GraceSLO Adoption & Foster Care Ministry
At GraceSLO, three realities compel us toward the care of orphans through adoption and foster care. The first is the reality that the family is God's thing. God designed and ordained marriage and the human family as the building block of human society and human flourishing. Therefore, children belong in families. The second is the reality that the Gospel is all about adoption. The Gospel is the good news of God's grace in the person and saving work of Jesus Christ to bring lost, blind, spiritually dead sinners into His eternal family. As those who have been adopted, we are eager to promote and practice adoption and foster care. The third is the reality that the Bible speaks repeatedly about God's care and our responsibility to care for orphans, as the people of God. (Deut.10:18, Ps.10:14, Is. 1:17, Jer. 22:3, Jam. 1:27). The Gospel compels us toward gracious care.
These 3 realities give rise to our mission and vision. Our mission is to celebrate, proclaim and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ by caring for orphans and children in need of families. Our vision is to encourage and support both local and international adoptions as well as foster care among the GraceSLO family so that we might see the lives of orphans and children in need of families transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We pursue this mission and vision through the oversight of the GraceSLO Adoption Fund and through ongoing efforts to promote and educate the GraceSLO Family about the joys, challenges and opportunties to care for orphans and children in need.
Information Seminars
Several times a year we offer Adoption & Foster Care information seminars. The purpose of these gatherings is to expose the larger GraceSLO family to the needs and opportunites for orphan care. Our aim is to gently keep this issue in front of our church family and provide ongoing support for families whom God is moving toward adoption or foster care.
The GraceSLO Adoption Fund
The Grace Adoption Fund has been established by GraceSLO to help families at GraceSLO overcome the financial obstacle of adoption. The cost of many forms of adoption seems financially impossible to many Christian couples. That realtiy results in thousands of children remaining in orphanages or being adopted by unbelievers instead of learning the gospel of Jesus Christ in a forever family. God has commanded His people – the Church – to care for those in need. We believe God wants to use His church as part of a couple’s financial provision in adoption.
For more information or to request financial assistance for your adoption, please contact the Adoption & Fostercare Adoption Team at adoption@graceslo.org
Adoption & Foster Care Resources
To encourage GraceSLO families toward the care of orphans, we offer the following list of resources as a starting point. The views expressed in and by each, do not necessarily represent the perspective of GraceSLO in every instance.
Websites & Organizations
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"Hope for Orphans -Directory of Helpful Resources and Organizations, published by FamilyLife, includes books, DVDs, Adoption Journey Starter Kit, Church Orphan Ministry Starter Kit, List of Orphan Care Organizations, List of Adoption Agencies
Books & Other Resources
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The Whole Life Adoption Book by Jayne E. Schooler
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Adopted for Life by Russell Moore
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www.tapestrybooks.com - Specialists in books on adoption
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Twenty Things Adoptive Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knewby Sherrie Eldridge
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After the Dream Comes True: Post-Adoption Support for Christian Families by Michelle Garner
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Successful Adoption: A Guide for Christian Families by Natalie Nichols Gillespie
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Loved By Choice: True Stories that Celebrate Adoption by Susan Horner, Kelly Fordyce Martindale
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The Adoption Resource Book by Lois Gilman
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When Love is Not Enough: A Guide to Parenting Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder by Nancy L. Thomas