join us at Willow Creek as we host our annual Orphan Sunday event!

 

Sunday, November 3rd, 2013

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road, South Barrington, IL 60010

Room B100 (under the Chapel)

 

Guest Speaker Cindy Champnella, PhD, acclaimed speaker and author of The Waiting Child: How the Faith and Life of one Orphan Saved the Life of Another and The Twelve Gifts of Life: Finding Extraordinary Meaning in Ordinary Moments. She has devoted her life to being a child advocate and travels around the nation, bringing awareness to the plight of the orphan.

Ministry Expo: Discover serving opportunities and resources from adoption, foster care and orphan care ministries around the Chicago area.

 

Heart Gallery of IL: View the gallery of portraits to see & pray for the names and faces of kids in foster care that need permanent families to call their own.

 Pick up a handmade Christmas Stocking to fill for a child in need.

A light dinner will be provided.

 

 R.S.V.P. to vcministry127@gmail.com to let us know that you're coming.  Childcare is available if you e-mail the number of children and their ages.

 

Please use the attached flyer to invite others who may be interested.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Orphan Sunday Countdown - 3 weeks away!

Check out this latest inspiring video with David Platt on

the power of Orphan Sunday!

For more information or to find an event in your area visit www.orphansunday.org.

Monthly Gathering at Willow Creek Community Church

We want to invite you to this month's Vulnerable Children's Ministry Community Gathering for Adoptive, Foster, and Safe Families.  Wednesday, October 23, 2013

 

The focus of October's meeting will be on providing our families with resources in their surrounding communities. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the types of services that are available to you, your children, the children you serve, and the families that you partner with. We want to strongly encourage you to invite the families that you partner with (i.e. placing families through Safe Families, foster parents, D.C.F.S. clients, etc.) so that they can be made aware of the services that Willow offers and the services of other agencies.

 

The following agencies will be available on this night: Cherry Hill Counseling Center, Child and Family Connections, D.C.F.S. training, Life Books, and Metropolitan Family Services. We have a few more agencies we are hoping can join us as well. Furthermore, we will be giving tours of the Willow Creek Care Center and will be reviewing the types of services the Care Center can offer. The Willow Creek Care Center will also be a great resource to learn about for the social service agencies who are able to attend.

 

Here is a picture of how the evening will go:

• 5:30pm-7pm - Meet in the Atrium for sharing a meal. If you are facing the Atrium from the main lobby entrance, we will be off to the right-hand side (your right) in the little area that is close to/underneath the stairs that lead up to the lounge area by the Seeds bookstore. There will be signs and/or table cards that will have our ministry name on them, so you can also look for those. 
• 7pm-7:30pm - Worship in the Lakeside Auditorium
• 7:30pm-8:30pm - Meet in Hospitality Room in the Care Center for the remainder of the evening. You can get to the Hospitality room by following the hallway that links the Atrium to the Care Center. Go up the stairs that are in that hallway and that will lead you right into the room. We will have signs and/or have someone in the Link that can direct you to the hospitality room. 

Please RSVP to vcministry127@gmail.com and let us know if you will be joining us for the program portion of the evening. Also, if you would like to sit with us during worship or meet with us before the program, please meet us in the Atrium prior to worship. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Countdown to Orphan Sunday - 4 weeks away!

For the next four weeks I'm gearing up for Orphan Sunday!   As Orphan Sunday Coordinator I'm busy meeting with and encouraging church leaders in the Chicagoland area to take part in this important event.  As Ministry Coordinator of The Vulnerable Children's Ministry, our team is in the thick of planning for our own event.

It's not too late to plan an "event" for your church, organization, small group, or family.  It can be something as simple as a time of prayer, participating in the "orphans table" meal, or a full-blown event that the whole community can attend.  For tons of ideas and resources, just go to, www.orphansunday.org. 

The following video from Jedd Medefind, President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans has just been released.  Jedd and a team from CAFO are currently in Ukraine, shooting the annual Orphan Sunday dvd that will be available to anyone to use for Orphan Sunday or any other event.  Click here to see his exciting update!

If you live in the Chicagoland area and would like to talk about hosting an event, please email me at vcministry127@gmail.com. 

Intervention Strategies Workshop

Shelter Presents:    Intervention Strategies to Engage Students and Parents Struggling with School Anxiety and School Refusal (SASR): Tools to Use in School and at Home

A Community Based Resource for Families  in Crisis.   Assisting and protecting children who are abused, neglected, dependent or in need of supervision by providing 24 hour emergency and longer term housing and care.    1616 Arlington Heights Rd. Arlington Heights, IL  60004   Tel: 847-255-8060 Fax: 847-590-6184    24 Hour Referrals 365 days a year   www.shelter-inc.org  STAY CONNECTED                  Shelter, Inc.'s Community Education Department is proud to present this FREE seminar providing information dealing with school anxiety in children.  "Intervention Strategies to Engage Students and Parents Struggling with School Anxiety and School Refusal: Tools to use in School at Home"     Featured Speaker:   Jacqueline Rhew, M.A., CADC, L.P.C.  Assistant Director of School Anxiety School Refusal Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital        Friday, October 11, 2013 9:30 am - 12:30 pm   Schaumburg Township District Library 130 S. Roselle Rd, Schaumburg Adult Classroom   Admission is FREE - Light Breakfast Included Licensed social workers & counselors will have the opportunity to earn three (3) CEU's at no cost  by attending. Seating is limited.  Registration deadline is Monday, October 7th.   We expect this seminar to fill up quickly, please register early! Register Online    Or contact Laura Ramser,   Community Education Coordinator   847-590-6190 x37   lramser@shelter-inc.org  Shelter, Inc. is a nonprofit child welfare agency that protects abused and neglected children and adolescents by providing foster care, emergency and longer-term group home services in a safe and caring environment.  Our Healthy Families Program provides home visits to first-time parents emphasizing children's well-being and positive parenting.  Increased public awareness concerning child abuse, neglect and other social problems directly impacting children and their families is accomplished through our Community Education Program.

"Orphan Justice" Book & Conference

I've just finished reading Johnny Carr's book called Orphan Justice - How to Care for Orphans Beyond Adopting.  After serving with the Vulnerable Children's Ministry for 5 years now, this book was a fresh call to continue serving the most vulnerable in our society.  It reminded and affirmed me why I'm involved in orphan ministry, and challenged me to keep moving forward, despite what it may cost me. 

 

After reading this book, I'm even more excited to attend the Orphan Justice Conference next week, and I urge you to attend as well.  Together we really can make a difference in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children!

 

 

 

Saturday, October 19, 2013
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Trinity Christian College

Presented by: Bethany Christian Services, Trinity Christian College, and Chicago Alliance for Orphans

 

There are 151 million orphaned and vulnerable children in the world that desperately need someone to show them the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. Learn more about the orphan crisis and what you and your church can do to help these children in need.

The conference includes inspirational training and workshops on raising awareness, developing an effective orphan ministry in your church, waiting children with special needs, and more. The main speaker will be Johnny Carr; celebrated author of Orphan Justice: How to Care for Orphans Beyond Adopting.

       Learn about:

• the many levels of involvement
• opportunities to become involved immediately
• biblically-based and proven strategies of care
• domestic and international orphan care
• inspiration from God's Word

For more information and to register, visit www.bethany.org/orphanjustice.
 

Safe Families Webinar for Host Families

Safe Families for Children Movement Webinar for Host Families and Volunteers "Steps in the Journey of Safe Families Compassion" Tuesday, October 8, 2013 - 8:00pm-9:30 EASTERN Welcome to the SFFC Host Family and Volunteer Webinar!  We recognize the extraordinary and irreplaceable value of each person and family who volunteers as part of the SFFC Movement!   Dr. Monte Pries will present, "Steps in the Journey of Safe Families Compassion". Please join us.  We offer these webinars as a support to you.  Please let us know what you think/how it has helped you! This Webinar is held on the following dates: Oct 8, 2013  8:00 PM - 9:30 PM EDT Nov 12, 2013  8:00 PM - 9:30 PM EST Dec 10, 2013  8:00 PM - 9:30 PM EST Register Now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/480100896   Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration  with information you need to join the Webinar.

The Signature Room supports The Gift of Adoption Fund

Each month The Signature Room restaurant in downtown Chicago selects a worthy charitable organization to donate a portion of their proceeds.  This October will benefit the Gift of Adoption Fund, a national organization that inspires adoption by providing grants to qualified parents - giving children who need families a permanent home and a chance to thrive.

Through The Gift of Adoption, you can help make adoptions happen. Even if you can’t open your home, you can open your heart and transform the life of a deserving child.

For more information visit www.signatureroom.com/menus and www.giftofadoption.org. 

Advocacy Opportunity: New Legislation: Children in Families First

Legislation and advocacy can never touch the deepest human needs.  That requires loving hands and open hearts.  But good government policy can enhance the ability of families, organizations and churches to serve well. The bi-partisan Children in Families First Act (CHIFF) does that.  It will give special focus in U.S. policies and programs to the truth that kids need families. And your voice is needed to help CHIFF pass! Without making government bigger, CHIFF will emphasize family preservation, family reunification, and adoption. Senator Mary Landrieu first announced this legislation at the CAFO 2013 Summit in Nashville.  (See the Summit video a CAFO post on CHIFF here.)

To pass, CHIFF will need help.  We'd encourage you to:   1. Learn more at the main CHIFF website:        2. Help spread the word about CHIFF on Facebook:      3. Contact your Senate and House members and urge them to back CHIFF: