When they led the 4th graders at their church in a study on the book of James, one particular verse kept speaking to the Blacks…”Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) And then when their church participated in an Orphan Sunday event, the Blacks felt convicted that God was speaking to their hearts. That’s when they took the first step to adopt.

After lots of prayer and research, the Blacks chose to adopt 2 children from Russia through Children of the World, an agency in Mobile. The process took 21 months to complete. But Olivia Ann and John Mark are now officially part of the Black family!

“The waiting is when you need God the most, and He was there through every delay and document. We really believe that if you step out of your comfort zone, God will help you survive it all and bless you in the process,” says Rayla.
For so many families, God has laid out His adoption plan. Whether the catalyst is infertility or answering His call (or both!), families are rising up to “vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute; rescue the weak and needy.” (Psalm 82:3-4) God is taking center stage in the need to defend the orphan…and He’s asked us to join Him.

Unite with Agape to help create more families like the Blacks. There are many ways you can join this ministry. Your financial support is vital to our efforts. Click here to donate today! And, as always, we are here to serve. Please contact me if I can be of assistance in any way.

Thank you,
Jimmy Dobbs, Director

Call us to inquire about your situation and where you would like to be served. At this point, we have connections in 20 different states.

It is too awesome for words. Meeting her adoptive parents was a beautiful, almost spiritual experience. We were all at peace and totally connected. But when you think about it…there is nothing more special that we could have had in common than a child.

I just wanted to thank you for all the help you’ve given me over the last couple of months. You have been very supportive. It has really helped ease some of the pain. You’re such a blessing to so many women in my position. It’s nice to know that someone is looking out for the best interest of the mother, as well as the child.

Thank you so much for helping me place my baby with a loving Christian family. You all have been so wonderful to me. I don’t know what I would have done if it weren’t for you all.

Eighteen years ago we came to CFS and brought this precious baby home. As everyone said, the years have passed unbelievably fast! He will graduate from high school in two weeks. He is an honor student who will be attending college on a scholarship. He loves the Lord and has brought many of his football buddies to the Lord. Thank you for the work you do in changing lives for eternity.

Agape Child and Famimly Services, Inc., – Memphis
Agape has graciously received a congressional award through U.S. Bob Corker’s office announcing Agape as a 2011 “Angel in Adoption.” Below you will also see the release that went out from his office. I have also attached the congratulatory letter from the group presenting this award, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). Also, Senator Corker plans to do a :30 – :60 congratulatory video on this congressional award, which will be shown at HeartLight on November 5!

Corker Congratulates Agape Child & Family Services on Being Named an “Angel in Adoption”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., today congratulated Agape Child & Family Services of Memphis and Jackson on being recognized as a 2011 Angel in Adoption for their advocacy of adoption and foster care issues.

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption program, honored Agape, along with more than 140 other “angels,” at an awards ceremony and gala event in Washington yesterday, October 5.

“I was proud to nominate Agape Child & Family Services for this award,” said Corker. “For over 42 years they have been committed to serving thousands of children and families in West Tennessee. Their good work serves as an example to us all.”

Agape Child & Family Services, a Christian-based organization with locations in Memphis and Jackson, is being honored for their commitment to providing children and families with healthy homes through community restoration, homeless services, mentoring, foster care, adoption, maternity services and counseling. Agape will serve more than 18,000 children, adults and families this year through its services.

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a 501©3 nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes through adoption.

The Angels in Adoption program is CCAI’s signature public awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for members of Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit http://www.ccainstitute.org/.

Tuesday, November 1
Begin Adoption Month by celebrating your family’s story and sharing it online! Don’t forget to also write it down or print it out and add it to your lifebook/scrapbook.
Wednesday, November 2
-Light a candle as a family for children in foster care who are still waiting for adoptive families. Set the candle outside in a safe place. Ask your neighbors to join you by lighting a candle as well.
Thursday, November 3
-Have secret pals all month long! Place each family member’s name in a hat and have each person draw one. Secretly perform several acts of service for this person or leave them small treats or gifts. Draw a new name each week.
Friday, November 4
- Contact your local paper and/or news media about National Adoption Month. Encourage them to run a positive story about adoption – consider sharing your own story.
Saturday, November 5
- Write out a family mission statement. Ask each member to write down ideas that they feel are important for a great family to have like respect, sharing, and/or honesty. Include goals and dreams.
Sunday, November 6
- Look for events in your area celebrating National Adoption Month and the focus of foster care adoption.
Monday, November 7
- Read adoption themed poems as a family. Consider writing your own to place in a lifebook and/or to send in to adoption@about.com for possible publication on About Adoption.
Tuesday, November 8
-Work on your life books together. Get out those piles of pictures and saved school papers and add them in. Make a goal for each family member to complete 2 pages.
Wednesday, November 9
-Write a thank you note to a foster care agency and thank them for the work they do to help children. If your child was in foster care consider writing to the social worker or judge from his/her case.
Thursday, November 10
-Contact a children’s organization or foster care agency and ask how you can help. For ideas see Ways to Help Children in Foster Care.
Friday, November 11
- Choose a country and discuss as a family how you may be able to help a child in that country who waits in an orphanage. Try researching on the Internet ways to donate care boxes or money. Check references and beware of scams.
Saturday, November 12
-Create your family tree. Complete one about your child’s birth family (if information is known) as well as your adoptive family.
Sunday, November 13
- Create a fun craft as a family. Great gifts for birth and/or adoptive family. Can be easily saved for future reunions with birth family too.
Monday, November 14
-Do something to keep the children in foster care awaiting permanent homes in your thoughts this month. How about cutting out 107 paper dolls (1 for each 1000 in foster care who need adoptive homes) and display in your windows? How about 107 ribbons tied to the limbs of your trees.
Tuesday, November 15
- If you have one, ask your place of worship to offer a special prayer next Sunday for children in foster care waiting for adoption.
Wednesday, November 16
- Subscribe to an adoption themed magazine or one dealing with a specific culture.
Thursday, November 17
-If your child was adopted internationally display the map of his/her homeland in a prominent place in your home. Make a special dinner that is common in your child’s country. For more ideas read Focus on Culture.
Friday, November 18
- Call your local adoption agency and ask if there is a family who needs mentoring as they wait for a child to be placed in their home.
Saturday, November 19
- National Adoption Day!
Sunday, November 20
- Join an adoptive parent support group in your area. If there isn’t any, consider starting your own.
Monday, November 21
-Rent a movie with an adoption theme and watch it as a family. Pop some popcorn and/or make root beer floats.
Tuesday, November 22
-Ask your child to write a letter to his birth parents. Have your child think of questions, tell about himself, and about your home. Include hand drawn pictures and photos. If unable to send, keep for a possible future reunion. His birth parents will cherish this gift.
Wednesday, November 23
- Donate books about adoption to your local or school library.
Thursday, November 24
-Thanksgiving. Enjoy with family and friends. Go around the table and take turns sharing something that you are thankful for.
Friday, November 25
-Decide as a family to join a toy drive or sponsor a waiting child for Christmas. Join the holiday rush to shop and buy some items for the toy drive or sponsored child.
Saturday, November 26
- Have fun with a book about adoption as a family and enjoy the craft and recipe that goes along with the story.
Sunday, November 27
- Search for music with an adoption theme on the Internet.
Monday, November 28
-As a family create fliers detailing the need for adoptive homes and ask to leave them in places of business or use one of these posters. Don’t forget contact numbers to your local foster care/adoption agencies.
Tuesday, November 29
-Take a family photo today. Have a copy framed for each member of the family to be placed in his/her room.
Wednesday, November 30
- Donate book bags and/or suitcases to a local foster care agency so kids don’t have to use trash bags when moving home to home.

Each year, the focus of adoption month changes to target different areas of need, such as older child adoption, or simply awareness of the huge need for more adoptive homes. This year’s Adoption Month targets adoption professionals by focusing on ways to recruit and retain parents for the 107,000 children and youth in foster care waiting for adoptive families.

This theme continues to build on public service announcements (PSA) by the Ad Council, Children’s Bureau, and AdoptUsKids. This year the campaign is targeted toward the recruitment of adoptive families for preteens or what I’d call school-aged children (8-12 year olds).

History of National Adoption Month
•The basic story behind National Adoption Month started off as a week long celebration in Massachusetts in 1976. Way before it blossomed into the current month long celebration.

Presidential Proclamation
•Each year, the President of the United States makes a proclamation to announce that November is National Adoption Month. (This is updated as soon as the proclamation is made.) Presidential Proclamation for 2010.

National Adoption Day
•Along with the month long celebration is the very special Adoption Day. November 19, 2011, will mark the 12th National Adoption Day. It’s a special day because thousands of adoptions are finalized in court rooms all across the United States. The celebration grows larger each year as more and more states and courtrooms become involved.

On Orphan Sunday, Christians stand for the orphan. We are a people called to defend the fatherless… to care for the child that has no family… to visit orphans in their distress.
We are a people called to prayer and action.

Could you talk to someone in your church about participating in Orphan Sunday this year?
The event is simple:
- Pray for the orphans
and
- Do something to help them.

Maybe this is a simple prayer for the world’s orphans and a special offering to help support the many children that CRF reaches.

Maybe it’s a sermon about helping the least of these and a table with information and sponsorship forms for CRF children who are waiting for a sponsor.

Whatever you can do, we invite you to join us on November 6 in remembering the millions of orphans around the world through prayer and action.

If you would like to organize an Orphan Sunday event, please reply to this email and let us know so we can supply you CRF brochures, child sponsorship packets, or any other materials that you need.

We are blessed to partner with you in caring for orphans!

ORPHAN SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Plans are coming together nicely for our 2012 CCFSA Conference in Atlanta. It will be held from April 14-18, 2012 at the beautiful Westin Atlanta North at Perimeter hotel. The hotel cost will be $99.00 per night with free parking. The theme for our conference will be “Refreshing Our Vision for Service.”

We’ll start with a pre-conference seminar on Fund-Raising Essentials presented by a highly esteemed fund-raising counsel firm headquartered in Atlanta with clients throughout the U.S.

We’ll have sessions on the changes and challenges facing non-profit child welfare agencies to help us all refresh our vision for service. After the presentation on these topics, we’ll have time to process the information with a lively panel and discussion time.

We’ll also explore the research on trauma and its effects on children, a focus of study and research that is proliferating. Several sessions will be devoted to this topic to help us better understand these issues and how we can respond to help children and families.

Other sessions will be on (a) Building Positive Attachments; (b) Effective Strategies for Coping with Loss and Grief; (c) Discovering the Soul of Service; (d) Risk Management among many others. Harold Shank will be with us again! Overall, there will be over 20 CEU hours of training offered.

As a field trip, we’ll visit the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world. There is also much more to see in Atlanta, including the Coca Cola Museum, Stone Mountain Park (the 7th most visited park in the nation), CNN, The King Center (Martin Luther King), Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, Centennial Olympic Park, Zoo Atlanta botanical Gardens and much more!