But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Galatians 4:4-7
A key element of the Imago Dei PEACE Plan is C: Care for the Orphan and Oppressed. If you’ve followed or attended Imago Dei Church for any length of time you’ve probably heard a lot about this important element of our ministry and mission—that as church body we desire to create and maintain a biblical culture of adoption and caring for the orphan and widow (James 1:27).
Why? First and foremost, because we believe that all human beings are made in the imago dei—the image of God—and because we love God our Creator, we should love all those created in his image. Further, as Christ followers, we know that we who were once spiritual orphans have been adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High God. What an honor and privilege! This is the impulse and foundation for all we say and do relative to adoption and orphan care. We adopt and care for the orphan because God has adopted and cares for us.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:14-17
We are also acutely aware that there is much pain and suffering in this present world, and that the orphan and fatherless often suffer the most. There are over 140 million orphans living in the world right now, and many more children that are functionally fatherless. This should not be so. As for Imago Dei Church, we desire to love and care for these children by helping to rescue them from their present oppression so that they may see and hear and know the love of Jesus. Further, we endeavor to do this through various means, including encouraging adoption and foster care.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:18
It is our hope and expectation that we will have many covenant members that desire to aid the orphan and oppressed through foster care, adoption and supporting others who are adopting and fostering. Consequently and in connection with our desire to come alongside IDC members who desire to love and care for the “least of these” (Matt. 25:40) we are launching the Imago Dei Adoption Fund. This fund, which will be administered through Lifesong for Orphans, will provide interest free loans to IDC members who desire to adopt domestically or internationally, and who require some financial assistance. While we will not be able to supply the majority of the funds necessary to complete most adoptions, it is our hope and plan that through this fund we will be able to help members with a portion of the finances they need. We look forward with eager expectation, and trust the Lord to use this fund as a means to help bring many children home to their new families.
For IDC members interested in receiving financial assistance with their current or future adoptions, please stay tuned. We are in the process of getting the fund set up with Lifesong and will be communicating more about how you can apply for a loan as soon as that process is complete. In the meantime, we have already set aside $11,000 in a new bank account that is designated exclusively for the adoption fund, and we’ve also setup the necessary logistics to allow members and others to give in support of it.
We also pray many of you will give to support this new fund – so that we can financially help multiple families carry out their desire to adopt. If you would like to do so, you can give to this fund by mailing a check to IDC, including it with your offering on Sunday morning, or utilizing online giving. Please note that your gift is for the Adoption Fund and it will be credited accordingly. For online giving, you can give through Paypal or the Online Giving option in Elexio, the IDC member web portal.
You’ll hear more about this fund, as well as other IDC initiatives to help care for the orphan and oppressed, throughout January as we continue our special series: Imago Dei – Knowing the God Who Made Us. We invite you to join us on Sunday mornings at 9 or 11 or listen online to hear more.
We are grateful to God for your past giving that made this possible, and we trust the Lord to continue to provide as He desires to support this initiative. We also pray that many of you will consider how you can support this effort through your giving and prayer, and that we will be able to see the fruit of this effort through the adoption of many of God’s children.