Eight Adoption Facts that May Surprise You

 November is National Adoption month.  Will you join me in using this designated time as a tool to educate and stir the hearts of people within our circles of influence?  The following video is a great place to start.  Adding it to your Facebook page, blog, tweeting it or just e-mailing it to your contacts is an easy way to be a voice for God's children.  They NEED us!

"http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ExUk0kxD-4s?rel=0"

Orphan Sunday Event at Willow Creek

 

Thousands of churches across the U.S. and around the globe will celebrate Orphan Sunday, calling Christians to reflect 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 18th, 2012

5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road, South Barrington, IL 60010

Room b100 (under the chapel)

Guest Speaker C.H. Dyer, President of Bright Hope and Adoptive Dad, will talk about what adoption looks like in our world today, and why we, as believers, need to be engaged here and around the world where the local church is not. Check out Craig's bio here.

Ministry Expo: Discover serving opportunities and resources from adoption, foster care and orphan care ministries including D.C.F.S., Village to Village, Safe Families, Royal Family Kids Camp, Bethany Christian Services, Reece's Rainbow, Sunnyridge Family Center and more!

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 hand made Christmas Stocking to fill for a child in need.

A light dinner will be provided.

Childcare is available if you e-mail the number of children and their ages to vcministry127@gmail.com.

Adoption Move to be Shown in Naperville, IL

 

 

 

The Fox Valley Adoption Group in Illinois is promoting/hosting a new movie called Somewhere Between.

 

They need to sell 73 tickets in order for the event to happen. Everyone who is interested needs to reserve their ticket with a valid credit card. Credit Cards will not be charged until the event threshold is sold.

Tickets are $10 each and must be reserved by November 19th at http://www.tugg.com/events/2052

Here's the description of the movie from the website:

In profiling Chinese adoptees in contemporary America, Linda Goldstein Knowlton's (THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET) deeply moving documentary illustrates that even the most specific of experiences can be universally relatable. Of the roughly 80,000 girls who have been adopted from China since 1989—a decade after China implemented its One Child Policy—the film intimately follows four teenagers: Haley, Jenna, Ann, and Fang. These four wise-beyond-their-years, yet typical American teens, reveal a heartbreaking sense of selfawareness as they attempt to answer the uniquely human question, “Who am I?” They meet and bond with other adoptees, some journey back to China to reconnect with the culture, and some reach out to the orphaned girls left behind. In their own ways, all attempt to make sense of their complex identities. Issues of belonging, race, and gender are brought to life through these articulate subjects, who approach life with honesty and open heart.

 

I'll see you there!
 

I hope you'll read the story below from the the latest newsletter from the Spoon Foundation.  This foundation seeks to improve nutrition for orphaned, fostered or adopted children.  www.spoonfoundation.org. 

Below is a snapshot of two precious, severely malnourished girls who found their forever families.  You won't believe the before and after pictures!

A little over a year ago something really important happened. We walked into a place that would change our lives forever.

We met two sweet angels. This is the first time we met Francesca. Francesca was exactly what I expected. A friend of mine had met her when she adopted her little one, so I knew a lot about her.




And little Victoria, who never, ever smiled. The orphanage director described her as having no spirit. When I first saw her, I was stunned. She was totally shut down and showed no emotions. We had to decide within a day if we wanted to adopt her. We could choose to leave her. In my mind, there was a huge risk involved.



Victoria’s eyes haunted me. When we left the orphanage that day, I couldn't’t get her eyes out of my mind. We made the decision that we couldn't’t leave her. No matter what her abilities would be, she deserved more.
To read the rest of the story, click here: http://adoptionnutrition.org/nutrition-profile-archive/nutrition-profile-12/ 

Webinar: Parenting Children with Drug Related Birth Defects

 

Alliance Webinar Series

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.

 

You're Invited...

FAS and NAS: Alcohol and

Drug Related Birth Defects

 This webinar will explain FASD and NAS and offer an introductory view of their implications for the life of a family. It will discuss symptoms, assessments, the school system, daily life, and how they effect the brain. This will be a great session for those who have children affected or those that are considering adopting a child with alcohol or drug related effects. It will address many of the fears and give a real life picture of what raising children with FAS and NAS really is like. Join this session to better equip yourself to love and serve these children and families affected by FAS/NAS in your own communities and congregations.

The webinar will be led by Amanda Preston--adoptive and foster mom to 6 (several of whom are affected with FAS) and night student working towards a B.S. in Social Work.

 

 

Presenter: Amanda Preston, Speaker and Adoptive/Foster Mom

NOTE NEW DATE & TIME

Date: TUESDAY, October 30, 2012 Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

Each 60-minute webinar in this series will give local advocates access to the knowledge and experience of top Alliance member churches and organizations nationwide, covering key topics on adoption, foster care and/or global orphan care. Every webinar will be hosted by a local church orphan ministry and co-presented by one or more national experts on the subject matter. This pairing will deliver a combination of specialist information and resources alongside a “here’s how it works in a real church” perspective.

Parenting Class at Sunnyridge

 

Risks and Realities of Parenting

Why Do Children Do What They Do?
Saturday, October 20, 2012

9:00am - 12:00pm
Sunny Ridge Family Center, Bolingbrook

Sunny Ridge Family Center presents

DR. DAN GRIFFITH, PhD

Clinical Pediatric Psychologist

REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP

Are you parenting or preparing to parent a child who may have been prenatally exposed to alcohol, tobacco or other drugs? While parenting certainly has its many rewards, there are also risks and realities which every parent needs to be of aware of. Come hear from Dr. Dan Griffith, Ph.D., a clinical pediatric psychologist, who will provide insights on the risks and realities of parenting with these challenges - and help us better understand why children do what they do. Topics to be covered:

Parenting A Child At Risk

• Developmental tasks for children
• The effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD)
• The long-term risks and realities the exposure may present

Managing Sensory and Regulatory Difficulties In Children

• Why do children do what they do?
• The role of sensory processing in determining behavior
• A model for understanding behavior through sensory processing and sensory/regulatory concepts
• Promoting successful parenting through helping children to know what they are supposed to do and to be able to do it

$35 Workshop Registration fee
$45 for 3 CEU’s for LSW/LCSW’s (Provider #159.001117)
$45 for 3 CPDU’s for teachers, counselors and personnel who need CPDU’s (Provider #120313153244635).

FOSTER PARENTS: This workshop has been approved for foster parent training credits. Licensed foster/adoptive families can receive 3 hours of training credits.

Register two or more and save $5 per registration.

REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Dan Griffith is a licensed clinical psychologist and has years of experience in research and clinical practice with high risk infants/children and their families. Dr. Griffith has expertise in psychological/developmental/educational assessment and intervention with children, parent child relations and parental effectiveness training, research design and implementation, and program evaluation. He has worked with a number of high risk populations including: domestic and international adoptees, premature and/or low birth weight infants, infants/children prenatally exposed to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD), children with sensory/regulatory problems including ADHD and autism, and children with learning disabilities.

Adoption/Foster Care Panel at Park Community Church

 

 

Interested in adoption or foster care? Join Park Community Church's Adoption Community as they bring together a panel of parents who have adopted, adoption professionals, and adults from Park Community who were adopted as children. This is a great place to ask questions, gather information, and find community on your adoption journey.

 

Adoption & Foster Care Panel

Thursday, October 25 6:30 - 9 pm

Park Community Church - Near North Campus

1001 N. Crosby, Chicago, IL 60610

312-361-0500

  Please RSVP to Renee macrenee1@hotmail.com to attend.

Orphan Sunday Event at Willow Creek

Thousands of churches across the U.S. and around the globe will celebrate Orphan Sunday, calling Christians to reflect 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 18th, 2012

5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road, South Barrington, IL 60010

Room b100 (under the chapel)

Guest Speaker C.H. Dyer, President of Bright Hope and Adoptive Dad, will talk about what adoption looks like in our world today, and why we, as believers, need to be engaged here and around the world where the local church is not. Check out Craig's bio here.

 

Ministry Expo: Discover serving opportunities and resources from adoption, foster care and orphan care ministries including D.C.F.S., LifeSong for Orphans, Safe Families, Bethany Christian Services, Reece's Rainbow, Sunnyridge Family Center and more!

 

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 hand made Christmas Stocking to fill for a child in need.

A light dinner will be provided.

Childcare is available if you e-mail the number of children and their ages to vcministry127@gmail.com.

To find an Ophan Sunday event in your area visit www.orphansunday.org and click on "map".

A Celebration of Christmas with FFH

Lifesong for Orphans is excited to announce an upcoming Christmas concert featuring FFH with special guests from Lifesong Zambia. This concert will provide a excellent opportunity for churches to bring awareness to their orphan ministry while enjoying a unique performance celebrating the birth of our King! Buy tickets today online* or at the door for the following locations: November 17th Olathe Bible Church / Kansas City area November 23rd The Gathering (concert & dessert) / Chattanooga area November 25th Covenant Presbyterian Church / Birmingham, AL December 1st First Baptist McKinney / Dallas area December 8th Heritage Church / Quad Cities December 9th Elmbrook Church / Milwaukee area December 13th Southern Baptist Theological Seminary / Louisville, KY December 16th Bethany Baptist Church / Peoria area A love offering will be taken during the concert and 100% will go towards orphan care! Visit our website for more information on times & tickets! *Tickets sold online have a processing fee included in the ticket price. 100% of all donations to Lifesong for Orphans will go to caring for orphans (no administrative costs will be deducted).

Monthly Pot-Luck Gathering

Monthly Pot-Luck Gathering

for Adoptive, Foster and Safe Families, and those who support them.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Road, So. Barrington IL

Room F150 (park in lot F and follow signs to room F150, downstairs)

 This month we are excited to have Peter Woodbine, Director of Quality and Training from Youth Service Bureau of Illinois Valley come and speak to us.

This will be part one of a series on the topic of working with birth parents.

BRIDGING THE GAP: The importance of working with the birth parent(including a theological perspective), Roadblocks (including grief cycle of the birth parent, and how the “system” shapes our thinking towards abusive parents), and a foster parent who will share about their recent experience interacting with a birthparent.

This is essential information to think about if you are interested in building a relationship with the parents of the children whom you are providing care. We hope you can come to hear insights from, these experienced individuals, as the Vulnerable Children’s Ministry at Willow seeks to support you in the important work that you are doing. DCFS credit hours will be awarded for all licensed foster parents who attend this meeting.

Please bring a dish to share.  Beverages will be provided.

Child care is available if you r.s.v.p.with the number of children and their ages  to Dina at vcministry127@gmail.com.