Continue reading »]]> Bethany Christian Services, one of OCA’s partners, is planning to start an office in Louisville.  As a result, they are recruiting for the position of Pregnancy Adoption Counselor.

General Summary:
Provide on going counseling to birth parents and families with unplanned pregnancies. The goal is to first protect the life of the unborn and then to provide on going support and resources while helping to plan for the child’s and birth parents’ future. Conduct quality family assessments, placement, and post-placement supervision in compliance with agency guidelines and state licensing regulations. Insure the best resources are available for children entrusted for adoption placement.

Essential Requirements:

1. MSW or MA/MS in a human service field.
2. Prior experience in child welfare.
3. Demonstrate excellent clinical and assessment skills.
4. Demonstrate verbal and written communications skills.
5. Computer skills sufficient to perform essential functions.
6. Subscription to and integration of the agency Statement of Faith, Mission Statement, and Cultural Diversity Commitment.

Essential Functions:

1. Promote Bethany’s pregnancy and adoption service programs through regular marketing efforts including contacts with Crisis and Emergency Pregnancy Centers, speaking engagements at high schools and colleges and distribution of service brochures to referral sources.
2. Respond to all problem pregnancy telephone intakes and provide intake assessment of client’s needs and/or requests.
3. Schedule appointment and provide direct service to women and involved family members.
4. Present adoption as a positive and viable alternative and should adoption be chosen, provide on going counseling as needed.
5. Arrange for alternative living arrangements, when necessary, through contact with maternity homes or shepherding homes.
6. Develop and coordinate Bethany’s relationships with area hospitals and referral agencies for support services to birth parents.
7. Assist in adoption planning and legal release of child.
8. Develop volunteer programs to assist as pregnancy support persons (transporters, friendships, labor coaches).
9. Conduct home studies for initially approved families according to agency expectations and procedures.
10. Provide post-placement supervision of children during the supervisory period.
11. Submit post-placement reports at appropriate times and make closing of adoptions according to schedule recommendations by the court.
12. Organize and manage time so all reports and documents are completed in a timely fashion.
13. Meet weekly, or as needed, with supervisor to consult on cases to review case plan and direction and to evaluate progress.
14. Attend training as needed and apply newly grained knowledge in providing service.
15. Facilitate support groups as needed.
16. Perform other duties as assigned.

If you’re interested in applying for the position, please contact Charlie Whitford at cwhitford@bethany.org.

Note: The above statements are intended to describe the general content and principal areas of responsibilities of this job. It is not an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements.

Continue reading »]]> A Father’s Heart!

Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son. This story is a wonderful picture of God’s love for us. In the story the son begs to leave his father’s house. The father grants the son’s wish giving him his portion of the inheritance.  After living a wild life of sin and fleshly pleasure, the son finds himself out of money and begging for food. Once he reaches the bottom of the barrel, eating from the pig trough, he realizes that the servants in his father’s house have it better. Walking toward the farm that he once called home, his father sees him in the distance and runs to him. He throws his arms around him and welcomes him back into the family.

With loving arms outspread for us, our heavenly father runs toward us compelling us to join his family. In this way we, the Gentiles, are adopted into his family. Forever grafted in as sons and daughters of the most high God. We are joint heirs with the Son. The one that is higher than any other. The one that is more beautiful than a field of wild flowers, stronger than the force of a hurricane, and as gentle as a dove. He is the one that gives our lives meaning and hope, not only for today, but also for the future. Our hope rests in Him. Our loving and eternal King welcomes us, he also bids us to gather others. The spirit of adoption is this. To love beyond all human reason, to give hope, and to welcome into our families as Christ has graciously welcomed us. Not only will the life of a child be changed but ours as well.

Mission 1:27 exists to help facilitate adoptions and orphan care around the world. Our heart is to reach as many kids as we can with the love of Christ. For more information about our ministry go to www.mission127.com or email me at info@mission127.com.

Together we can change a child’s life.

Continue reading »]]> Join us on Monday, Novemember 14th at 7:00 PM for our next OCAconnect Meeting.  We meet at Calvary Christian Church 10710 Taylorsville Road.

This meeting will be an open forum where you can come with your questions or concerns and have them addressed by Lucy Armistead from All Blessings International.

The OCA will be providing dinner and childcare!  Help us spread the word and invite your friends and other family members that have either adopted or just would like to be educated on expectations of your adoption or welcoming your child into the family.

Continue reading »]]> For the second year in a row, Orphan Care Alliance has been selected as an official charity of the 2012 Derby Festival Marathon/miniMarathon®!

Each year the marathon draws 18,000 runners and even more spectators to Louisville from all over the world!  This year’s race will be held on Saturday, April 28th, 2012 with a starting time of 7:30 AM.

We see our participation in the festival as being an extraordinary way of telling the world who we are, what we do and why we do it.  It is also a way to get our name and purpose out to the community through those who run on the OCA’s behalf  by raising donations for their run.

Last year we raised $5,000 through the donations to those running for the OCA.  This year, our goal is $15,000 or more through runners and corporate sponsorships.

Stay tuned for details on how you can become a part of the OCA team as a:

• OCA Runner (Individual or Team)
• Corporate Sponsor
• Race Day Volunteer
• Race Team Volunteer

To get a running start on your participation through a donation, log on to  http://www.active.com/donate/orphan .

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Roger Bradford with his beautiful wife Sheila

Orphan Care Alliance is a non-profit ministry that is solely supported through volunteers.  The entire ministry operates completely through the work of the dedicated individuals who have a heart for serving others.

Each month, we would like to put the spotlight on one of these volunteers and give them a chance to show what volunteering for OCA means to them.  Our hope is that you will see their heart, and be inspired to find out what volunteering for the OCA can mean to you, too.

 This month’s spotlight volunteer is Roger Bradford. Roger has been with OCA for almost two years. “God gave me a heart to serve. I think it is my strongest gift,” he says.

Roger realizes that the reasons he’s a volunteer at all is because of his heart for children, many of whom he saw suffering on his mission trip to Haiti in 2010. “Seeing all the orphans tore my heart out,” he says. “I love young kids and hate to see them suffer.”

Roger volunteers for one main reason: “Volunteering means [I’m able] to help kids that are need.” But, besides benefiting and placing him in a position to help them, Roger also says that his volunteering has been a good testament to his family as well. “It’s a good example for them to see the outflow of my Christian faith,” he admits.

Roger challenges others to take an honest look at their lives and evaluate how much time they have available to volunteer. “You are missing a godly blessing when you do not offer to help,” he says. “I [often] feel more blessed than the individual[s] I’m helping!”

Still, Roger knows that not everyone is right for working with children or volunteering in certain areas. “Not everyone has [the gift of] a servant’s heart, and you not feel bad if your gift is somewhere else. The world would be a boring place if we all had the same gift! But, sometimes your greatest blessing comes when you least expect it…”

 In speaking with Stacia Washausen who oversee’s the OCA Resource Store and Safe Families about Roger, Stacia had these kind words to say about Roger,  ”Roger has been an amazing addition to OCA.  He has a heart of gold and his love of God shows in everything he does. Roger started helping me with the Resource Store by making pick ups and doing various deliveries.  When we were doing furniture deliveries, Roger coordinated that and I can’t think of a better person for OCA to have out there as the first contact with kids aging out of foster care. As we have moved in to our new office, Roger has been pivotal in getting that done as well.  He has done anything and everything that has been needed from putting up drywall and lights, to putting together shelving units to coordinating our move in day.  I don’t think we would be as far along in our “move” if not for Roger.”  Stacia concluded with these words, “Roger truly is a man of God and he will always brighten your day!”

Inspired to serve?  If so, contact us at info@orphancarealliance.org for more information.

Continue reading »]]> Who does Safe Families help?  Families in crisis are assisted.  An example would be Gina, a mom of three who struggles with chronic depression.  During a particularly difficult time, Gina was told about the Safe Families program.  A host family cared for her children while she was hospitalized to get her medications stabilized.  Gina is back home with her children and facing life without the darkness of depression.

What are the goals of the Safe Families for Children movement?  The first goal is that of child welfare deflection which is accomplished by providing a safe alternative to the child welfare system.  The second goal of the movement is child abuse/neglect prevention.   Providing a parent in crisis with a safe, temporary home for their child without the threat of losing custody can ward off potential abuse/neglect.  Providing family support and stabilization is the third and final goal of Safe Families.  Many struggling parents have limited social supports and unavailable extended family.  A large number of host families become that extended family these parents desperately need.

Why Safe Families for Children?  Our resources are vast.  Because all of our resources are volunteer-driven, there are no financial limitations to growth.  There is also a cost savings to society as a whole if we can avoid child abuse/neglect and restore family functioning.  The impact of Safe Families can be measured in decreased child welfare cases and decreased child abuse rates.  Child welfare agencies often can only intervene when a significant incident has occurred; that leaves a lot of children in vulnerable situations.  And finally, Safe Families raises the value of children in our society to include the reality that every child will have a safe place to live.

Join us in bringing the Safe Families for Children program to the Kentuckiana area!

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We were moved by God in 1998 to adopt after seeing an adoption story on TV and being influenced by friends who had adopted. We were really ignorant of the whole process, so we simply asked our friends, Leann & Jerry Toby, who had adopted domestically and from South Korea, to help us out.  They directed us to their agency, and after much consideration, we adopted Samuel, also from Korea.

 Samuel was an incredible addition to our family, and, with 5 children, we felt we were done.  However, God felt differently. We were surprised with a phone call from our adoption case worker about a year and a half later. Samuel’s birth parents in South Korea had another child whom they were placing for adoption, and wanted to contact us first.  We had 3 days to decide if we would take Sarah, and 30 days to come up with the $22,000 needed to do so.

But God never calls you into something that he will not provide a way for in order for you to accomplish it. We only had a couple thousand dollars, but we took a step of faith.  We told the agency that yes, we would take her.  We set out to raise the funds by contacting everyone we knew by mail, explaining our decision, and asked for their help.  Two weeks later, we had received help in the form of over 80 people sending checks, including some OCA members.  God had sent the entire amount we needed, and we actually had to turn away more people who wanted to give.  Four months later, we picked up Samuel’s sister, and our little girl, at Standiford Field.  Life has never been the same.

Samuel is now 11 years old and Sarah 9 years old. Again we feel that our family is complete, not to mention that we now have two grandchildren.  Instead of adopting, God has now led us into the ministry of helping and encouraging others in their adoption process in the Adoption and Orphan Ministry at Trinity World Outreach Center.  We are also OCA volunteers and help at their Adoption Seminars and other events.

God is good!

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Love Basket, Inc. began in the hearts of two missionary families who had adopted children internationally, and who were concerned for the circumstances surrounding children in other countries.  Founded in 1979 and incorporated in 1982, we initially worked in the country of India, and have since also developed adoption programs in and placed children from Ukraine, Russia, Slovakia, Romania, Haiti, China, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Ethiopia, and several other countries.  Our goal from the start and throughout these almost-30 years of ministry, has been to follow God’s leading in serving vulnerable children, whether in the US or other countries, finding them safety and nurture in a Christian family setting.

 The Mission

Love Basket has a two-fold mission: to help children needing families, and families desiring to unite with children to unite adoption; and to help those beyond the reach of adoption to receive needed sustenance services and evangelistic outreach, with the hope of enhancing their independence and well-being.

 About Us

Love Basket’s headquarters is located in Hillsboro, Missouri, in the central United States of America. In addition to our licensed, corporate offices in Missouri, we also have licensed offices in Minnesota and Kentucky.  Our work in Minnesota began in 1995, and in Kentucky, our work began in 2006.  It has been a privilege to serve children and families in both of these states.  Utilizing the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), Love Basket is able to place children in all 50 states and territories of the United States. 

 In addition to being licensed as a child-placing agency in the afore-mentioned states, Love Basket is also a nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization, is Hague-accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), and is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS), National Christian Adoption Fellowship (NCAF), the Alliance for Life-Missouri and the Kentucky Adoption Coalition.

 Current Programs

At the present time, Love Basket’s major international programs are in Haiti, Ethiopia, India and Russia.  Children from these countries are placed with families in all 50 states and territories of the United States.

 Love Basket’s Domestic (US-born infant) program began in 1985, in response to requests for help from women in the midst of unplanned pregnancies. This program has grown steadily continues to reach many women and children.  The goal of Love Basket’s Domestic program is to assist pregnant woman (and the birth father, if he is involved) in choosing the option – adoption or parenting – that is best for them and their baby.  If adoption is their choice, our staff stays alongside the birth parents, guiding them through the process of selecting adoptive parents and seeing the placement completed.

 Our staff also works with families as they prepare for parenthood through adoption. From assisting with the application process and completing home studies, to gathering the necessary paperwork for each placement, to being available as a resource after the placement, Love Basket is dedicated to serving each of our families in the future just as we have since our beginning in 1982.

 For more information on any of our programs, feel free to visit us at www.LoveBasket.org, or contact us at info@LoveBasket.org, 502-423-5780 (Kentucky), 636-797-4100 (Missouri).