CAFO Webinar: Is Our Church Helping or Hurting?

CAFO Webinar Series Presents........

Is Our Church Helping or Hurting?

Wednesday, August 30 | 1:00pm (CST)

15 Principles to Consider and Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Global Engagement Strategy

Are you a leader in your church’s global missions ministry? Are you mobilizing people in your church to go on short-term trips? Do you maintain relationships with strategic global partner organizations? Do you ever wonder if what you’re doing is the most effective and efficient use of your church’s time, energy, resources and focus?

You’re not alone. Impacting the world in significant, meaningful, Christ-honoring ways has always been an abiding hallmark of the Christian church. Every church leader wants to do it well…but
how do we know if we are?

Join us as we discuss 15 essential principles to consider and pitfalls to avoid in your church’s global engagement strategy. We will construct a general framework essential practices for your leadership to work through based on biblical principles and a strong research and evidence base that affirms the importance of engaging global orphaned and vulnerable children ministry with excellence, integrity and humility.

Presented by: Jason Johnson & Nicole Wilke, CAFO

Register for Free

OFFICIAL MULLY MOVIE THEATRICAL TRAILER

What happens when a six-year-old boy in Kenya is abandoned by his family and left to raise himself on the streets? MULLY is no ordinary rags-to-riches tale. It's the true story of Charles Mully, whose unlikely stratospheric rise to wealth and power leaves him questioning his own existence, searching for meaning in life. Against the better judgment of family and community, MULLY sets out to enrich the fate of orphaned children across Kenya. Jeopardizing his own life and the security of his family, Charles Mully risks everything and sets in motion a series of events that is nothing short of astonishing.

MULLY will open in select theaters October 3-5! Find theaters and order your tickets now. Keep checking back as more theaters will be confirmed as we get closer to the release date.

For more information on the MULLY movie, visit their web site.

Launching & Leading an Orphan Care Ministry in Your Church

Three Principles to Consider; Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Launching and Leading an Orphan Care Ministry in Your Church The goal of your ministry is sustainability, not speed. It's not necessarily to do many things as much as it's about doing the right things. The needs of vulnerable children and families are overwhelming and the opportunities to engage are endless. However, as a leader, how do we prioritize the key objectives of our ministry? How do we build in safeguards that keep us focused on first things first? How do we learn the art of saying "no" sometimes and not "yes" all the time?  This presentation will highlight three key principles all leaders must consider, and common pitfalls to avoid, when not only starting a new ministry but also leading and expanding an existing one. It will center around practical tools, real-life models and implementable "next steps" for you and/or your leadership team. Presenters:  Jason Johnson, CAFO's National Director of Church Ministry Initiatives Kari Stewart, Missions and Orphan Ministry Director, Timberline Church & Northern Colorado Christian Alliance for Orphans Wednesday, August 31 2pm (Eastern) Register Here FREE E-BOOK As an added bonus, everyone who registers for this webinar will receive a FREE download of, "Three Principles to Consider and Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Launching and Leading an Orphan Care Ministry in Your Church"! This new, engaging e-book will provide you with a tangible resource to continue processing through and applying the ideas that were discussed in this webinar.

The Launch of Orphan Sunday 2016!

One Day. One Voice. One Purpose.

Orphan Sunday will be observed in more than 75 nations this year. How will you be part of the amazing way God is working through the local church to call us to adoption, foster care and orphan care?

2016 ORPHAN SUNDAY VIDEO Watch and Share this year's video, "The Potter's Hand." WATCH

NEW LOOK The Orphan Sunday website has a new look!  Check it out today. VISIT

WHAT'S NEW Watch and read testimonies from people just like you participating in Orphan Sunday.  STORIES

Help Spread A Vision for Orphan Care in Columbia!

Hope for Orphans just learned about a special opportunity to host lunch and a 2-hour workshop for up to 800 evangelical pastors and their wives in Medellin, Colombia. Please help then share their vision for orphan care with these leaders!

An Unexpected Opportunity In a few short weeks, Hope for Orphans has an incredible opportunity to share a vision for fatherless children with the church in Colombia. Hope for Orphans led the launch and birthing of The Christian Alliance for Orphans in the United States. Today, Hope for Orphans continues to bring vision and resources to help birth gospel-driven movements for the orphan where many of these children live—like in Colombia. On April 6th, Hope for Orphans has been given the amazing opportunity to host a lunch and 2 hour workshop for up to 800 evangelical pastors and their wives in Medellin, Colombia. This will be part of the Gospel Through Colombia Conference for pastors from Colombia and across South America. Paul Pennington and Brian Minnix from Hope for Orphans will present on “The Gospel, The Orphan, and Colombia.” Their presentation will bring a Gospel perspective to the connection between spiritual orphans and physical orphans and how the church is God’s answer for this crisis. We will challenge the Pastors that loving orphans in the context of the local church is not optional but an important part of the “visible gospel” to the nation. We will share practical next steps for how churches can make a difference and explore foster care and adoption for those in their congregations called to serve in this way. Your Help We have the funding for the Hope for Orphans team to get to Medellin, but we need help to maximize this kingdom-opportunity. That’s why we're reaching out to you! We need help with the expenses for the event, luncheon and ground costs since we will also be visiting two orphanages in Medellin and providing lunch to the pastors and their wives (upwards of 800). Some of these pastors—perhaps most—have never had such an experience. Will you consider investing in this strategic opportunity to honor and provide a vision-casting lunch to pastors representing an entire nation? We believe the churches represented in this one event could dramatically change the situation for at-risk children in Colombia. Please give today and be a part of making a difference for the Visible Gospel in Colombia. For more information about Hope for Orphans visit HopeforOrphans.org.

Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit - Register Now!

SOMETHING FOR YOUR FAMILY

Rich teaching, needed connection, family experiences... 

There's something here for you!

PLAN YOUR FAMILY TRIP

REGISTER NOW

<< SHARE SUMMIT WITH OTHERS >>

CAFO2016  |  Orlando, FL  |  May 5-6, 2016

WWW.CAFO2016.ORG

Family Focused Workshop Tracks Help for Adoptive & Foster Families Loving Children with Special Needs Strengthening the Family Hague Training Workshops Just for You Connection Rooms Foster Moms Special Needs Attachment & Trauma Connection for You Who do you need to talk to for quality counsel and information? What hard questions do you need to ask a veteran? How can you refocus, refuel and renew for the road ahead? CAFO2016 is the place for you! AGES 0-3 CHILDCARE AGES 4-10 KIDS SUMMIT

7 Major Trends in the Christian Orphan Care Movement

7 Major Trends  in the Christian Orphan Care Movement 2015 What Christianity Today described as "the burgeoning orphan care movement" is never static.  Even as it grows, the movement continues to develop and mature.  Major trends and changes, both external and internal, demand discernment and creativity.  Join CAFO President Jedd Medefind to explore seven of the most significant trends of 2015, both across the U.S. and globally.  This 30-minute webinar will include: Growth and changes in church adoption and foster engagement The expansion of locally-led movements around the world Major challenges along the road ahead The impact of your investment in CAFO and key 2016 CAFO priorities Presenter:  Jedd Medefind, CAFO President Wednesday, December 16 1pm (Central) Join the Webinar!

Webinar: Stategies to Protect Vulnerable Children

Tuesday, May 26  | 1:00 PM (Central) "Key Evidence-Based Strategies to Protect Vulnerable Children from Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation"     The first protection we owe to children is to guard them from violence.  The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has identified a combination of actions essential to this protection of the young.  The CDC had developed these actions into a package of complementary interventions, known as THRIVES, to guide countries as they choose a combination of strategies that together have the greatest potential for impact.    This CAFO webinar is your chance to learn more about THRIVES and the specific strategies it promotes.  It will be presented by the individual who led development of THRIVES for the CDC, Dr. Susan Hillis. THRIVES strategies cross health, social services, education, finance, and justice sectors.  They include: Training in parenting; Household economic strengthening; Reduced violence through protective policies; Improved services; Values and norms that protect children;  Education and life skills; and Surveillance and evaluation.  Each of the THRIVES strategy areas is underpinned by promising evidence of success in high income countries, with growing evidence that these strategies work in lower income countries also.  PEPFAR, UNICEF, USAID, and the WHO recognize many of the THRIVES strategies as critical components in combatting violence against children Presenter: Dr. Susan Hillis, CDC     REGISTER HERE   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.

"The Drop Box" Film

There are more than 150 million orphans worldwide. THE DROP BOX is the real-life account of one small group of Christ-followers, in one corner of the world, who have sacrificed everything in order to care for the orphans in their midst. This feature-length documentary from Pine Creek Entertainment and Arbella Studios, in association with Focus on the Family and Kindred Image, tells the story of South Korean Pastor Lee Jong-rak and his heroic efforts to embrace and protect his community's most vulnerable children.

 

 Order tickets HERE

Book Discussion: "Becoming Home" by Jedd Medefind

This is a reminder that there is still time to obtain and read "Becoming Home" and join our book discussion at the end of this month.  It's a quick but fact-filled and impactful read.  Order your book now on Amazon or Barna Group.  Also, check out the Becoming Home trailer with author Jedd Medefind.   We look forward to seeing you there!


God's Call to Care for the Orphan is for All of Us:
Caring for orphans makes grace touchable. 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.
Some of these steps are "big" choices like fostering or adopting; some are simpler choices like supporting work abroad or mentoring a foster youth. But all are ways we can practically show love to the orphan—not because of a sense of duty, guilt or even idealism, but because we’ve first been loved by God.
We encourage you to bring a guest: a student, a friend, a co-worker or a spouse to learn more about this important issue.

The Vulnerable Children’s Ministry

Invites you to take part in a Book Discussion…

Wednesday, January 28^th, 2015

Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road, So. Barrington, IL

Join us as we discuss Jedd Medefind’s

(President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans) book,

Becoming Home: Adoption, Foster Care and Mentoring—Living out God’s Heart for the Orphan.

This fascinating book will give you specific steps on how to show God’s heart for the orphan through adoption, foster care and orphan care

both locally and globally so that you can help make a difference!  

With only 87 pages, it is a quick read, packed with the most current information and ideas.

It includes additional wisdom from Francis Chan, Jim Daly, David Platt and more. 

6:00 Dinner together (Atrium, near the Lakeside Lobby)

7:00 Worship Service (Lakeside Auditorium)

7:30 Book Discussion (Room B204/206)

Registration encouraged www.willowcreek.org/midweekclasses 

Childcare available for ages infant through grade 5 at Midweek for Kids.

Help Fuel Effective Orphan Care

God's people are R I S I N G 

to be family to the orphan.

(Viewing via e-mail? Click HERE to view on our blog)

CAFO 2014 Review from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

 

100% of donations go directly to fuel effective orphan care.     

All overhead is covered by sponsors, so your gifts go straight to impact: Orphan Sunday, Global Movements, Summit, Applied Research & Best Practice, National Foster Care Initiative and more. 

Just as important, in-kind donations and hundreds of dedicated volunteers in every state and 

around the world give even small gifts huge effects!