Something's wrong here -- but we can change it.

Something's wrong with this picture -- but we can change it.

No time to explain why I’ve not been blogging. (If I had time to explain, I would have had time to blog.) Briefly, I’ve been working on the Orphans First Christmas Project, trying to provide gifts for many poor children. For more info, see the O.F. website – www.orphansfirst.org where you can also download the Christmas Project flyer.

Meanwhile, while we try to help children all over the world, there are thousands of orphans and foster children here in America. Our prisons and homeless shelters are filled with foster children who’ve aged out of the system—and never connected with a good family. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can change that—one by one!

Please—I know you’re busy at Christmas—but please read this and pass on to other. True CHRISTmas is to help those who are needy (James 1:27). Read on.
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The following is posted by permission.
In a message dated 12/18/07 9:10:35 PM, writes:
Hi,

As God's people, we are called to care for orphans, and we are also
called to seek the prosperity of the City in which God has placed
us. If we take care of the children living in foster care, we have
the opportunity to do both.

For those of you who are not familiar with Project 1.27, the church
and the state of Colorado are working closely together in getting the
kids in the Colorado foster system adopted into Christian homes.
What is happening there is unprecedented and can be read about here:
www.project127.com .

A lot of folks wonder if what is happening there can happen
elsewhere. I'm happy to say that yes, it can, and it will. The
Project 1.27 model is being replicated elsewhere and now, at a mini-
Conference coming up in January, others can learn firsthand how
they've done what they've done.

There are many churches in Southern California that are starting to
ask what they can do to serve orphans overseas and in our nation's
foster care system. This conference might answer some of those
answers (at least in relation to the children in foster care).

To all of you, I'm asking you to dream for a moment what could happen
if we, as God's people, began to really work together to help the
nearly 1000 children waiting for homes in L.A. County (not to mention
those in neighboring counties) find permanent, loving homes in
Christian families?

There is an incredible opportunity here...to not just impact the
lives of 1000 kids, but to impact society for the glory of God. Los
Angeles County is home to the largest foster system in the world.
What kind of an impact would it have on other foster care systems if
the church here worked together to find adoptive homes for all of our
waiting children? What kind of an impact would it have on those 1000
kids? Their natural families? Their children one day? Their
grandchildren? What kind of an impact would it have on society, in
light of statistics that paint a grim picture of the lives of foster
youth who age out without permanent families? Two stark statistics
tell the story: 45% of the homeless in California are ex-foster
kids; and about 3/4 of the inmates at San Quentin are ex-foster kids. Indeed, ex-foster kids fill our prisons, our homeless shelters, our skid rows, our abortion clinics, our rehab clinics, and even our cemeteries. Taking care of our foster youth today and getting them into loving, Christian homes where they will meet God and find love, acceptance and healing, will substantially help to empty our prisons, homeless shelters, skid rows, abortion clinics, rehab clinics,
etc... tomorrow. Yes, it's that simple. And...besides it being
simple, it is a matter of obedience to God's will for us to care for
the least among us.

I am attaching an invitation to the Project 1.27 Conference. Please
consider joining other church leaders for three days in Colorado, to
begin exploring how God might use us to meet the needs of foster kids
in our city.

God bless...

Johnston Moore
johmo@earthlink.net
562.595.6209
www.orphansandthechurch.blogspot.com/
www.myccm.org/tarheelincali

Let’s join this endeavor. Janey DeMeo