Refuge
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)
Caring for children-at-risk is close to the heart of God and it’s close to our heart as well. We want to be people of mercy and hope to children who may never otherwise experience hope. Refuge is the name we use for our strategy of caring for children-at-risk through local and foreign adoption ministries, supporting orphanages, foster care, etc.
With 143 million orphans in the world today, this is a big challenge. Through partnerships with orphanages in Africa and India and missionaries around the world, we endeavor to help met the needs of these children. We encourage adoptive families in our church and those who might be able to open their home as a foster family and offer assistance where and whenever possible.
Connect with Refuge
Our Refuge ministry is a newborn baby and we are looking for more willing people to help with this worldwide epidemic. We desire our church to be a part of the solution for the orphans. Here are some ways you can get involved:
- Go. Each year we send teams out into the mission field to do things like build orphanages and schools and minister to children in places like the Dominican Republic, Africa and India.
- Pray. These children need your prayers. Our missionaries on the field need your prayers. Our families in the church who are working with childre-at-risk need your prayers.
- Adopt / Foster Care. Imagine what it would mean to bring a child into your home where your family could surround that child with the love of Christ. That is the opportunity afforded by adoption and foster care.
- Give. Each month we feature a different missionary and present the opportunity for you to bless that missionary and their work with the money God has entrusted to you. Of course, you can always give online too!
- Special Projects. A few times a year we offer special projects that we invite you to join:
- Operation Christmas Child: Imagine what it would be like if you never received a Christmas present? For many kids around the world, that is more than a nightmare, it’s a reality. Through packing shoeboxes with gifts both practical and fun, children around the world can experience an amazing blessing. For Christmas 2008, Glasgow Church sent over 300 shoeboxes around the world through OCC.
- Christmas Stars: Each Christmas, our deacons offer the STARS ministry which allows us to bless local families with Christmas presents. This past Christmas, children all around our area received presents through the generosity of the members of our congregation.
- Go. Ok, we know. We started with that one. But maybe God is doing a special work in your heart and you are thinking you would like to go for more than a week or two. If God is placing a call on your life and you want to go long term into the mission field (a year or more), call the office and tell us. We’d love to sit down and pray with you about the possibility of full time service to children-at-risk.