AdoptionSunday.com , a website launched in November 2012 by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), provides an informative, insightful gathering place for those considering whether God has put adoption (or fostering) and justice for children on their heart. The site is the brainchild of Bruce and Tracy Clemenger. Bruce has been the president of the EFC since 2003. The EFC is a national association of evangelical Christians in Canada providing a “constructive voice for biblical principles in life and society” since 1964.
Bruce and his wife, Tracy, are adoptive parents. Tracy shares that “adoption was always a social and moral issue for us and not this cultural view of it being a back-up plan.” God has given the Clemengers this national vision with a local connection. Their goal is to build awareness for adoption and fostering in Canada by connecting churches with their local community, and as a believing community, to help children.
Bruce and his wife, Tracy, are adoptive parents. Tracy shares that “adoption was always a social and moral issue for us and not this cultural view of it being a back-up plan.” God has given the Clemengers this national vision with a local connection. Their goal is to build awareness for adoption and fostering in Canada by connecting churches with their local community, and as a believing community, to help children.
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Children matter. Yet with over 30,000 adoptable and 85,000 foster children and youth waiting for a “forever home” in Canada, actions do not seem to match beliefs. The key message of the AdoptionSunday.com site is to encourage those visiting to “Ask It!” — to ask the adoption and fostering question — in their personal lives and within their church communities. The wealth of information on the site demystifies the adoption process, offering free tools, videos and ideas.
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AdoptionSunday.com provides details for churches who want to get involved in February through the “Have a Heart Helps Care Kit” campaign. Congregations are asked to call their local agency to see what children in care need.
AdoptionSunday.com, says Tracy, “describes the nature of an adoptive worldview, elevates children as human beings made in God’s good image.” Tracy goes on to say that the related effects of bringing awareness to the issues of unplanned pregnancies, families in crisis, and birth parents who have lost the parenting privilege are also brought to light.
Indeed, the site is called AdoptionSunday.com because Sunday is still considered “family day” in Canada and a day when Canadians gather together to pause, as Tracy puts it, “from their busy lives to reflect on life’s more meaningful topics like love, purposefulness, human decency.” By asking the adoption and fostering question, and opening up dialogue, children and youth in society are remembered in new ways. While not all are able to adopt or foster, the website provides guidance on programs for church communities to help families in the congregation who want to do so through its “Homeward Bound Adoption Fund” concept.
Navigating the site layout we find the following:
AdoptionSunday.com provides sermon outlines, Sunday School lessons, and The Well-Being of Children and Youth National Prayer Guide, as well.
Why not pray about how your church can get involved? There are plenty of resources available on this site and they are well worth the time spent to prayerfully review them. Outside of your personal consideration to adopt (here is a link to some great questions you could be asked as you consider adoption), perhaps inviting someone to talk at your church could be the next step? This poster summarizes how AdoptionSunday.com can help.
Let’s get together as a believing community across Canada to show the 30,000 adoptable and 85,000 foster children in our country that we love and care for them. What’s your next step?
AdoptionSunday.com, says Tracy, “describes the nature of an adoptive worldview, elevates children as human beings made in God’s good image.” Tracy goes on to say that the related effects of bringing awareness to the issues of unplanned pregnancies, families in crisis, and birth parents who have lost the parenting privilege are also brought to light.
Indeed, the site is called AdoptionSunday.com because Sunday is still considered “family day” in Canada and a day when Canadians gather together to pause, as Tracy puts it, “from their busy lives to reflect on life’s more meaningful topics like love, purposefulness, human decency.” By asking the adoption and fostering question, and opening up dialogue, children and youth in society are remembered in new ways. While not all are able to adopt or foster, the website provides guidance on programs for church communities to help families in the congregation who want to do so through its “Homeward Bound Adoption Fund” concept.
Navigating the site layout we find the following:
- Adoption Sunday Services – resources for churches who want to have a gathering or service focused on adoption
- Connect as Families
- Connect as Churches
- Intercultural Connections – links to help engage families from different backgrounds
- Aging Out – facts about kids who are “too old” to be adopted
- Best Practices – guidance to change the culture of adoption in Canada simply by watching the language we use; includes an insightful article on understanding the grief cycle by Tracy Clemenger
- NGO Specialty Programs – wealth of federal and provincial government information
- Taking the Next Steps – walks someone considering adopting or fostering through seven steps, beginning with prayer
AdoptionSunday.com provides sermon outlines, Sunday School lessons, and The Well-Being of Children and Youth National Prayer Guide, as well.
Why not pray about how your church can get involved? There are plenty of resources available on this site and they are well worth the time spent to prayerfully review them. Outside of your personal consideration to adopt (here is a link to some great questions you could be asked as you consider adoption), perhaps inviting someone to talk at your church could be the next step? This poster summarizes how AdoptionSunday.com can help.
Let’s get together as a believing community across Canada to show the 30,000 adoptable and 85,000 foster children in our country that we love and care for them. What’s your next step?
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