Known To Me Forums

CHOSEN Adoption Ministry Website

2011-11-14T17:54:39-06:00

Please check out the website for this local Adoption and Orphan Care Ministry.
There is so much information there!

CHOSEN May Events

2011-04-13T23:53:48-06:00

Chosen Adoption Ministry Events for May
MAY 1 - Adoption Fellowship at Prairie Fields Park in Savoy - 4:30 pm

Everyone bring your own picnic dinner, drinks, and family to enjoy a time together with other adoptive families.
...
Please note that there are very few picnic tables at this park, so you’ll want to bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on.

No rain date is set - cancelled in the event of rain.

Thursday, May 26 at 7 PM.
First Christian Church
Guest speaker: Tom Campion (clinical psychologist, counselor, and adoptive parent) will be speaking on the topic of ATTACHMENT and BONDING. He will speak for approximately 1 hour, followed by a Q & A time.

Philippines Orphan Hosting Program Illinois 2011

2011-04-13T23:43:58-06:00

The Orphan Hosting Program will be taking place July 25 - August 15 in Central Illinois. The purpose of the program is to give older children the opportunity to find a forever family. We are still looking for host families for the sibling groups below.

From Michelle McGowan (coordinator of the program):
I had the opportunity to spend time with these kids while in the Philippines a few weeks ago and they are really nice children. The sisters - Mary Joy, Marielle and Paula are 10. 9. and 8 and get along very well. Their greatest wish is to have a family. Update: FAMILY FOUND TO HOST THESE SISTERS.
Rose and John are 13 and 9 and are very close. Their favorite thing to do together is to take care of the younger kids in the orphanage. They really hope to be adopted. Update: FAMILY NEEDED to come forward by Friday, 4/30!!!!
Update: Family Found To Host Rose and John!!
If you or anyone you know might be interested in hosting one of these sibling groups, please let me know. We need to find host families for them by FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011 for them to be able to participate in the hosting program.

Please contact michelledmcgowan at gmail dot com
See and download hosting brochure here:
http://www.inhishandsorphans.org/Default.aspx?pageId=655081

Chosen for Life: Mercy for the Orphan

2010-08-11T21:19:02-06:00

The Chosen Ministry of First Christian Church is hosting an adoption conference entitled ‘Chosen for Life: Mercy for the Orphan’ on Saturday, October 23. The conference will run from about 9 am - 2 pm (registration to begin at 8:30) and will be held at First Christian Church in Champaign.

Our keynote speaker will be author, speaker, and adoptive mom, Jill Savage. Our breakout sessions will cover topics such as getting started in the adoption process, the financial challenges of adoption, attachment/bonding, spiritual lessons learned during the adoption process, and more. We hope that if you are adopting, have adopted, or are interested in gaining more information about adoption, you will plan to attend.

Tickets will be $15 and will include lunch, keynote speaker and breakout sessions.
Online Conference Registration
http://www.formstack.com/forms/?995976-GNrzPxsI5A

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Garrison at klgarrison at comcast dot net.

Thanks!

Kathy

A link to the conference brochure:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=7114412&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=383404200476&id=688070049

Short Adoption Article from Washington Post

2010-08-30T00:33:52-06:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082605232.html

In His Hands Orphan Outreach- Sibling group adoption/older child hosting

2010-06-06T19:50:44-06:00

In His Hands Orphans Outreach Announcement from Michelle McGowan
Sibling Group from the Philippines need adoptive family:
Please help Kyle, Ronald and Mark to find a family. They are 4, 7 and 8. I got to spend time with these adorable boys while in the Philippines 6 weeks ago. They would be a wonderful blessing to a fortunate mom and dad. They also speak English. The family that was going to adopt them cannot do so now. The boys believe they have a family waiting for them and how terrible it would be to break their hearts, so we hope to find a family really soon. The adoption tax credit is now $13,170 for each child you adopt, so their adoption would end up being free once the money is returned to you. If you have any interest in finding out about these boys, please let me know what questions you have. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please show the picture around. I also have a lot of other pictures of the boys if you want to see them.
Orphan Hosting Program Update: We are still looking for a host family for Raymond. Raymond is a great 13 year old boy that I got to meet. Maybe you have already raised your children and would like to welcome an older child into your family. The 3 week August program is most likely Raymond’s last chance to ever find a family. Please contact me if you may be interested in hosting Raymond.
Please contact michelledmcgowan at gmail dot com for pictures and more information.
Here is the website of In His Hands Orphans Outreach a Central IL group near Springfield
http://inhishandsorphans.org/index.shtml

Local Orphan Hosting Program

2010-04-03T07:43:29-06:00

“In His Hands Orphans Outreach is developing a Summer Hosting Program for older Filipino orphans (ages 5+). A group of 10-20 children will be in the U.S. during the first 3 weeks of August. We are seeking families in the central Illinois area who are interested in hosting these children during their visit. “

This program is in cooperation with Madison Adoption Associates. This is for families who are seriously considering adoption. All the information is on the website:
http://inhishandsorphans.org/programs.shtml

Unfortunately, we are posting this late so if you are interested you will want to contact In His Hands today!!

Local Adoption/Foster Care Seminar 5/13/2010

2010-03-31T07:29:19-06:00

Adoption and Foster Care Seminar
Date:
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Time:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
First Christian, 3601 S Staley, Champaign
Description
On Thursday, May 13, the Chosen Ministry will host an informational evening about adoption and foster care. We will spend time together sharing information about the process of each, provide resources to get started, and answer your questions.

This evening is open to anyone. If you have ever thought about adopting or fostering, or even if you haven’t and have questions, this night is for you! Please help us spread the word about this event and plan to join us.

If you have questions, please email: chosen at fcc-online dot org

Adoption Conferences Spring 2010

2010-01-16T10:07:17-06:00

Have you ever considered attending a conference all about adoption?
Updated INFORMATION:
Check out this conference right here in Central IL.
Gwen Oatsvall and Suzanne Mayernick are the Keynote Speakers for
Connecting Hearts with the Forgotten conference in Normal IL on February 20th.
http://www.connectingheartsconference.org/

Gwen and Suzanne are two moms who love orphans! They met six years ago as they were both going through their first adoptions (one domestic and one international) … Thirteen kids and seven adoptions later, Christ has bound them together as family. They love doing life together and accepting the call to bring light into the darkness. They want to help as many people as possible to see the 147 million orphans worldwide as their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Gwen and Suzanne began 147millionorphans.com to help fund Amazima Ministries (Katie Davis) in Uganda and also help support adoptive families. They also run the sponsorship programs for Amazima Ministries in the States.

Other conferences:

1) Adopting for Life Conference will be held February 26-27, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky.
At this link you can read the introductory letter “ I used to hate adoption” and see the introductory video for the conference.
http://events.sbts.edu/adopting-for-life/
At the Adopting for Life conference: Russell Moore. David Platt and David Prince. Read a sermon by David Prince called The Manliness of Adoption: Testosterone and Pure Religion here: http://www.reformation21.org/articles/the-manliness-of-adoption-testosterone-and-pure-religion.php

2)Christian Alliance for Orphans conference - Summit VI is April 29-30, 2010 in Minneapolis, MN.
At this link, you can see the event announcement and the speakers at this event which will include John Piper, Tom Davis and Steven and Mary Beth Chapman.
http://www.christian-alliance-for-orphans.org/summit/

One more:
A conference for those considering adopting a child that is HIV positive is going on today, Saturday, January 16 in Chicago . I understand that portions of this conference will be available via pod cast at some point in the near future. This event is through Project Hopeful and The University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital.
http://www.projecthopeful.org/involved.html

A must-read article if you are considering adoption.

2010-01-27T15:06:08-06:00

This article helps a family think about adoption and the motivation behind this family choice.

http://empoweredtoconnect.org/adoption-from-the-inside-out/