but wait, there's more

Ok, I am going waaaaay beyond the simple Lemon-Aid stand. I have a speech for you to use when approaching your church about an orphan ministry. If you are nervous about public speaking and live within a 150 mile radius, I will come and give it for you. I am working on visual aids and everything.
In the mean time, here's the speech:

I come to you today representing Project Hopeful with a proposal for our church to start an orphan ministry.
Perhaps you haven't thought of an orphan ministry before. That's okay, you can start thinking about it today, right now, and here's why.
Adoption is our Heavenly Father's heart. It is how we became a part of His family.
Ephesians 1:4-5
Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to ADOPTION AS SONS through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
Romans 8:15-16
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of ADOPTION AS SONS by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ...

I know personally families who have approached their churches for assistance with their adoptions and were told no because adoption was a personal choice that had nothing to do with the church.

Adoption is not a choice. It is a mandate!

It is all over the bible.
John 14:18
I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.
Psalm 68:6
God sets the lonely in families...

My personal favorite:
Psalm 113:9
He gives children to the woman who has none and makes her a happy mother. Praise the Lord.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Where would we be if God our Father did not adopt us? We would be dead. Dead in our sin. But no, God adopted us as sons and daughters. Heirs with Christ.

Mathew 25:40
the king will reply, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Just who are the least of these? I propose to you that the least of these brothers are orphans, and the VERY LEAST OF THESE are orphans with HIV/AIDS.

So what can we as a church do? There are so many orphans. When we look at the "big picture" it seems hopeless, but it's not.
Stop looking at the wrong "big picture". It is so much more simple than we think.
Bring it down to ONE.
Change the big picture for one child at a time.
Become a "church family in the gap"
Advocate for one child at a time.
Champion for just one.
Pray for just one.
As a church family, pool your resources and create a grant for just one.

The fees to adopt an HIV/AIDS child are around $25,000.
for an individual family, those initial costs can be difficult to meet.
For a church family, not so difficult.
Here are just a few ideas:
1.Each family could forgo one meal out and donate the cost of dinner to your child's adoption fund.
2. Have a Lemon-Aid stand
3. Have a garage sale
4. Have a car wash
5. Stage a fund raiser
6. Give up your special cup of coffee out and make it at home
Do these things until your goal is met.
In no time you will have the funds to bring that one child home, all the while praying for the family that God is calling for that child to step up and say yes.

Project Hopeful provides the education, encouragement and proper waiver process to assist each adoptive family. We as a church can provide the prayer and financial support.

When that one child is home, you start all over.

It all comes down to ONE.

ONE GOD

ONE CHILD

ONE WORD

HOPE