Rescue Work

I want to take some of your time as you read this blog post, to expand on an idea that I had mentioned in my sermon yesterday. This idea can be summed up by this question: “For all we as the Church in America call for the end of abortion, what can we practically do that will honestly and compassionately minister to mothers, their unborn babies, and the fathers that are sometimes forgotten?”

This question is a hard one for us to answer, but let me give you a few things to think about as we consider this. First, couldn’t we, as local churches, partner with local crisis pregnancy centers to minister to women who are considering abortion, or who find themselves in an unwanted pregnancy? What if God were to raise up families who said, “We will take the pregnant mom into our home, care for her, feed her, make sure she gets her prenatal care, mentor, coach and encourage her as she goes through this time in her life.”? Do you think that if we, as a church, were known for this that more people would come to us to find answers?

Another idea is that the church be a place where we champion those who are willing to adopt children of unwanted pregnancies. If we were to have homes that were willing and able to not only support and nurture the baby after birth, but also to help support and nurture the moms who carry these children before and after birth.

What would these things look like? To be honest, I have no idea, but I feel strongly that the church should be leading this charge. We need to be proactive and not reactive as we have been.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to send me an email with your comments to jim.augustine1970@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing your ideas.

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

What Is It Going To Take?

God's call on the life of every Christian is twofold. He is calling us to take a stand against injustice. The events of last week with the two incidents involving the police and suspected criminals and then the shootings in Dallas, all help to remind us that this world we live in is a place that is missing justice.

But I don't really want to rehash last week again, but rather look ahead to the future. James says in chapter 1 and verse 27 that the worth our religion is predicated on what we do for those who are not only in distress, but cannot help themselves. James mentions widows (those who are older women who have lost their husbands) and orphans (those who have lost both father and mother and have no means of taking care of themselves) as two major groups of people that we can reach out and seek justice for.

So the question is this: What are you doing to look after widows and orphans in your community? I would challenge you to go to the website of Holt International. This group is similar to Compassion (another mission agency that I would highly recommend), with one major difference. This group hopes to encourage those who "sponsor" a child to consider eventually the adoption of that child into their family.

Now let me say up front that this is not for everyone. Adoption is a huge step for many people. But I would venture to guess that there are many who are reading this blog today who would have the wherewithal to do just that. It doesn't matter how old/young you are. If God calls you to this, don't wait. There are so many orphans in this world who need to know that Jesus loves them and has a forever family waiting for them.

Again, this is just a thought, and I hope that it sparks in some of you an idea to follow Christ's call on your life to stand up for those who are in need...widows and orphans!

Have a great weekend, and we look forward to seeing you on Sunday!