Sunday, June 3, 2007

Orphan Arithmetic: The Problem That Goes Unsolved

Cory Barron, Children's Hope Outreach Director and father of twin daughters from China (pictured), shares his inspiration from Orphan Summit III held at Focus on the Family in Colorado...

The math seems so easy. It’s not a difficult equation and appears so doable. But then why has it not been done before?

Here, you figure it out.

There are over 300,000 churches in the United States. There are around 115,000 American children waiting for adoption or a stable foster home. To place every child in a loving family would mean only one family in every third church must step forward to either adopt or become foster parents.

One in three!

God commands us to take care of the orphans. Are we?

That was the running theme of the Orphan Summit III held at the Focus on the Family campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In attendance at the May conference were over 300 people representing 160 church orphan ministries and adoption agencies, including Children’s Hope.

In the three days of meetings, the overriding answer voiced was that the church has not done enough, even though the church is the only organizational structure capable of effectively attacking the world’s orphan emergency. But when you look at the international orphan numbers, the problem seems so immense, can this really be solved?

There are 143 million orphans in the world.

Here are some astounding numbers for you that were shared at the conference:

We spend $150 billion on Christmas gifts and decorations every year.

We spend $17 billion on pet food and supplies.

We spend $18 billion on perfume and beauty products.

Meanwhile, 30,000 people, many of them orphans, die from preventable diseases every day.
No one at the conference was saying money will solve the orphan emergency, because it won’t. But the money we spend is a reflection of our heart.

God’s heart is for the orphans.

Now that adds up.

Join Children’s Hope by sponsoring an orphan at www.ChildrensHope.net, contributing to a project, financially assisting another to adopt or adopt an orphan into your life.

You can also start an orphan ministry at your church and we can help.
Click here on this link, Churches Responding to the Needs of Orphans, or contact Michelle at Michelle.Howdeshell@ChildrensHope.net

 

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