Evangelical Leaders Point to Church as Answer to Orphan Crisis

By Michelle A. Vu, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, May 12, 2007

Evangelical leaders this week looked toward the Church for answers to the orphan crisis during the Evangelical Orphan Care and Adoption Summit.

Several speakers at the summit consisting of ministry presidents and CEOs, church leaders, and Christian aid workers pointed to the Church as the body large enough to help the more than 143 million orphans in the world today, according to the United Nations.

"Our vision is every orphan knowing the love of Christ and Him as Savior," said Paul Pennington, founder and director of Hope for Orphans International, according to Focus on the Family's Citizenlink.

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"The Church has the capacity to make a real difference in the lives of millions of orphans who have no voice, no hope, no idea what life is going to hold for them."

Pennington himself has experienced first hand how Christians can make a difference in an orphan's life. The Penningtons have adopted two children domestically and three children from Korea to add to their original family of three with their one biological child.

Paul and Robin Pennington, joined by their three adopted Korean children, are among the hundreds who attended this year's third annual adoption summit hosted for the first time by Focus on the Family at their Colorado Springs, Colo. headquarters on May 9-11.

The summit, which began with only 30 people three years ago, has grown to more than 300 participants at this year's conference.

"Our mission is to motivate and unify the body of Christ to live out God's mandate to care for the orphan," said best-selling author Rick Warren on the opening day.

Warren tied his talk on the orphan crisis to the most urgent problems in the world – what he calls the "Five Global Goliaths" – spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, poverty, pandemic diseases, and illiteracy.

"The only thing big enough in the world to solve these problems is the massive distribution network called the Church - the Church of Jesus Christ," Warren said.

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly, who himself was an orphan struggling to survive at an early age, told attendees he was "privileged and proud" to join the effort.

"We're about life. I'm proud to say we're stepping in to work with you however we can to raise the awareness of the plight of the orphan around the world," said Daly.

Summit participants had the opportunity to attend workshops addressing key issues including: "Building Alliances Between State Foster Care and Local Churches," "Ministering to HIV/AIDS Orphans," and "Orphans, Colorado and the Church."

This year's summit was organized by Focus on the Family, FamilyLife and Steven Curtis Chapman's Shaohannah's Hope. Chapman performed live at the summit on Thursday night.

"God loves the orphan because He loves human life," said Dennis Rainey, president of FamilyLife. "He's pro-life, He's pro-orphan, He's pro-adoption, He's pro-foster care. Orphans are image-bearers to the next generation. They reflect the glory of God."