We just finished a series at our church on Compassion. Even though we weren't present for a few of the services due to my Father-in-law's passing away, it is great to be able to stay in touch via Itunes.
As well, I don't if you know this but Nov. 8th was Orphan Sunday. Did you know that? Did you try to hide from it?
In our sermon today we were talking about what our World would look like if the CHURCH would just take part in it.
I got to thinking as well... We had roughly 230 people in church. I would say that 20% of these were teens so that is about 190 (184 actually) people. Lets say that they all make a salary of $45K which is very low for this are of the DC corridor (most County Statistics state more like $80 - $90 K avr$) That is about 8.5 MILLION in salaries in one church. Now I'll give you that maybe the $45,000 could be a family income so take that 190 and cut it in HALF and that is still over 4Million in Salaries.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE GAVE IN ADDITION TO OUR TITHE ANOTHER 10%? That would be $400,000 to feed the lost. In a country where $2.00 a day is high rolling imagine the impact.
Oh but others are doing it! God hasn't given me alot of Money! God hasn't laid it on my heart to give! Take those excuses that are from the devil and shove them back into the pit where they came from.
Let me tell you why the Church is failing to make an impact in our families and our communities: WE ARE FAILING TO MAKE AN IMPACT ANYWHERE AS WE ARE COMPLACENT! WE DON'T CARE ABOUT OTHERS! which taken to the next thought level means we are as far away from the message of Christ as Hell is from Heaven. how did we get here? How did we forget?
Let me get off my soap box and just share some logic with you:
Global Orphans
-Over 140 million orphans and waiting children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents.i
-Over 13 million double orphans under the age of 18 have lost both parents.ii Sub
-Saharan Africa, with 48.3 million orphans, has the highest proportion of children who are orphans at 12%
-Asia has the largest total number of orphans with 73.7 million orphans, which represents 6% of all children
-Latin America and the Caribbean has 10.7 million orphans, also representing 6% of all children.iii
-Over 15 million children have lost a parent due to AIDS, and that number is expected to rise to over 20 million by 2010.iv
-Without AIDS, the total number of double orphans in sub-Saharan Africa would have declined between 1990 and 2010. AIDS, however, will push the number of double orphans in the region from 9 million to more than 10 million by 2010.v
-Orphaned children are much more likely than non-orphans to be working in commercial agriculture, as street vendors, in domestic service and in the sex trade.vi
-Orphans are more vulnerable and at risk of becoming victims of violence, exploitation, trafficking, discrimination, or other abuses.vii
Domestic Orphans
-More than 500,000 children are in United States foster care.viii -Over 120,000 children in foster care are waiting to be adopted.ix
-Only around 50,000 children, or 18% of those waiting in foster care, are adopted every year.x
-On average, children in foster care wait over 2 years to be adopted.xi
-Over one-third of Americans have ever considered adopting, but no more than 2 percent of Americans have actually adopted.xii
-48% of the people who have seriously considered adoption indicated that they would first look to a house of worship (church) for information or advice about adopting.xiii
(sources of these quotes http://cryoftheorphan.com/Display.asp?Page=resourcereference)
I am dumb founded.. Look again at that last statement "48% of the people who have seriously considered adoption indicated that they would first look to a house of worship (church) for information or advice about adopting.xiii" So when the church is silent...
Back in July I wrote on Orphan Care and posted it here: http://idratherbecaving.blogspot.com/2009/07/article-on-orphans.html
I am a #'s guy so there is a statistic on there that I want to point out again. there are 148 Million orphans in the world right now.
But there are 224 Million Churches. If each church tried to help just ONE... One... That sheer thought brings me to tears!
How pathetic we are, I AM, for not caring, for not doing my part.
Recently a 14 year old raised $1000 for books for a Children's home in Mexico. I could list numerous more examples just like that.
Notice I say it was a 14 year old girl. Not a church, Not a MEGA church.. But one person.
With Prayer and Passion you too could raise the funds to clothe, feed, and love the orphan.
So what are you going to do? I would recommend the following:
1) Talk to your church, pastor and board about starting a local ministry to help clothe and feed those in need in your home town
2) find a place to take missions trips either domestic or nationally. This will add the fuel to passion as your stories will now touch people where they are.
EVERYONE LIKES TO GIVE TO SOMETHING THEY UNDERSTAND!
3)Visit a call to action group to learn more: Cry of the Orphan
James Fund
Hope For the Orphans
4) Find a organization to help support
Back2Back Ministries
World Vision
And many others!
Just DO SOMETHING!! James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..."
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