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An overview of how Lifesong for Orphans can assist your church as you seek to serve your adoptive families and orphans
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Webinar – Church Adoption Funds
Andy Lehman, Lifesong for Orphans
Rich Metcalfe, Lifesong for Orphans
Michael Monroe, Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Ministry
Michael, Amy, and family
Rich, Becky, and family
Webinar “At-a-Glance” Common Barriers & Solutions (Lifesong)
How a Fund Can Help Families (Lifesong)
Church Fund & Your Church Vision (Lifesong)
Tapestry/Irving Bible Church Fund – experience from the Church perspective (Michael)
Top 5 Common Issues/Questions (Michael)
More than just money (Lifesong / Michael)
1. Outside the Walls Network
2. Adoption without Borders
3. Orphan Care
Q&A – open forum for your questions (Michael)
Common ‘barriers’ & their solutions… Barrier: Church staff “plate is already full” to administer fund
Solution: Lifesong can manage/facilitate the Fund & carry the administrative load on behalf of church, using mutually agreed upon criteria (reviewing applications, accounting, donor receipts, disbursing funds on behalf of adoption, etc.)
Barrier: Church feels uncomfortable/awkward approving/denying their own families (viewing financials, etc.) Solution: Lifesong can provide all the screening, reviewing, approving/denying as
a ‘partner’ on behalf of the church, using mutually agreed upon criteria for those decisions
Barrier: Adoption Fund is unfamiliar territory Solution: Lifesong has passion, and expertise in adoption funding processes,
maximize stewardship, use existing grant/loan procedures, IRS approved, ECFA approved (establishes financial integrity & avoids recreating the wheel)
Fund is administered at no cost to the Church or the Fund!
Matching Grants
Matching Grants of up to $4,000/per child ($2,500-$3,000 average) from your church fund.
Kingdom Activity: see adoption as “missions in reverse”…bringing the mission field home
Church Fund offers a $1-for-$1 match – mobilizes the Body of Christ!
Lifesong provides ‘Adoption Support Raising’ kit E.g. Harlow family received $2,500 Matching Grant – raised over $11K
Average Scenario: Matching Grant of $2,500 - mobilizes an additional $5,000 - average total grant funds for your adoption = $7,500
*Key Strategy: mobilizes Body of Christ and leverages funds to bridge financial gap
Interest-Free Loan
Maximizes stewardship by utilizing Federal Adoption Tax Credit – reducing the initial, upfront ‘cash-flow crunch’
Interest-Free Loans allow the family to capture $13,170 Federal Tax Credit per child adopted
Families sign a covenant agreement to repay Monthly or Annually (can use Fed Tax Credit to repay loan)
The loan ($8K, $10K, $13K) is repaid & passed on to the next family
*Key Strategy: funds become self-sustaining, where the loan repayments each month/year help to fund new families
Fund Raising Support Approved Family has a support raising fund established at Lifesong
Families are given an adoption fund raising kit to assist them
Family can receive gifts towards their adoption and Lifesong issues tax deductible receipts to donors
Lifesong manages the family fund at no cost to the family and pays invoiced adoption costs directly to the agencies
*Key Strategy: families are able to make it easier and more attractive for donors to give towards their adoption costs
Both Hands
An Innovative method to help remove the financial barrier to your adoption and to help benefit a widow’s home. You ask for 10+ volunteers to work on a Widow’s home for one day The volunteers send out sponsorship letters as they work on the home. 100% of the funds donated would be used for adoption expenses.
http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/bothHands.html
How does an “Adoption Fund” fit with your church mission/vision?Meet Needs
Orphans find homes, families are assisted and churches become more active
Share Jesus Adoption provides us with an opportunity to share the Gospel and point
people to Jesus
Encourage Others Allows us to put our faith into action; develop relationships/support
Do Justice We are called to seek justice for the oppressed, to lift up the
downtrodden and speak up for the forgotten
Live out Loud As the Church is active the community will see Jesus is alive and
working in His people (Matt 5:16)
Why use a Funding Partner Flexibility - church can be as involved or uninvolved as desired
Quickly - fund can be established in 1-2 days
Administratively easy – Lifesong will facilitate and administer the Fund (at no cost to the Church or Fund)
Qualify/approve families (based on mutually agreed upon criteria) Administer the Funds, as agreed by Church/Lifesong partnership Disburse funds to cover adoption expenses Provide tax-deductible receipts, mailings, accounting records
Reports - full transparency. Fund reports & updates are given as needed
100% of Donations Allocated to Fund - no admin costs deducted
“Win-Win-Win” situation – Church actively engages in adoption ministry; financial roadblock is removed for family; orphan child is adopted; with little/no admin burden for church
Synergy – It is often possible to do more together than can be done on our own
Irving Bible Church (example adoption fund)
www.tapestryministry.org
1. Choosing the right path and partner for creating an adoption assistance fund at my church – how do I know which option is right for us?
2. Mixing money and adoption within the context of our church and ministry – will this attract people who are just looking for financial help?
3. Having to say “no” to applicants – won’t there be hurt feelings?
4. Raising money for our fund – how will we raise the initial seed money and then sustain the fund going forward?
5. Using matching grants – if we use matching grants can’t that quickly get out of control and be a bit awkward if people are trying to raise support?
6. Our church being too small or not having enough money to start a fund – don’t you need a large church and/or a large fund balance for a fund to make sense?
Top Church Concerns
Church isn’t a building.
The Challenge: The body of Christ is equipped to help bring children into these Christian families, regardless of their geographical location or church affiliation. Would you be willing to reach more children together, than each church is able to alone?
How does the Outside The Walls Adoption Fund Network Operate?
Create Priorities For Your Adoption Fund:
1. Church members and those associated with your ministry
2. Believers within your community3. Adoptive families within the network
Adoption Without Borders™
Church isn’t a building.
• Christian families in other countries need financial help to complete the adoption of their countries orphans
• ‘Adoption without Borders’ seeks to connect churches and individuals in the US with approved families – starting in the Ukraine
• Together we use resources wisely to place children in forever families
• We have helped place multiple children already by connecting a church in Texas with the need in the Ukraine
• We are currently refining the procedure and hope to share more of this wonderful opportunity in the coming months
Orphan Care Opportunities… Partner with Lifesong by serving orphans in:
Ethiopia
Honduras
India
LiberiaUkraine
Zambia
What are we doing? Orphanages Transition Homes Schools Sustainable Business Community Development Mentoring / Discipline -- CCP Job Training and more…
http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/orpCare.html
http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/adoptOrp.html
More Info
Schools - Zambia
Sustainable Business - Zambia
Community Development - Zambia
School - Honduras
Orphanage - Liberia
Vision Trip - Zambia
Constant Christian Presence - Ukraine
Transition Homes - Ukraine
Transition Homes - Ukraine
Breaking the Cycle - Ukraine
Breaking the Cycle - Ukraine
Breaking the Cycle - Ukraine
Breaking the Cycle - Ukraine
Group Home - India
Overview…Inviting you… engage the Church
We firmly believe that the only way we can change kids’ lives eternally is by engaging the US church and the indigenous church to come alongside the needs of orphan children
Consider a 3 year commitment to sponsor “adopt” one specific orphanage or orphan care initiative (Ukraine, Zambia, India etc)
Yearly Mission Trip Team of up to 12-15 people visit an orphan care initiative / facility Prime opportunity / synergy – US church, local church & the children VBS & work projects
Letter writing / Skype interactions Quarterly letter writing to one or more specific children that you sponsor Skype web cam feeds
Financially support CCP ministry Financially support the indigenous program and mentors (in country
staff) who will do the year-round, daily mentoring and discipleship
Q&A Session
Contact Us Michael Monroe
www.tapestryministry.org [email protected] 469-569-9361
Andy Lehman www.lifesongfororphans.org [email protected] 309-747-4515
Rich Metcalfe [email protected] 309-747-4528
