← ArchiveSunday, November 8, 2015DateNovember 8, 2015Speaker—Text—Passages in this sermonIsaiah 1173:44John 14:1811:31Ephesians 128:30Galatians 4:730:56Romans 8:15–1735:57TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30*music* *music*1:00*music* *music*1:30*music* Good morning. For those of you that don't know me, my name is Landon Brown and today is a great day. Today is Orphan Sunday, here and around the world. And I'm here just to give you a little bit of background about how Orphan Sunday started on a national and international basis. So my first thought when I learned about Orphan Sunday was that I probably had some large organization that started it somewhere and grew from that.1:54But it actually didn't. In a small church in Zambia, the pastor was, his heart was broken by the call in the Bible repeatedly to care for the orphan. So one day during his service, he decided he was going to have an Orphan Sunday at his church. He invited all the widows and all the orphans up to the front just to pray for them.2:18Preached about care for them. At the end of the service, something amazing happened. And this is an area where, like much of Africa, it's been devastated by AIDS. Poverty-stricken area. This lady walks up from the back and she puts a cabbage in the offering plate. And so with that cabbage, the pastor said, he looked at everybody and he was like, "Do any of you need this?"2:42And so one of the widows who was taking care of two orphans said, "We need it." She said, "We haven't, the orphans haven't eaten, I haven't eaten in two days." So from that, people started to come to the front. They took their shoes off, they put them in the offering plate. People started to leave the service to go back to their homes, find whatever they could to come put in the offering plate.3:04They didn't have money to give. During that service, there was an American there who took hold of this and his heart was broken by it. He brought it back to the States and then organically in Zambia, it grew out of that, to churches all over Zambia. There was no promotion, they just heard about it and they said, "We want to have Orphan Sunday." They started doing it. So now for almost, for about 15 years there have been Orphan Sunday.3:33So today in Latvia, earlier today, they celebrated Orphan Sunday in churches there. In Jerusalem, they celebrated Orphan Sunday there. So the Bible, Isaiah 117, in front of the bulletin has part of it on there. It says, "Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow's call." Today is not just a day to come in here and talk about something, it's a call to action.4:02Because each of us are called to the Orphan, to serve and to become, just as Christ came to us when we were orphans and gave us a home. We're called to go serve the orphans and meet their needs. So during the service today, you're going to hear a lot of different things. And there are a lot of different ways to be involved. And our church is becoming more and more involved every day.4:30And we're going to become known as a church that serves the Orphan. Locally, nationally, and internationally. So you're going to hear about the Forgotten Initiative. And how we're getting involved with that with foster care. And how we're having classes in the church to encourage foster care. We're working with EHR locally. And we're also going to work with Lifesong International in Africa, in Zambia. Completely different area of Zambia.4:58And we're going next year, Memorial Day week, end of May. I think it's May the 28th through approximately June the 4th. And I'd love for you to go with me. Cost is going to be about $2,500. And like I say, we'll be serving the orphans there. They've made it very clear that they can use anyone's talents there. There's a large school. Majority of the kids that go to their school are orphans. We'll be doing that. And we're also going to be supporting orphans financially on a monthly basis.5:27And some of you have already indicated that you'd like to do that. If you have, we're going to start giving this month. I'll get with you. I'm going to get with you soon on how we're going to have everything set up. And if you'd like more information on how we're going to do that. And if you'd like to be involved, get with me after the service. Thank you. My name is Melinda Martin. I'm with St. Clair County DHR. I have been with DHR for 21 years. I currently supervise investigations of child abuse neglect reports.5:56Currently, we average 43 child abuse reports a month. We have 87 children in care. Our service area of DHR consists of investigations, foster care, ongoing, and adult services. Like I said, we currently have 87 children in care. Children are placed in foster care at any given time during the day. We have picked up children during the work hours and also on call, which would mean anytime after work hours.6:25Picked up in the middle of the night. Many times those children are picked up and don't have anything, nothing but the clothes on their back. Things that are typically brought with them can fit in a small overnight bag. About a year ago, TFI, the Forgotten Initiative, began working with us. One of the services that they have implemented with us is journey bags.6:54That has been a tremendous help to us. I don't think you could find a service worker at our office that wouldn't tell you that journey bags have been a blessing. That provides typically a child with anything from pajamas, personal items, clothes, shorts, t-shirts, depending on what time of the year it is and the age of the child.7:21There are some toys, things like that. I have seen children receive their journey bags and it be like Christmas morning. They have their own toothbrush, they have their own hairbrush, they have brand new pajamas. There was one child that received their journey bag and he wanted to go to the office next door for a minute. When he came back out, he was wearing clean new clothes. So I cannot say enough about journey bags.7:48With 87 children currently in care, most of our foster homes are full. We recently have had to look outside of the county for foster homes. And most of the counties surrounding us are full as well, due to the amount of children in foster care at this time. One thing that is desperately needed are foster parents. And I think what better place to look for foster parents than in churches.8:15We are currently finishing up our GPS classes for this time of year. And I know a lot of those foster parents in those classes are from churches. And I think what better place to put a child in foster care than in a home that attends church and can teach that child about the love of Jesus. You can't ask for much more than that.8:43I know TFI and Bethel have worked together. They have done more for our morale at work than anyone during my time at DHR. Carissa is very good about getting people together to provide lunch for us monthly. And Bethel has sent thank you notes and fed us and invited us to their activities here at church.9:07And we can't thank you enough. It has helped the morale for people that don't normally get thanked and don't normally get treated very well. And so I wanted to personally say thank you to Bethel for everything that you all have done for us. Amen. It's not a matter if, it's a matter of when we get involved in orphans' lives.9:36Amen. It's a call to action, as Landon said. It's an exciting day. I'm here to officially welcome you, those of you that are guests. I'm Dan Moran. I'm the interim pastor here. And I'm excited about bringing this day. This is an amazing day throughout, not just here in our city, in this area. It's around the world. It's a global, global effect, is Orphan Sunday to celebrate, to educate, and to mobilize the church of the living God to be involved in the life of orphans around the world.9:59My name is Mary Beth Brown. I work here at Bethel as the preschool director. I'm married to Landon Brown, and we have three kids. I was born on June 8, 1985, in Opelika, Alabama, and placed up for adoption through Lifeline Children Services. Ten weeks later, my adoptive parents took me home.10:26I grew up knowing I was adopted. I don't even remember my parents sitting down to tell me I was adopted. They did this at such a young age, it was just something I grew up knowing, and would not have wanted it any other way. They have never been anything to me other than mom and dad. I have never had the desire to locate my birth moms or find out anything about her. God chose me for my parents, and my parents for me, and were a perfect fit. When I was younger, I would tell my friends that I was adopted, and they wouldn't believe me because I looked just like my adoptive mother.10:53I'm so thankful that there is an organization like Lifeline that was in place when I was born, and that my birth mom was selfless enough to choose life for me. Adoption is where my story began, and I believe it's something that should be on the hearts of every Christian. As we recognize Orphan Sunday, we should all consider how we can support the organizations that care for the kids that can't speak for themselves.11:18Though we are not all called to adopt or even foster, we can all contribute in some way. John 14:18 says, "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you." Prayerfully consider what you can do to make a change in the lives of the innocent. My life was changed immeasurably because one organization cared enough to speak for those who couldn't speak for themselves. Whose life could you change today?11:46Hey, good morning. Good morning. Wow, that was good. Wasn't expecting that. For those of you who don't know, my name is Skylar Everett, and this is my wife, Kelly. We adopted our boys last year through DHR, and today we just want to give you kind of an overview of our journey that we went through. I'm just going to talk first about why we chose adoption. It's something that God placed on my heart even as a teenager, so it's something that I had known for a while that I wanted to do at the right time.12:15And Skylar and I had been married for about 10 years, and he was on board with adoption, but the timing wasn't quite right. He wasn't quite ready, so finally he came around to my way of thinking, and we started the process. So he's going to talk to you a little bit about that process. What Kelly's not telling you is, and by the way, the first thing, the only thing she asked me to do while we're up here is not embarrass her, so I'm going to do my best.12:42But she said she always wanted to adopt, but it really, I guess that really became what she wanted to do after my mom repeatedly told her the horror stories of my childhood. And finally Kelly said, "I do not want to reproduce you." She's already told Eric that he can cut the mic off at any time.13:09But so when we finally decided that it was the right time to adopt, we did know that we wanted to adopt through DHR, not a private agency. So we filled out the paperwork, and we were all excited, did everything, submitted it, and nothing.13:34We waited. And we waited. Nothing. I'd come home and, "Hey, have you heard anything from DHR?" She kind of did head up the whole process. "No, I haven't heard anything, but I'll call. Still nothing. Still nothing." And that's not, I'm not up here, I'm not saying, "Hey, DHR is not cooperating with us."13:57As they said, they've got 87 kids in foster care. They've got a lot going on. And we quickly found out that you have to be proactive in the process. And as you should be, if you want to adopt and you're serious, you need to be proactive in the process. Don't sit around and wait on it to come to you.14:22So we, it took about a year for us to get approved through the whole process. Filled out the paperwork. We finally got in contact. We set up home studies. You go through what they'll call group preparation classes. Is that right? Courses. 10 classes that you go to. Usually they're set up for once a week for 10 weeks or something like that.14:50We got on an accelerated course through Baptist Children's Home in Calhoun County. So we went to theirs. They were doing the classes also. Did it in six weeks, seven weeks or so. Got approved or did that. Did our home study. And one thing they teach you in those classes, it's, when we started going to them, we were like, why do we need to go to classes on how to raise a kid?15:18But what they, but what you don't realize is these kids have gone through a lot. And a lot of us in this room.15:35We don't, we don't go through that growing up.15:54So they teach you the things you're going to deal with. And it's, it's some of the things you don't want to hear. I mean, it makes you want to choke somebody.16:22But, God also, um, He wants you to be understanding of what these kids go through. Because He wants you to know how to address, you know, some of the issues that you may face with these kids. But, um, so you go through the classes. And then, um, we started a home study. They come in. And it's kind of different for fostering and adopting of how your home needs to be set up,16:49of what you need to be prepared with. Um, one thing you'll learn, and it's rightly so, DHR through them, they're really going to push you to foster. And that's, that's, that's amazing. You heard that it's the need. At the time, we didn't feel like that was our calling. Uh, and I say at the time, um, our life's not over. But, um, so we, we decided to just stick with adopting.17:15But, we went ahead and got approved for fostering. Um, in case we needed to do a, a foster to adopt, which we didn't want to do also. Um, we just wanted to go straight to the adoption process. And, uh, you lay out your guidelines of, of kind of, you know, what you're looking for. And, yes, we had, when we filled out our paperwork, our guidelines, we were, we narrowed that kid down to that specific kid.17:39And we quickly found out, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's, that's not it. But, uh, so that's what we went through. Um, and that, that was about a year process. Uh, from the time we submitted to the paperwork to the time we got the call from DHR, that it got approved. Uh, so just to let you know, that's, that's, that's, and that's pretty average, I believe, of what you're looking at. So, after we got the, um, letter from the state that we were approved to adopt and licensed to adopt, it was, it was a waiting game.18:07And, fortunately, we didn't have to wait as long as a lot of people do. But, uh, during that process is when I started getting really worried about getting the call. Because, uh, I wasn't, uh, so worried about saying yes as, you know, saying no if it weren't the right fit.18:27And so, that was the hardest part of the process for me. The, uh, DHR called pretty soon after we were licensed and asked us to foster, even though we had told them we do not want to foster. Um, and, uh, so our social worker called me at work and said, um, we have a newborn at the hospital.18:48And, and we did not want a newborn, but she told me the story. And, um, I said, I'm going to have to call you back. So, I called Skylar. Upset, because I knew that my answer was no. But, how do you say no to a child who needs a home when you have a home to give to that child?19:12And so, we prayed about it. And I knew, I mean, the, the Lord spoke to me and just said, you know, you're going to say no so that some other couple can say yes. Some other couple who's been waiting on a newborn baby can say yes because you said no. So, we did have a couple calls from DHR, um, where we did not feel it was the right fit for us. So, um, June of last year, we got the final call about our boys.19:41And, um, the social worker did not have a lot of information about them. They had just become available for adoption. And so, we had very little information. Um, we, they gave us their names. They didn't have Zalem's name quite right. But, um, they gave us their names and their ages. They didn't have a picture or anything.20:09Um, but told us they were in Etowah County, which is actually where I'm from. So, um, they said we're going to have a meeting, um, with their social workers and the team there at Etowah County DHR on Friday. If you guys want to come and get some more information. So, we made our plan. And we went to the meeting. And I called our social worker ahead of time. And I said, "Now, are the boys going to be at the meeting?" Because I was emotional wreck.20:36And, like, I'm not sure I'm ready for that moment yet. I need to know what to prepare for. So, she said, "No, they will not be there." So, we went, um, went into the office there in Gadsden. And, um, a group of children went in before us with a lady. And we didn't think much about it. And we went, uh, back with the social worker there. And she said, "Did you see them?"21:04And we said, "Who?" And they said, "The boys. They were in the lobby." And we said, "No, we had no idea. We didn't think they were going to be here." She said, "Come on." So, she brings us back to, uh, an area with a, um, two-sided glass where we could see them. They were in a playroom playing. We could see them, but they could not see us. And so, that's when we saw them for the first time. And in that moment, I knew that these were my children.21:30And it was extremely overwhelming. I cried the entire day. But, um, you know, it's just every emotion you can imagine. I was extremely excited, terrified. "Am I going to be a good mother to these boys?" And just so thankful that God had chosen us for those boys. So, that was a very special moment for me.21:57And, uh, I was going to think about the rest of that day. Is that timer? Is that for us? Okay. We're way over six minutes. Um, so, so just to give you a preview about what we were there for that day. They had their service plan hearing that day about what's the plan, what's DHR's plan going to be for the boys. Um, the foster mom who, uh, was, we got to meet, she was there. Amazing lady, um, taught the boys so much, uh, especially about Christ.22:25And, uh, her name is Miss Angel. That's pretty neat. Um, but, uh, so we had the hearing and we got to sit through and they, we got to hear them go through what they usually go through. And then it was, it was kind of an interview, uh, of us about kind of what we're looking for. And so we would answer questions and we got to hear, uh, a pretty neat story about how we became to be the call, uh, for the boys.22:47So, uh, they were going up for adoption. And so the state agency comes up, um, from Montgomery state social worker. Uh, so she has the boys names and she's going through what the plan needs to be for the boys. And she's in her hotel room. Um, and so she's thinking, you know, who were, do I know anybody who can be, uh, first call for the boys.23:12She said she opens her suitcase and there's our packet. She said, why your packet was in my suitcase? I have no idea. But we all know God put that packet there. Um, well, I'm an emotional wreck too. Uh, so we went, we, we, we went through that.23:40And, um, so that was on a Friday and they said, can you call us Monday? We need an answer. So we said, that's, that's fine. We can. Uh, we got back to the truck in the parking lot. Pulled out our phones and called DHR and said, we'll take them. Said, we don't have to wait until Monday. And so we, we set up a day, uh, at Nakalula Falls for that Wednesday, um, to meet the boys.24:03Kind of have a little play day. And, uh, then they moved in on Friday. So a week from, a week from the call, uh, they moved in our house. Now it wasn't done then. Uh, we have to have the boys for 90 days, uh, before they can approve the adoption, uh, before all paperwork is complete. So we had a, uh, a meeting with social worker once a month, uh, from Etowah County.24:32She would come to the house and, you know, ask the boys how everything's going, talk to us, and if we had any questions. And then, uh, on her last, um, last visit, she submitted the papers. And then we, uh, adopted the boys, uh, last, uh, October. Last October. Uh, we were able to, um, go meet the judge and sign the papers.24:57And they, uh, we, uh, we, you know, we say they became our family the day they moved in. Not the day of adoption. Um, but that's the day they officially became Everett's on that day. So, we're going to wrap this up with the best part of our story. Guys, will you come up here for just a minute? We're going to take this opportunity to brag on them. This is my Trenton, Trenton's six.25:26And this is Zalen and he's seven. And let me just, uh, um, wrap this up by encouraging you. If you've ever thought about adoption or fostering, please just take the first step. Fill out the paperwork. I can't imagine that you would change your mind.25:54But if you do, it's okay. But, um, it's so worth it. They are such a blessing. So, um, we would love to be a resource to you if you're considering it. Uh, we, we used them. We reached out to people who had already done this, uh, during our process. So, we would love to help you. But thank you to our church family. We could not have done this without you. And just know that, uh, these kids that, that go through the system, go through the system.26:23They're, they're special. They all have a gift. And the gift that our kids have is the uncanny ability to make your hair fall out extremely quick. So, you thought you're gonna get out from not having a sermon? Not gonna happen. But it's gonna be a short one. I told my wife, I said, we scheduled the entire day for Orphan Sunday. We have it all planned through Planning Center. And I have five minutes to preach. She laughed out loud.26:51But I am going to do my best to keep it under five minutes and, and get us out of here. We have a big, big announcement. If you want to know more about Forgotten Initiative, go out to the table. Out to Carissa's got more information about that. If you want to be a part of that in any way possible, she's got great information. Especially for those of us like us that maybe are past that timeframe of age that we might not be able to actually adopt, but we can actually be involved financially.27:18We can be involved in helping those next generation people, those millennials, to come alongside and adopt. The handout inside the worship folder is worth reading over, worth putting in your Bible, and keeping that close to your prayer list as well. 6,000 Alabama children in foster care. That's in our state right now. 518 Alabama foster children are waiting to be adopted.27:46They are literally looking for a home. They are needing a place to call permanently to be called home. 87 right here in St. Clair County. Only 25 active foster families in St. Clair County. 80,000 foster children in the U.S. age out, meaning they age out of every year without being adopted. We can eradicate that, amen?28:14We can either financially give to that and be a part of that or we can adopt or we can foster. We can resolve this issue here in America and more locally right here in St. Clair County. If you brought your Bible, turn with me quickly to Ephesians chapter one. I will not lament very long. I do have a few things I want to encourage you in the word today. Ephesians chapter one, beginning with the fourth verse. And the Bible says this, even before he made the word, God loved us and chose us in Christ Jesus to be holy and without fault in his eyes.28:41God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear son.29:04He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us along with all wisdom and understanding. Folks, let me tell you something about adoption. God changes those who have been adopted. He changes their family.29:33Not only does he change their family, but he changes the family of those who adopt those children. Now, I can tell you Skylar and Kelly, their family changed. They're changed. I know their boys. Their family has changed. But I know Skylar and Kelly and their boys are saying, hmm, man, my family life changed when they moved in there. And it was a two-way street. But God changes our family. Why? Because he planned it that way, right? He planned to love us as he has loved every child that has a place to, needs a place to live.30:01He loves us. He paid the price for every soul on the planet. God demonstrated his own love towards us while we were sinners. He died for us. He planned to love us. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He loves us. He planned to love us. And he pursues us with this passionate love relationship with us.30:28In verse 5, it says God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. You see, God not only changes the status, he changes the family makeup of those who are adopted, but he also changes their status. He changes their status. If you notice in Galatians chapter 4, verse 7 through 4 through 7, listen to what the word says.30:56Don't take time to read it. Go back and read it later. But when the right time came, God sent his son, born of a woman, subject to the law. But God sent him to buy freedom for us all who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own children. But then because we are his children, God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, Abba, Father.31:19And now you are no longer slave, but you are God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. See, God not only changes the family makeup of those who are adopted or those who are doing the adopting, he changes that family makeup, but he changes the status as well.31:40He changes the status as well. When I was reading that passage of scripture preparing for my comments today, I started thinking there are three godsents there. There are three godsents. You see, for someone to be adoption, adoption requires someone to come along at the right time for the right girls.31:59Somebody came along at the right time. For Mary Beth, somebody came along at the right time. For Skylar and Kelly, they came along at the right time. You see, folks, for adoption to happen and for us to eradicate what we read on this handout, we got to come along at the right time.32:20And the right time is right now. So adoption requires somebody to come along at the right time. Secondly, adoption requires someone who possesses the right qualifications. You see, they don't just say, "Hey, we want you to be stuck into this family." I'm not going to lament too long on this, but Deb and I were approved as foster parents.32:47My brother took his life in 1977, and when he did so, he left a wife and two small, small children. His wife has since died, and she was really emotional, distraught, and she kind of left the children alone a lot. And small, small children. And so they put them into foster care. And so Deb and I met in 1979, fell madly in love with each other.33:13We married in 1980, and from May 1980 until December, we had no children in our home. But in December of 1980, we took on, as foster parents, my own flesh and blood, my own two nieces, Alice and Mitzi. I've talked about them time and time again. They're old, they have their own children now, their own husbands, their own families, and they're great kids. And they're two totally different personalities. But here's a brand new married couple, newlyweds, took on that.33:42We had to go through all, just because they were our flesh and blood, we still had to go through all the qualifications. We had to go through all the backgrounds to see if Debbie wasn't some kind of crazy person or something like that. So we had to go through the adoption. You see, the adoption process, it requires somebody who possesses the right qualifications. Possesses the right qualifications.34:09They've got to come along at the right time. You see, God sent Jesus. He sent his son, born of a woman, subject to the law. He sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law. And the third, God sent, he sent the spirit of his own son into our own hearts. Not only requires the right time, the right qualification, but it requires the right resolve. We've got to stick it out. Those that are going through that adoption process, those that are waiting for that adoption process,34:38those that are waiting to be adopted, they've got to have the right resolve. That's what the Holy Spirit, the power of Paraclete, will drive and motivate us and protect us. So God, when we go through adoption, God requires somebody with the right resolve in comparison, in parallel. You see, God is that person. He sent the Holy Spirit to protect us.35:07We're no longer slaves, but God's own child. And since we are his own child, God has made us. Now this ought to make you shout his heir. You see, even though those that have been adopted are not blood related, but they are now related. They are inheriting all of those inheritance because now the resolve is they are part of that family.35:30For the Christ follower, we receive all the benefits of being God's own child. You see, God not only changes the family, God changes the status. He also changes our heavenly future. Romans 8:15-17.35:57Romans 8:15-17. Don't take time, but read it when you get a chance. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you have received God's spirit when he adopted you as his own child. Now we call him Abba, Father. For his spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are God's children, we are his heirs. In fact, together, together with Christ, we are heirs of God's glory.36:23But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Now let me just gather you in here closely, folks. We are part of this great family. We are all part of the family of God. We all, we all, we all suffer in the same afflictions. In the suffer, we all share the same sufferings. For the last 14 plus months, you've been under the same suffering and afflictions and persecution from this pulpit, I say.36:51But those days are about to change. I can tell you, folks, we're about to see some of the greatest days in the life of this congregation that you have ever seen in your life. I believe beyond a shadow of doubt, the best days are ahead in the life of this church.37:13God not only changes our family, he changes our status, but God changes our future as well. He promises that inheritance. He promises to prepare an eternal home for every one of us. As Christ followers, we don't have to wait. We don't have to wait to begin to enjoy the spiritual riches that are in Christ Jesus our Lord.37:39So, folks, let me tell you something. While we're talking Adoption Sunday, we have a unique opportunity to expand the family of God. Right here, right now, in the next few weeks, God is going to do something uniquely special in the life of this church. I pray you will be a part of everything that is about to happen.38:06God changes our future. God changes our status. And he changes our family. Would you join me in prayer? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
