By Kathy Garrison
Did you know there are 147 MILLION orphans in the world? Or that there are 500,000 foster children in the United States? We currently have 400 children in foster care in Champaign County alone. The numbers are staggering, but we can all be a part of the solution for these children! The CHOSEN Ministry is a local organization who has a heart to come alongside those who desire to make a difference in these children?s lives.
The CHOSEN Ministry is an orphan care and adoption ministry of First Christian Church in Champaign. It was born from awareness about the crisis of the state of children around the world ? both here and abroad. The ministry?s purpose and passion is to partner with people as we seek to fulfill God?s mandate to care for the orphan and vulnerable child. We want to educate, inspire, and enable families to step out and explore whatever God is calling them to do on behalf of these children, whether through adoption, foster care, mentoring, sponsorship, volunteering, or partnering with a reputable organization that is caring for needy children.
We are excited to tell you about the CHOSEN for LIFE: MERCY for the ORPHAN conference which will be hosted by the CHOSEN Ministry on April 28. This is an adoption, foster care, and orphan awareness conference that will have a little something for everyone ? not just those interested in adopting! We will have breakout sessions on God?s heart for the orphan, orphan care & awareness, foster care, spiritual lessons learned in an adoption process, as well as other adoption related topics such as attachment and bonding & HIV adoption. We have excellent breakout speakers and are so thankful to be able to offer them to conference attendees.
Our keynote speaker will be Carolyn Twietmeyer. Carolyn is a world-wide advocate for children with HIV and special needs, as well as a mother of 14 children. Carolyn and her husband Kiel have adopted seven of those children, two with HIV, and one with Down syndrome. She is also the founder and director of Project Hopeful, an organization dedicated to encouraging and enabling families and individuals to advocate for and adopt children with HIV/AIDS. She is a dynamic speaker who is passionate about each one?s role in caring for the orphan. Carolyn will share her story, God?s heart for the orphan, and how He wants us to respond to their needs. She is an expert in HIV adoption and will open our eyes with the facts about adopting a child with HIV.
The conference will also include many exhibits from various organizations, adoption agencies, foster care agencies, and mentoring programs.? This will be a great opportunity to collect information and talk to representatives from some of the organizations.
The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with registration beginning at 8:30. The conference is FREE to attendees, and a lunch will be available for purchase upon registration; conference attendees are also welcome to bring their own lunch.?FREE limited childcare will also be available (and a kids lunch will be available for purchase)?but spots will fill up, so be sure to register soon if you?d like to reserve a spot for your child.
We?re looking forward to a great event, and hope you will take a moment to introduce yourself at the conference. We encourage families to register soon to secure your spot for the day, as well as order lunch, or register children for child care.?? We know you will be moved to discover how you can be a part of caring for orphaned and vulnerable children.
More information and the registration link can be found at www.chosen-fcc.org.
Kathy Garrison
Kathy Garrison is the founder of CHOSEN Ministry. She and her husband, Nathan, have seven children between the ages of 2 and 15, with four of them being adopted from Ethiopia.? She is a stay-at-home mom, and has a passion for working on behalf of the fatherless.
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