Hope for 100 in Purpose Driven Connection

Kay Warren and Elizabeth Styffe write about what Saddleback is doing to challenge their church to care for orphans as well as highlighting other churches around the country including our Hope for 100 campaign in the new Purpose Driven Connection Magazine. Here is an excerpt:

In nearby Tyler, Texas, Rocky Gill, a member of Green Acres Baptist Church, had a heart for orphans; he and his wife, Carrie, had adopted a daughter from China. Six years later, sitting in church one day, he realized his church could do more for children. The church isn’t called to be “fat, lazy, self-centered, and not focused on the world around us,” he recalls thinking. “If orphans are on the heart of God, why aren’t we doing more?” A dream was born—a dream of helping his church do something significant for not just one child, but dozens. Gill wanted to challenge the Body of Christ to experience the joy found in selflessness.

He approached his pastor, David Dykes, with a plan for the church to place a special emphasis on adoption. He envisioned a special Sunday service where 100 families would choose to adopt through a program he called “Hope for 100.” Pastor Dykes enthusiastically supported Gill’s idea.  The pastor preached two sermons on orphans and adoption and issued the challenge to raise up 100 adoptive families. The church then held two information events, using the Hope for Orphans curriculum, If You Were Mine (hopefororphans.org).  Gill’s dream was for 100 couples to adopt 100 children—but so far, 300 couples have expressed interest. Green Acres Baptist Church has created a template (hopefor100.org) so other churches, regardless of their size, can host their own Hope for 5, 50, 100—or even 1,000 or more.

 
Read the whole article here.