As promised, this is the place to check back to find the audio and video of our OFF The WALL meeting from this past Friday, January 27th. Ken Hutcherson spoke from Genesis 11 and Acts 2 about working TOGETHER as the church of Jesus Christ to take care of orphans in our state, and around the world. In lieu of actual footage from Hutch's talk I wanted to post a couple of resources that share his heart for orphans and includes a little bit of content he shared in his talk. A bit of a teaser until the talk is posted here...:
First, here is the background from
Antioch Adoption's website about how they got started. What a wonderful story.
Our Beginnings
It started with a twelve year dream of Dr. Ken Hutcherson, Pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington. He desired to see all children from the Foster Care system adopted into loving families. He also desired for more families to be able to afford infant adoptions.
Dr. Hutcherson said, "We took $20,000 cash just as Jesus did with minas in the parable of Luke, and had it at the church meeting in May of 1998. I spoke from the Book of Matthew on talents and told the congregation, 'everyone here is going to get cash from us today'."
A total of $16,000 was dispersed to the 1,500-1,600 in attendance, and the parable of multiplying talents was explored. By the end of the service the congregation knew what was expected. Everyone ranging in age from 5 to 17 were given a crisp $5 bill. Those 18 and older were given a $10 bill.
"We want you to keep this money for 6 months, mix it with your God-given talent and we're going to take it up on Jesus' birthday as we celebrate in December," Hutcherson concluded.
"Just as it happened in scripture though, some people pooled their money to invest it, some buried it, and some saved it. But the majority took that seed money and invested it in different, creative ways."
The Process...
There were so many creative ways devised that Charlene Richardson is compiling a book soon to be published, detailing the stories.
One mother wanted to involve her children, knowing they would learn more by doing than by example. Her seven year-old daughter gave manicures for $1 each. Her four year-old son drew portraits of people for a quarter. He even included a goatee for no extra charge.
Another group banded together and wrote "Amazing Recipes that Stir the Heart & Soul." This spiral bound cookbook showcases favorite family recipes while addressing spiritual needs in practical ways.
The Result...By adding God-given talents to seed money for six months, the initial amount increased in excess of 1,750% or 17.5 times, for a total of $280,000 collected in December.
Those funds provided start-up money for Antioch Adoptions.
Now, 11 years later..., (you've got to go to their website to finish out the story. It's only fair.)
