At the upcoming 2014 Church of God General Assembly, a special resolution regarding adoption will be presented to the International General Council. Its purpose is to raise awareness and motivate action within the Church of God for families to open their hearts and homes to orphan children.
Statistics indicate there are currently 143 million orphans worldwide.
“This staggering number represents a great opportunity for our church to demonstrate compassion and commitment to orphan children and to emphasize the importance of family,” states Marc Morris, the resolution’s author and founder of Samaritan’s Place Homes for Children in Manila, Philippines.
In recent years, the Church of God has been instrumental in establishing or assisting child care agencies throughout the world. It continues to be a major supporter of children’s homes in the U.S. and overseas.
World Missions, along with partners Serving Orphans Worldwide (SOW) and the Division of Care, has provided encouragement and consultancy to many institutions to help improve standards and services. These agencies have also been spearheading the development of sponsorship support to sustain the orphanages.
“The challenge, as presented in the resolution, is for Church of God pastors and laity to passionately promote, advocate, and participate in adoption. There is also a call for COG related institutions to become equipped to properly implement processes for children in our care to become legally available for adoption,” says Morris.
The mantra of the resolution, “every child deserves a forever family,” is meant to be more than rhetoric. It is truly a mandate for each Church of God person to help make a difference in the lives of orphan children.
For more information about international adoptions from the Philippines, visit Samaritan’s Place websites: www.friendsofsp.com [1] and www.samaritansplace.com [2]