New England Mission Resources

N.U.H.O.P.E. - Responding to the World Crisis of Orphans

Featured Video from Food for Orphans, a N.U.H.O.P.E partner organization.


“We support and encourage greater awareness and education to promote adoption of a wide variety of children through foster care, international adoption, and domestic adoption. And, “we commend  the birth parent(s), the receiving parent(s), and the child to the care  of the Church, that grief might be shared, joy might be celebrated, and the child might be nurtured in a community of Christian love.”

 --United Methodist Social Principles, Paragraph 161.L
 

N.U.H.O.P.E.

New England United Methodists
Hope for Orphans through Prayer and Equipping
At the June 2008 Annual Conference, Resolution 210 – Crisis of the Orphans of the World was adopted. Now it is time to put Resolution 210 into Action. We are kicking off N.U.H.O.P.E with a number of exciting opportunities to reach these children through prayer, awareness, and action.
 
At a Glance…
  • There are estimated to be over 150 Million orphans in the world today
  • Every 16 seconds, a child becomes orphaned by the AID/HIV crisis and less than half will live more than five years after being orphaned
  • Of the 800,000 children in the foster care system in this country, nearly 180,000 of these children are ready to be adopted, and less than 10% will be adopted.
The New England Annual Conference considers the World Wide Adoption/Orphan Crisis to be unacceptable.
 
N.U.H.O.P.E and The United Methodist Church of the New England Conference have the opportunity to be advocates for these children in all of New England. The voice of the Christian community in New England towards the plight of these children is very soft and it is time that all Christians in New England raise their voice for these children throughout the world. The opportunity we have is that each local church can reach out to the other churches in their communities to share and be the catalyst to orphan awareness which is desperately needed in our New England states.
 
Here are some ways that your church can participate in activities to support Resolution 210:
Recognize National Adoption Month in November
N.U.H.O.P.E is asking all of our local churches, committee’s, bible studies, Sunday schools, United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men, youth groups and anyone else that gathers in the name of Jesus Christ to recognize “NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH” each November. 
 
We can celebrate in a number of ways; through Sermons, bible study, children’s message, prayer time, and general awareness of the plight of orphans and the adoption crisis in the world.
 
Orphan Sunday November 8, 2009 was a big success!
More than 50 churches officially participated in Orphan Sunday activities, including a free webcast concert featuring Stephen Curtis Chapman on Sunday November 8.  Even some of our brothers and sisters from Vermont responded to the request and participated with us!  Nationwide, there was at least one church praying for orphans in every state of the union, all of our territories, and globally!
Keep praying for the orphans!
And you are always invited to participate in the One Meal Miracle:
One Meal Miracle
N.U.H.O.P.E and Food for Orphans have partnered to kick off N.U.H.O.P.E by asking each church in the New England conference to raise $180 in the month of November. This small amount of money will feed one orphan everyday for one year. Food for Orphans calls this program the One Meal Miracle. With this one-time effort the United Methodist churches in New England can feed over 500 children for a year.
 
Resources and information for contributing to the One Meal Miracle can be found here: Click for more.
or click here for a downloadable magazine/insert to share in your congregation.     
 
If you would like to support the One Meal Miracle, or contribute the the N.U.H.O.P.E. effort, make checks payable to N.U.H.O.P.E and send to:
(Note: include "One Meal Miracle" in the memo line of your check if you desire the funds to be used specifically for the One Meal Miracle ministry.)
 
N.U.H.O.P.E.
c/o Faith Fellowship UMC
9 N Main St
Mansfield, MA 02048
Attn: Pastor David Arruda
Additional Information on Orphans, Adoption, and National Adoption Month
 

Is your church already involved in orphan/adoption/foster care ministries?

Contact David Arruda, djarruda@verizon.net or 508-207-3117 if you are interested in being a part of the NUHOPE team!