Friends,

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming Orphan Care Summit that Faith Bible Church will be hosting next weekend. We are holding the Summit on Saturday, Nov. 1st, the same weekend as International Orphan Sunday. In the past, we have held a number of Orphan Care events at FBC, but generally aimed at our body. This year we would like to branch out and make this event accessible to believers all over Orange County.

The Orphan Issue Is a Gopsel Issue

Our main purpose in this 1 day conference to is advance the cause of orphan care as a fruit of the gospel. Thus our theme for this year is 'The Call of the Cross'. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Mark Tatlock, an adoptive father and president of The Master's Academy International. We will have a mixture of plenary and break out sessions with a few different tracks: orphan care ministry in the church, adoption, foster care, and other orphan care-related issues. Our desire is both to encourage and equip believers to either carry on the work of orphan care or to find out how they can become involved. We will have a number of guest ministries on hand who provide various opportunities and services related to orphan care (child sponsorship, adoption, foster care placement, etc.).

The Schedule

The Summit itself will go from approximately 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM (a schedule with breakout sessions will be coming soon). In the evening, following a dinner break, FBC will be having its annual Orphan Care Night. This is an evening session that is open to everyone, free of charge, and will include more information and testimonies about Orphan Care, as well as a silent auction to raise money for Orphan Care at FBC. This evening session is a more informal time, providing both valuable information as well as a time of fellowship. On Sunday morning, FBC will also be celebrating International Orphan Sunday and Dr. Tatlock will be preaching. Everyone is invited to come and worship with us if they are still in the area.

The Church's Call of the Cross

We are convinced that orphan care is a fruit of the gospel working in the lives of God's people. We are also convinced that the church needs to be involved in this unique area of ministry. If the church is going to be involved, it is vitally important that pastors, elders, and other church leaders are truly supportive and fully behind this kind of gospel ministry. In light of that, we are offering any attendees of the conference the opportunity to bring their pastor for free! We will have a break out session just for pastors, as well as an informal pastors' lunch with Dr. Tatlock.

Conference Details

It is our desire that the Summit would be accessible to all, so the cost is only $25/person, which includes lunch. There will not be childcare available, though. We will be meeting at Stoneybrooke Christian School in Ladera Ranch. (26122 O'Neill Drive, Ladera Ranch, CA 92694). Registration will open on Friday, October 10th on our website: www.faithbibleoc.org.

While we know that November is quickly approaching, we hope that you will be able to tell people you know about the Summit: your churches, friends, family...and anyone interested in learning more about orphan care!

If anyone has questions about the Summit, they can contact me via email or by calling (949) 326-3056.

Hoping to see you November 1st!