Coming Together on Behalf of the Orphan
- Posted on 18 February 09 by Michael Monroe
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I remember vividly the cold days in March 2006 in Little Rock, Arkansas. We had joined with a group of about 90 people from across the country to talk about how we – churches, adoption agencies and international orphan care organizations and advocates – could come together to love and serve orphans.
Much of our time together was spent talking about the tens of millions of orphans worldwide that were in desperate need of so much, both physically and spiritually. We also discussed the many and varied ways that passionate followers of Jesus could make a lasting difference in the lives of so many children – but first these followers of Jesus needed to be reawakened to the needs of the children and our biblical mandate and privilege to meet those needs. Many that gathered there shared dreams of wanting to see Christians rise up and reach out to the orphan as we are called to do in James 1:27. During our time many moving and inspiring words were spoken, all of which reconfirmed in my heart and mind that we needed the orphan as much as the orphan needed us.
But as those two days came to a close, one thing stood apart in my mind as clearly the best idea with the most promising possibilities. It was the vision of seeing the Church, in its various local expressions, join together with like-minded agencies, organizations and advocates, to live out God’s heart for the orphan. As I began to consider all that God could do in and through us working together on behalf of the orphan – in adoption, foster care and international orphan care – I began to see new possibilities for ministry and how we could truly impact the countless millions of children around the world in need of our help and the hope of Christ.
Since that time the dream has become a reality – and the reality is getting bigger and stronger. Our local church ministry, Tapestry at Irving Bible Church, is proud to be a part of The Christian Alliance for Orphans. We are excited to see the same spirit of teamwork and togetherness exhibited and promoted by the Alliance also being expressed in local church alliances around the country in places like Minneapolis, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Delaware, just to name a few. It is these types of grass-roots efforts, working closely with trusted Christian organizations and partners, that are needed to more fully engage and equip local churches everywhere.
When our ministry first began we were committed to faithfully follow God’s call. However, we knew that on our own we could only hope to help a few. By coming together with other passionate followers of Christ our reach has expanded, orphans across the street and around the world are being better served and God is being glorified.
Visit www.christianalliancefororphans.org to learn more about the Christian Alliance for Orphans or to register for Summit V, the Christian Alliance’s annual conference to be held on April 30 and May 1, 2009 at Irving Bible Church in Dallas, Texas . For information about becoming a member of the Christian Alliance go to www.christianalliancefororphans.org/membership/.
