Are you trying to find out more about adoption?

Spokane Orphan Summit will be April 21st from 8:00 - 4:30 at Faith Bible Church.  If you would like to foster or adopt some day but don't know where to start, then this conference is for YOU!




Here are some of the breakout sessions that are available:

1) Myths and Truths about Foster Care

(There are a lot of stories to sift through about foster care. It can be hard for potential foster parents to sort through what is myth and what is reality.)   Come hear a speaker share how Christians can work within the foster care system to care for children who desperately need families.)

2) Panel Q&A Discussion Part 1- Pro's and Con's about the different Adoption Options.

(This breakout session will be a panel discussion led by people who have experienced the gamut of adoption.  There will be parents on the panel who have adopted from; foster care, domestic agencies, private adoption and also from a variety of international countries.  Some have adopted infants while others have adopted older children.  Each adoption option has its own inherent twists and turns.  Come and learn more about which adoption path might be right for your family.)

3) Panel Q&A Discussion Part 2 – Pro's and Con's about the different Adoption Options.

(This breakout session will be a continuation of Part 1.  The same panel will be available to help you answer questions and wrestle with which adoption path might be right for your family.  Warning: You might leave with more questions than you came with.)

Lunch will be provided and childcare will be provided for children 5 and under.

Please register online at SpokaneOrphanSummit.com so that we provide a sufficient amount of food and workers to care for your children.

OFF The WALL Meeting: Attachment and Bonding

Below are some of the key thoughts I took away from what Suzie Toews talked about during our OFF The WALL Meeting on March 11.

1) We need to obey, trust and pray. First off we need to obey God's calling on our life.  If we believe that after praying and counting the cost that God has called us to adopt, then by all means we should obey.  Then secondly, we need to trust that God will guide our steps and even when there are trials brought our way with our adoption process or with the children God has given us that He will be with us.  And third, we need to pray.  Pray before, during, after and throughout the whole process.  Get other people involved in praying for us and again, pray hard.

2) We all are blessed with some attachment disorders.  This does not discount the fact that some of us have been through some VERY hard experiences in our lives.  In fact, as adoptive parents we need to explore our own histories and our own expectations before we bring a child into our lives who has been through "hard places."  Suzie emphasized that we are the parents and we are to model behaviours to our children of healthy trust, acceptance, independence, empathy, forgiveness etc.  When we are also dealing with our own issues of attachment and hurt, we sometimes find it more difficult to help our child deal with their struggles.  Below is a helpful video I found from Empowered to Connect with Dr. Karyn Purvis.  Not exactly what Suzie shared but with some similar themes.


"Watch this video as Dr. Karyn Purvis talks about the importance of parents exploring their expectations and motivations, as well as the impact that their own history can have when parenting children from hard places."

3) We cannot expect that our children will all see complete healing here on earth.  Just as we are called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone but salvation is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit.  So also, we are called as Christians to adopt children from "hard places" into our homes, who have experienced horrific and unimaginable things in their short lives.  We pray that they will find mental, emotional and physical healing for the pain and trauma they have experienced but that process of healing is ultimately God's responsibility.


"In order to truly understand children from hard places — what they have experienced, the impact of those experiences and how we can help them heal and grow — it’s important that we understand some of the basics."

Are you on an adoption journey?

Spokane Orphan Summit will be April 21st from 8:00 - 4:30 at Faith Bible Church.  If you are already on the adoption journey and would like support from others who have already been through an adoption, then this conference is for YOU!  


Here are some of the breakout sessions that are available:

1) Eternal Lessons During Seasons of Waiting

(Adoption is filled with opportunities to learn lessons about waiting.  Waiting on the Lord is something talked about extensively in scripture but in our "now" culture it can be difficult.)

2) When Adoption/Post Adoption Doesn't Go As Planned

(Being flexible and having plans change is the name of the game on the adoption journey.  What do you do when life throws you a curve ball?  When you have done everything you feel that God has called you to do and then things don't turn out how you expect, then what?  Come and learn from a couple who has seen a few curve balls come their way.)

3) Helping Adopted Children Deal with Grief of Adoption at Different Ages and Stages of Life

(Adoption is a blessing as children are connected with their families.  The truth of this blessing does not take away the fact that adoption stories also include loss.  As adopted children grow-up most will go through grief at the loss(es) they have experienced in their life.  The grief process varies for every child but there are some things that we can expect along the journey.  How can we help our child deal with their grief in a way that brings healing?)

Lunch will be provided and childcare will be provided for children 5 and under.

Please register online at SpokaneOrphanSummit.com so that we provide a sufficient amount of food and workers to care for your children.

Do you want to support an adoption culture?

Spokane Orphan Summit will be April 21st from 8:00 - 4:30 at Faith Bible Church.  If you would like to be involved in orphan care by supporting an adoption culture this conference is for YOU.  Here are some of the breakout sessions that are available:

1) Helping the Church Find its True North

(What does a culture of adoption look like and how can The Body of Christ foster a culture of adoption in The Church?)

2) The Theology of Adoption

(Gaining a deeper appreciation for our adoption as members of God's family and finding out how this can revolutionize how we view life.)

3) Strategizing Roundtable Discussion – Let's Do This Together 

(With God at work in us as The Body of Christ in the Inland Northwest, how can we work together to take care of children in our state and around the world?)


One more thing -  Please encourage your pastors and church staff to come to this Summit.  Mobilizing The Church can be much more effective when church leaders are involved.

Lunch will be provided and childcare will be provided for children 5 and under.

Please register online at SpokaneOrphanSummit.com so that we provide a sufficient amount of food and workers to care for your children.

An Important Connection

Have we as The Church fully connected these two issues; 
ABORTION - - - - - - - - -ADOPTION?


Can we say to someone considering abortion, "Every child IS a wanted child! and that there is a loving family waiting and desiring to love your baby"?


Adoption needs to be part of our "church culture".  If you would like to learn more about how you could adopt, or support others who are adopting, then find an adoption conference near you.  


There is an adoption conference coming to Spokane on April 21st, SOS (Spokane Orphan Summit).  


And there are many other conferences going on in cities all around the country this year.  Let's get TOGETHER and care for every child in our country waiting for a loving family.  And let's not stop there.  There are orphans all around the world in need of love and protection.  Let's not let the IMMENSITY of the need overwhelm us.   Adoption and orphan care are about ONE CHILD AT A TIME.


Three Opportunities Coming To Spokane That Could Make a Difference!

"The Great Turnaround" is a movement of churches, in cooperation with Life-Services, to send a positive message to women contemplating an abortion, "there is no such thing as a hopeless situation."  Kick-off is March 12, 7:00 pm at the INB Performing Arts Center.



"October Baby" is a story with strong themes of bitterness/forgiveness, guilt/healing, death/life.  The STORY has the power to change lives.  "Tell me a fact and I'll learn, tell me the truth and I believe, but tell me a STORY, and it will live in my heart forever." Steve Sabol

Let's pray that more pastors in Spokane will get together to strategize about how to change the culture in this country from a culture of ABORTION to a culture of ADOPTION.  


HINT: One of the breakout sessions at the Spokane Orphan Summit will be "Strategizing Roundtable Discussion – Let's Do this Together".  This is an opportunity for us to help bring about change in the CULTURE OF ADOPTION in Spokane.

Spokane Orphan Summit "SOS"

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
Spokane Orphan Summit, appropriately dubbed "SOS" for short is coming April 21st.

"Is this conference for me?" Excellent question!  

If you think you might want to adopt someday but don't know where to start, 

THIS CONFERENCE IS FOR YOU.
If you are in the process of adopting (or you have already brought a child into your home through adoption) and you are looking for the support of people on a similar journey, 
THIS CONFERENCE IS FOR YOU.
If you have a friend who has adopted, or you are a pastor, and would like to find ways that you and THE CHURCH could support others on their adoption journeys, 
THIS CONFERENCE IS FOR YOU.

We believe that certainly not everyone is CALLED TO ADOPT but definitely everyone should BE INVOLVED!


Check out the SOS website for more information and by all means, SPREAD THE WORD!