Both Hands Project

If you have been around the adoption and orphan care world for very long at all, you are probably familiar with James 1:27. This is particularly true if your exposure has been to Christian orphan care ministries. The verse reads:

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

This verse, along with countless others throughout scripture, offer us valuable insight into our Father's heart for widows and orphans. It serves as a clarion call to all who claim to follow Christ that His heart breaks for the forgotten among us, and ours should as well. 

A verse that might be less widely used, at least in the context of orphan care, comes just five verses earlier. James 1:22 admonishes us to:

"be doers of the world, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

James then explains the fallacy in knowing the word of God, but not carrying out the commands therein. It is not enough, scripture teaches, for us to know about God. We must know God. Similarly, it is not enough for us to know the Bible. Rather, we are to allow our knowledge of the Bible, and our relationship with Christ, to compel us to action. Finally, it is not enough for us to know widows and orphans exist, and that God cares about them. Rather, we are to enter into their suffering and care for them as the hands and feet of Christ. 

So, what does that look like for you? I don't know, but we would like to help you find out. Chosen for Life Ministries exists, at its core, to help churches and individuals answer that question. We believe that, while we may not all be called to foster or adopt, we can all do something to share the love of Christ with the marginalized around us. 

One such way that we do this is through our annual Both Hands Project. This is one day a year that we set aside to serve widows, while also raising money for orphans. Over the last 4 years, hundreds of volunteers have given their time, and dozens of local businesses have donated materials, allowing us to serve 17 widows and nearly 100 orphans. This year, we will do it again on April 29th. 

Maybe you'd like to join us for our work day on the 29th. Perhaps your business could donate supplies to help us serve widows. You could support one of our volunteers financially, or you can volunteer in other ways to help make the work-sites run smoothly on April 29th. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, financially supporting a volunteer, or sponsoring our Both Hands Project, email Brian King at bking@chosenforlifeathens.com for the information you need to sign up!

The Both Hands Project is but one way that you could choose to serve orphans. There are countless more through this ministry and others. We are all called to do something. What does that look like for you? If you are ready to find out, check out our website or give us a call today. We would love to help you find the answer!