November 13, 2022

 

This Sunday, November 13, thousands of churches around the country (and the world!) will be observing Orphan Sunday, which has this vision: That God’s great love for the orphan would find echo in our lives as well. We’re going to do the same.

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. (Psalm 68:5).”

For those who may have found yourselves at Grace in more recent days, you may not know that for years there was a vibrant ministry at Grace called Project Hope with a similar mission:

In grateful response to our adoption in Christ, Project Hope exists to consider the heart of God for the fatherless and how He calls the body of Christ to care for them in creative ways.

This was bigger than just encouraging Grace families to consider fostering and adoption. Our desire was to encourage this echo of the Father’s heart to find ways of expression in every member in one form or another. The call of Project Hope was this.

Together we hope to more deeply understand our adoption in Christ, replicate God’s work of adoption through opening our homes to the fatherless, and step out of our local community to shower God’s compassion on orphans both near and far.

Although this ministry has not been active for some years due to a need for new leadership with fresh vision, we have been praying that the Lord might raise it up again and begin a new work among us these days. To this end, we will be observing our own Defending the Fatherless Sunday this week.

Jason Oakes will be preaching from Psalm 82 this Sunday and Kenny Clark will be leading our sung worship. Donna Thoennes will also be sharing a reflection on the history, mission, vision, and fruit of Project Hope. Would you pray for each as they prepare?

Our patio will also be full of tables with people representing a wide variety of ways that God’s great love for the orphan might find an echo in your own life. We encourage you to come early this Sunday to give time to explore the tables and talk to the people who will be out there.

Would you pray this week that the Lord would spread a spirit of Psalm 82:3 among us, that we would join His work to “give justice to the weak and the fatherless.”

See you Sunday, Grace. Let’s come hungry!

 

Song Link of the Week

Behold (What Love Can Do) by Mission House

The blinded see, the chained are free
The doubtful now believer
The outcast known, the orphan home
You are my Redeemer

Behold, behold, behold what love can do
Behold, behold, He’s making all things new