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Reading Assignment #1
The Scriptural Mandate:
General
scriptures concerning orphans:
Exodus 22:22-24;
Deuteronomy 10:18;
14:28,29;
16:11,14;
24:17-22;
26:12,13;
27:19;
Job 6:27;
22:9;
24:3,9;
29:12,13;
31:16-18,21;
Psalms 10:14,17,18;
27:10;
68:5;
82:3;
94:6;
146:9;
Proverbs 23:10;
Isaiah 1:17,23;
10:1,2;
Jeremiah 5:28;
7:6,7;
22:3;
49:11;
Hosea 14:3;
Malachi 3:5;
James 1:27
James
1:27
states, "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and
Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in
their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the
world"
James 1:27 is a scriptural mandate from the word of God
showing that we have a responsibility to take care of
orphans. God himself is considered to be the father to
the fatherless.
One
of the greatest Christian orphanages that I personally
have read about that touched my life was founded by Rev.
George Mueller. The Lord was faithful to Rev. Mueller
through all the years of his ministry and to the
children and the Lord truly revealed and proved himself
as the father to the fatherless.
Your reading assignment this week is:
http://www.biblebelievers.com/george_muller/g-m_ch07.html
http://www.biblebelievers.com/george_muller/g-m_ch14.html
http://www.biblebelievers.com/george_muller/g-m_appendix-h.html
http://www.biblebelievers.com/george_muller/g-m_appendix-e.html
http://www.biblebelievers.com/george_muller/g-m_ch20.html
Writing
Assignment #1
Write a 6 page paper on what you learned about the life
of George Mueller and his work with orphans and expound
on how this could be accomplished today.
_____________________________________________________________________
Reading Assignment #2:
The
HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Its Affect:
Differences in orphan definition have program and policy
implications. It is thus, very important that
researchers, epidemiologists and policy-makers
explicitly state their understanding and usage of the
term "orphan". Not only does it vary if we approach it
from an epidemiological or a legal point of view, but
the ordinary language usage varies among people of
different cultures and ethnic groups.
Michaels & Levine (1992) of the Orphan Project use the
term "orphan" to describe children who have lost one or
both parents. They indicate that a majority of the
women with AIDS are single mothers and, thus, their
children will lose their only parent. This rationale
may not be accurate in all contexts and geographic
locations, though.
From
the Greek  (orphanos),
and Late Latin orphanus, the American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language defines an orphan as
a "child whose parents are dead". According to the
on-line Encyclopedia Britannica and the Merriam-Webster
Dictionary an orphan is:
(1)
a child deprived by death of one or usually both
parents;
(2)
a young animal that has lost its mother,
(3)
one deprived of some protection or advantage-e.g.,
orphans of the storm.
These definitions contain several important elements and
distinctions: on one hand, there is a child who may have
lost one or both parents; on the other, there is an
emphasis on maternal orphan hood, as it leaves the young
animal (also true of infants) in a particularly
vulnerable situation; finally, there is a figurative use
of the word, which puts on the same level parentless
children and people who are alone, solitary; abandoned,
cast-off, forsaken, lost; disregarded, ignored,
neglected, slighted.
The
definition of 'AIDS orphan' used by UNAIDS, WHO and
UNICEF is of a child who loses his/her mother to AIDS
before reaching the age of 15 years. Some of these
children have also lost, or will later loose, their
father to AIDS as well. A child whose father dies
typically experiences serious psychological, emotional,
social and economic loss. However, because reliable
data on the number of paternal orphans are not available
in many countries, the orphan statistics used by UNAIDS and UNICEF do not include
children who have lost only their fathers.
Overall, there are variations in the age up to which
children are considered orphans (14, 15, 18 or 21 years
old) and the patterns of parental death (both parents
die, either parent died or death of mother only). As I said before, it is important that we state our definition. Here, we use UNAIDS's understanding of the
term.
HIV
and AIDS are at an epidemic proportion in the world
today. Many children are left homeless due to their
parents dying of AIDS, yet many have AIDS themselves and
are dying and must be cared for. This week you will be
looking at the statistics and examining the plight of
orphans worldwide in relation to the AIDS epidemic.
Your reading assignment this week is to go to
www.avert.org
and read the articles pertaining to AIDS orphans.
http://www.avert.org/aidsorphans.htm
Writing
Assignment #2
Your writing assignment this week is to go to
www.avert.org
and read the articles pertaining to AIDS orphans and
write a 6 page paper on the cause, effects and possible
solutions to this problem.
______________________________________________________________________
Reading
Assignment #3:
The
Adoption Process:
The
greatest joy in the orphanage ministry is finding homes
for the children who have lost their parents. This week
you will be looking at the AMERICANADOPTIONS.COM website
and examining the adoption process. Notice the steps
and procedures a new parent must go through to adopt a
child.
http://www.americanadoptions.com/
Writing
Assignment #3
This week your writing assignment is to write a 6 paper
outlining the adoption process step by step.
_____________________________________________________________________
Reading
Assignment #4:
Legal Issues in the Adoption Process:
In
order to adopt children or to put children up for
adoption there are laws and regulations to be followed.
This week you will be examining the laws and
regulations for adoptions in the U.S.
http://www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/article_view/article_id/8
Writing
Assignment #4
This week you will write a 6 page paper on the legal
aspects of adoption in your area. You may look up other
resources to find the laws pertaining to the state or
country that you live in.
______________________________________________________________________
Reading
Assignment #5:
Starting a Non-Profit, 501©(3) Ministry:
In
the United States it is required to become a non-profit
organization in order to receive donations to support
your ministry. This week you will examine the process
that is involved to incorporate any type of ministry and
you will examine the various aspects of starting a
non-profit orphanage.
http://www.foundationgroup.org/content.asp?SID=887&CID=34294
Writing
Assignment #5
After reading the articles on starting a non profit
organization, please write a 6 page paper on how to go
about creating a non-profit ministry.
______________________________________________________________________
Reading
Assignment #6:
Funding a Non-Profit Organization:
This week we will examine funding for your non-profit
organization. One of the most common means of funding
is grant writing. The articles you will be looking at
are about how to put together a grant proposal and how
to find organizations that will fund your specific
project.
How
to Create a Grant Proposal:
http://www.npguides.org/
Applying for a Government Grant:
http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted
Writing
Assignment #6
Write a 6 page paper on the process of creating and
submitting a grant proposal.
______________________________________________________________
FINAL PAPER:
Directions:
In writing, develop an Orphan Ministry or Para-Church
Model. The model length should be a minimum
of ten (10) pages and no
longer than fifteen (15)
pages. (It will be impossible to secure an A on the
final with less than ten pages). Be creative! Use the
things that you learned in the other lessons and the
things God has laid on your heart.
Ingredients: The
following must be included in your model but your model
is not limited to them:
Orphan Ministry Theological Justification:
Why have you chosen to start an orphan ministry or
Para-church ministry and what is your scriptural support
for such an endeavor? If you truly believe God is
calling you into this type of ministry, He will never
change His mind and this calling is never revoked. Make
sure of your calling and state what evidence He has
given you to do this.
People Group: What orphaned children
group have you targeted and why? (HIV-AIDS, Tsunami
victims,).
Church/Para-Church Name: What is the
name of your Orphan Ministry/Para-church ministry and
how did you arrive at this particular name? Does your
Orphan Ministry /Para-church name reflect the community
that you have planted in or the group of people you are
ministering to? What does this name say to the
unchurched – what message are you trying to
communicate?
Staffing: Discuss the type of staffing
you would need to make your Orphan Ministry /Para-Church
ministry a reality. Also give a brief job description
of each individual and how you will be selective in
choosing volunteers. What qualifications will you look
for and why?
Budget: Describe what your initial
budget would be over the space of the first year of
operation. Take into consideration the cost of
salaries, medical insurance, advertisements/public
relations, facility rental, staffing facilities and any
other foreseen expenses. Consider the spiritual,
economic, financial, social, racial, and other issues
which would benefit or prohibit your success in this
venture.
Nucleus: What technique would you use to
attract your nucleus of people around which you would
build your Orphan Ministry /Para-church?
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