I just wanted to let everyone know we are getting geared up for Adoption month. We are excited to kick off the month with our pictorial display and information table we will be manning all month. Be praying that that all of our efforts, first of all, will bring God glory! Second, that we can raise the awareness of our church family to the plight of orphans around the world as well as in our own back yards. If you haven't ordered your "pray for orphans" t-shirt please contact Jennifer Nasser. Plan on wearing them every Sunday if you can. If you are interested in helping out at the table please let Teri Lavallet know which Sunday and the time you are available.
Please plan on joining us for the Orphan Sunday, Steven Curtis Chapman simulcast concert on Nov. 8th in the chapel at 3:30pm. We have a new blog site dedicated to the event, http://orphansunday.wordpress.com. Please visit the site and foreword the link to anyone who may be interested in any aspect of adoption and orphan care. We have invited several other adoption ministries from area churches to come fellowship with us as well. Stay tuned for more information as it come available.
Exciting News for Hunter Street!
Dear friends,
I am writing to tell you about some very exciting things that will be happening very soon at Hunter Street. One in particular will almost assuredly involve you personally so please keep reading!
Almost three months ago we formally approached our ministers to approve our ministry project for this fall. It took a little bit of time but God's timing is perfect. Our project has now been approved and we are working toward its successful realization. Here are the details:
Project Name: Adopt(ed)
Subtitle: Adopted by God... Adopting for His Glory.
Dates: Sunday November 8th (Orphan Sunday), 15th, and 22nd
Description:
A testimony in pictures to the love of God in His approval of care for the orphan (James 1:27, etc.). We will present a wall sized collage of black and white photographs of families and individuals who have adopted, are in the process of adoption, or who have been adopted, along with an abbreviated version of each family’s testimony to the way God has worked through their adoption. Participation is open to any family at Hunter Street touched by adoption or orphan care -- be it through foster care or a domestic or an international adoption. This testimonial wall -- an altar to God’s grace and mercy -- will be an attractive and evocative wall sized panel to be placed at the top of the escalator near or behind the Gathering Spot or possibly just inside the doorway to the South building adult Sunday school area on the first floor. Participation in our project is voluntary and will respect the right to privacy of any and all families who decline to participate. A map showing the country from which each adoption occurred may also be a part of our display.
Participation:
If you or someone you know at Hunter Street, a member or an attender, would like to participate, please contact us -- Jack or Teri Lavallet -- and we will get you scheduled for a portrait session. Currently there are seatings available for the following dates:
Wednesday, October 7th beginning at 6:30 PM
Sunday, October 11th beginning at 9:30 AM. A second session will begin at 4 PM.
Monday, October 12th beginning at 6:30 PM (our next meeting date)
Each seating should take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete. If these dates do not work for you, please contact us and we will try to arrange an alternate seating.
We ask that each participating family prepare a 3 x 5 card or equivalent with details as to their adoption story. Details might include the names of all family members, the date of the adoption(s), the country from which each adoption occurred, and a two to three line summary of your adoption testimony.
Benefits of Participation:
By participating in this project you will be raising awareness of the plight of the orphan both domestically and internationally. You will also demonstrate the provision of God to our local church body -- how He has provided families to the fatherless and children to those in whom He has created a desire to be parents. You will give a testimony through your family portrait of the true image of God's children -- a portrait that displays a relationship that transcends genetics, race, and cultural boundaries... a portrait of God's grace and love.
If these reasons alone were not enough reason to participate, you cannot deny that it is a great opportunity to have a beautiful portrait made of your forever family. Portraits will be made available for purchase. Details as to cost and availability will follow.
Additional Opportunities to Participate:
You may also participate in our project by helping us man one or more tables near the photo display on each of the dates mentioned.
Please contact Jack or Teri Lavallet if you would like to volunteer.
As you prayerfully consider participation, remember that our purpose statement is "to bring together families touched by adoption for the purpose of glorifying God!" Who knows how many more families will join our numbers in obedience to God's command that the orphan be cared for.
When you have prayed and received God's direction, please contact us at 987-6108 or simply reply to this e-mail.
To the glory of God and toward provision for His children,
Jack and Teri Lavallet
The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street
PS -- Be on the lookout for details concerning a concert and testimonial that will be simulcast by Hunter Street on Orphan Sunday (November 8) from 4 PM to 6 PM. Visit http://www.orphansunday.com to learn more.
PPS -- Please pray for those who will be attending the Together for Adoption (T4G) conference in Nashville this weekend. Please pray that God will continue to use our ministry and our church to meet the needs of orphans worldwide.
PPPS -- Here is our original letter:
July 7, 2009
To Our Church Ministers at Hunter Street:
The Adoption Ministry requests permission to display on Sunday, November 1st, 8th and 15th, a testimony in pictures to the love of God in His approval of care for the orphan (James 1:27, etc.). Our project would be entitled "Adopt(ed)" and would be subtitled "Adopted by God... Adopting for His Glory." We propose to present a wall sized collage of black and white photographs of families and individuals who have adopted, are in the process of adoption, or who have been adopted, along with an abbreviated version of each family’s testimony to the way God has worked through their adoption; participation would be open to any family at Hunter Street touched by adoption or orphan care -- be it through foster care or a domestic or and international adoption. This testimonial wall -- an altar to God’s grace and mercy -- would be an attractive and evocative wall sized panel to be placed at the top of the escalator near or behind the Gathering Spot. Participation in our project would be voluntary and would respect the right to privacy of any and all families who would decline to participate. Depending on the number of families participating -- and we believe there would be many -- we would also request to display in at least one other area such as Tadpole Park. We would also like to propose that the photographs be displayed in conjunction with a map showing the country from which each adoption occurred.
To ensure the success of our project, we request that Hunter Street fund or otherwise provide for the photography (8 x 10 family portraits), graphic artwork (photographic collage, titling, and map rendering), and the construction of the wall and map. We also request assistance to advertise on wall posters and in The Street and other church bulletins in order to access those families that might want to participate, but have heretofore never participated in or even discovered our ministry.
At the Southern Baptist Convention this very year, Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, proposed a resolution encouraging Southern Baptist churches to recognize November 8th as Orphan Sunday, focusing that day on our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world. This resolution was ratified and is ready to be adopted by Hunter Street. Our project would fit nicely into that theme. November is also National Adoption Month.
The mission statement of the Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street explains that we exist to... “bring together families touched by adoption for the purpose of glorifying God.” It is our desire to be a witness to the doctrine of adoption established by God to demonstrate His exceeding kindness and love for us; through this act -- an act transcending His wondrous act of justification for those who would turn in faith to Christ and confess and despise their sin -- God adopts us as his very children -- co-heirs with Christ through His righteousness. We feel that our proposed project would be such a witness. In addition to the testimony displayed by our project, it is our hope that other families at Hunter Street would become aware of adoption and its spiritual significance for us as believers. Like a healthy church is composed of a diverse group of believers who would otherwise share no common ground, God uses adoption to bring together a family of His own in a relationship that transcends genetic relationships. We would like to demystify adoption and encourage other families to think about how they might participate in adoption to fulfill God's example of religion that is pure and undefiled (James 1:27). Please join with us in our charge.
Sincerely,
Jack and Teri Lavallet
The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street
I am writing to tell you about some very exciting things that will be happening very soon at Hunter Street. One in particular will almost assuredly involve you personally so please keep reading!
Almost three months ago we formally approached our ministers to approve our ministry project for this fall. It took a little bit of time but God's timing is perfect. Our project has now been approved and we are working toward its successful realization. Here are the details:
Project Name: Adopt(ed)
Subtitle: Adopted by God... Adopting for His Glory.
Dates: Sunday November 8th (Orphan Sunday), 15th, and 22nd
Description:
A testimony in pictures to the love of God in His approval of care for the orphan (James 1:27, etc.). We will present a wall sized collage of black and white photographs of families and individuals who have adopted, are in the process of adoption, or who have been adopted, along with an abbreviated version of each family’s testimony to the way God has worked through their adoption. Participation is open to any family at Hunter Street touched by adoption or orphan care -- be it through foster care or a domestic or an international adoption. This testimonial wall -- an altar to God’s grace and mercy -- will be an attractive and evocative wall sized panel to be placed at the top of the escalator near or behind the Gathering Spot or possibly just inside the doorway to the South building adult Sunday school area on the first floor. Participation in our project is voluntary and will respect the right to privacy of any and all families who decline to participate. A map showing the country from which each adoption occurred may also be a part of our display.
Participation:
If you or someone you know at Hunter Street, a member or an attender, would like to participate, please contact us -- Jack or Teri Lavallet -- and we will get you scheduled for a portrait session. Currently there are seatings available for the following dates:
Wednesday, October 7th beginning at 6:30 PM
Sunday, October 11th beginning at 9:30 AM. A second session will begin at 4 PM.
Monday, October 12th beginning at 6:30 PM (our next meeting date)
Each seating should take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete. If these dates do not work for you, please contact us and we will try to arrange an alternate seating.
We ask that each participating family prepare a 3 x 5 card or equivalent with details as to their adoption story. Details might include the names of all family members, the date of the adoption(s), the country from which each adoption occurred, and a two to three line summary of your adoption testimony.
Benefits of Participation:
By participating in this project you will be raising awareness of the plight of the orphan both domestically and internationally. You will also demonstrate the provision of God to our local church body -- how He has provided families to the fatherless and children to those in whom He has created a desire to be parents. You will give a testimony through your family portrait of the true image of God's children -- a portrait that displays a relationship that transcends genetics, race, and cultural boundaries... a portrait of God's grace and love.
If these reasons alone were not enough reason to participate, you cannot deny that it is a great opportunity to have a beautiful portrait made of your forever family. Portraits will be made available for purchase. Details as to cost and availability will follow.
Additional Opportunities to Participate:
You may also participate in our project by helping us man one or more tables near the photo display on each of the dates mentioned.
Please contact Jack or Teri Lavallet if you would like to volunteer.
As you prayerfully consider participation, remember that our purpose statement is "to bring together families touched by adoption for the purpose of glorifying God!" Who knows how many more families will join our numbers in obedience to God's command that the orphan be cared for.
When you have prayed and received God's direction, please contact us at 987-6108 or simply reply to this e-mail.
To the glory of God and toward provision for His children,
Jack and Teri Lavallet
The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street
PS -- Be on the lookout for details concerning a concert and testimonial that will be simulcast by Hunter Street on Orphan Sunday (November 8) from 4 PM to 6 PM. Visit http://www.orphansunday.com to learn more.
PPS -- Please pray for those who will be attending the Together for Adoption (T4G) conference in Nashville this weekend. Please pray that God will continue to use our ministry and our church to meet the needs of orphans worldwide.
PPPS -- Here is our original letter:
July 7, 2009
To Our Church Ministers at Hunter Street:
The Adoption Ministry requests permission to display on Sunday, November 1st, 8th and 15th, a testimony in pictures to the love of God in His approval of care for the orphan (James 1:27, etc.). Our project would be entitled "Adopt(ed)" and would be subtitled "Adopted by God... Adopting for His Glory." We propose to present a wall sized collage of black and white photographs of families and individuals who have adopted, are in the process of adoption, or who have been adopted, along with an abbreviated version of each family’s testimony to the way God has worked through their adoption; participation would be open to any family at Hunter Street touched by adoption or orphan care -- be it through foster care or a domestic or and international adoption. This testimonial wall -- an altar to God’s grace and mercy -- would be an attractive and evocative wall sized panel to be placed at the top of the escalator near or behind the Gathering Spot. Participation in our project would be voluntary and would respect the right to privacy of any and all families who would decline to participate. Depending on the number of families participating -- and we believe there would be many -- we would also request to display in at least one other area such as Tadpole Park. We would also like to propose that the photographs be displayed in conjunction with a map showing the country from which each adoption occurred.
To ensure the success of our project, we request that Hunter Street fund or otherwise provide for the photography (8 x 10 family portraits), graphic artwork (photographic collage, titling, and map rendering), and the construction of the wall and map. We also request assistance to advertise on wall posters and in The Street and other church bulletins in order to access those families that might want to participate, but have heretofore never participated in or even discovered our ministry.
At the Southern Baptist Convention this very year, Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, proposed a resolution encouraging Southern Baptist churches to recognize November 8th as Orphan Sunday, focusing that day on our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world. This resolution was ratified and is ready to be adopted by Hunter Street. Our project would fit nicely into that theme. November is also National Adoption Month.
The mission statement of the Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street explains that we exist to... “bring together families touched by adoption for the purpose of glorifying God.” It is our desire to be a witness to the doctrine of adoption established by God to demonstrate His exceeding kindness and love for us; through this act -- an act transcending His wondrous act of justification for those who would turn in faith to Christ and confess and despise their sin -- God adopts us as his very children -- co-heirs with Christ through His righteousness. We feel that our proposed project would be such a witness. In addition to the testimony displayed by our project, it is our hope that other families at Hunter Street would become aware of adoption and its spiritual significance for us as believers. Like a healthy church is composed of a diverse group of believers who would otherwise share no common ground, God uses adoption to bring together a family of His own in a relationship that transcends genetic relationships. We would like to demystify adoption and encourage other families to think about how they might participate in adoption to fulfill God's example of religion that is pure and undefiled (James 1:27). Please join with us in our charge.
Sincerely,
Jack and Teri Lavallet
The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street
Dr. Russell Moore Speaks Regarding Recognizing Orphan Sunday
Hello everyone,
If you are planning on attending the upcoming Together for Adoption conference in Franklin, Tennessee, Brittnie Wilbanks has found a great rate at a great hotel. The room rates are $87 a night (or $95 a night for a balcony). This is a brand-new Marriott and several of us are booked. Hope to see you there. Here is the link:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/travel/bnacc-courtyard-franklin-cool-springs/
Also, our first regular meeting of the fall will be Monday, October 12 in room E305. We will be recapping the Together for Adoption trip and planning / working on our fall project which will be up for approval this next Tuesday (pray for us). Details forthcoming!
This should be an exciting year. God is doing something wonderful with adoption and orphan care across the world. Seek His will and His strength as you investigate or pursue adoption.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Jack and Teri Lavallet
The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street
If you are planning on attending the upcoming Together for Adoption conference in Franklin, Tennessee, Brittnie Wilbanks has found a great rate at a great hotel. The room rates are $87 a night (or $95 a night for a balcony). This is a brand-new Marriott and several of us are booked. Hope to see you there. Here is the link:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/travel/bnacc-courtyard-franklin-cool-springs/
Also, our first regular meeting of the fall will be Monday, October 12 in room E305. We will be recapping the Together for Adoption trip and planning / working on our fall project which will be up for approval this next Tuesday (pray for us). Details forthcoming!
This should be an exciting year. God is doing something wonderful with adoption and orphan care across the world. Seek His will and His strength as you investigate or pursue adoption.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Jack and Teri Lavallet
The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street
Adoption Seminar at the Night of Hope
Dear friends,
Hunter Street Baptist Church will be building up the body of Christ with a special event called the 'Night of Hope' this coming Wednesday, September 2nd, from 6:15 to 8:00 PM. The event will be presented in a seminar-like format. The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street will be featured as one of the "seminars". There will be two 45 minute sessions. We'd love for you to be there and to participate in our sessions.
Our speaker will be David Nasser and his wife Jennifer. As most of you know, David is a gifted and straight shooting evangelist most recently active with the Glory Revealed Tour; he and his wife Jennifer are also adoptive parents. David will be speaking on a beautiful and central doctrine of our faith, the Theology of Adoption, what God says about it and what hope it brings to you.
We would like any of you who would like to participate to come by our room either at six o'clock or at seven o'clock. We hope to be reaching people in the church who might not have ever come to one of our meetings, but who God is leading toward adoption in some role -- be it as adoptive parents, as foster parents, as supporters of those who have been called to these roles, or as those who are called to care for the orphan in any of the multitude of ways that it can be done. Your participation may be to simply attend the meetings, it may be to help us host the meetings as a greeter or a listener, or it may be to pray for us and our guests during the meetings -- the choice is yours... please pray and see where God is leading you.
If you are planning to attend, please let us know. We want to both serve you and help you plug-in so that you can serve. Simply reply to this post to let us know what God has placed on your heart.
We are excited about what God is going to do and to see the hope that he will impart to His children.
Sincerely,
Jack and Teri Lavallet
The Adoption Ministry at Hunter Street
PS --- we do not yet have a room number assigned, we will send out a follow-up e-mail tomorrow with details.
PPS -- here are some important details about the 'Night of Hope':
Night of Hope
September 2, 2009
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:23-25
What is “Night of Hope?”
Many in our church family are struggling with issues that create distress, despair and a loss of hope. Our goal for the “Night of Hope” is to address some of these issues and give our church members reasons to have hope.
Schedule for Night of Hope:
· Dinner 4:45 – 6:00 PM
· Session 1: 6:15 – 7:00 PM
· Session 2: 7:15 – 8:00 PM
Registration & Childcare
· Dinner by reservation provided at normal Wednesday night cost ($4.50 / adult, $3.50 / child, maximum cost of $16.00 / family; see registration below).
· Childcare will be available for “Night of Hope” by registration only (see registration below).
· K4 through 6th grade will participate in regular Wednesday night activities of music and missions.
· Registration is by bulletin insert or online at: Night of Hope.
Update on Micah
--
For Those of you who don't know, Micah had another seizure this afternoon when they got home from the hospital . Here is our latest update.
--
I thought I would update everyone on Micah's situation. Since my last, Micah stabilized again and has been sleeping. Up to a few minutes ago this was all I knew. Earlier the only way I could reach Teri was by text message. Now it seems she can call out. Teri has just spoken to the doctor after a long wait. They are wanting to do a spinal tap and test him for viral meningitis since that has been going around supposedly. Earlier I would have been very gung ho to do this but now Teri says that he seems to be bouncing back. For the first time today he is alert, digging around in her purse, and even laughing. Our concern is not that the seizures are going to do damage -- and not really that he has some kind of dangerous infection -- but that if he has a seizure while sleeping we might not know and he might stop breathing again. Anyway, I'll tell you more when I know it.
Okay, now I know it. In the interim while I was writing, the doctor came back in and evaluated Micah. She or he is sending Micah home. She saw him and his activities as she walked by his hospital room and stopped and said, "that's what I wanted to see." She explained that it would be better to not do the spinal tap if he was feeling much better and that because of the swine flu threat at the hospital it would be better to take him home. So I guess our prayer now is that he will have no more seizures -- especially while sleeping. My mom is almost here so we will post a watch.
I will yet thank God for all of this. I feel that I need to explain something. I know that when I write these lengthy e-mails it might appear that I am a nervous Nelly or some kind of egomaniac that has to live out his troubles in front of as many people as possible. What I hope you will take away from this and our other experience is that I trust God deeply and I can think of no other action or reaction that is more suitable to our situation than to pray and to ask God's people to pray. I trust this more than medicine. I trust this more than anything else. Micah is God's child. I am his caretaker. I want to go to the source and I want to take as many brothers and sisters as I can with me. I do not view this as bending God's ear or performing for a reward. I hope you will share your troubles with me when you are in need. We are to bear each other's burdens -- thank you for helping me bear this one.
All praise to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jack
PS -- I plan to write every one of you back. Tomorrow. Thank you for being the body of Christ.
For Those of you who don't know, Micah had another seizure this afternoon when they got home from the hospital . Here is our latest update.
--
I thought I would update everyone on Micah's situation. Since my last, Micah stabilized again and has been sleeping. Up to a few minutes ago this was all I knew. Earlier the only way I could reach Teri was by text message. Now it seems she can call out. Teri has just spoken to the doctor after a long wait. They are wanting to do a spinal tap and test him for viral meningitis since that has been going around supposedly. Earlier I would have been very gung ho to do this but now Teri says that he seems to be bouncing back. For the first time today he is alert, digging around in her purse, and even laughing. Our concern is not that the seizures are going to do damage -- and not really that he has some kind of dangerous infection -- but that if he has a seizure while sleeping we might not know and he might stop breathing again. Anyway, I'll tell you more when I know it.
Okay, now I know it. In the interim while I was writing, the doctor came back in and evaluated Micah. She or he is sending Micah home. She saw him and his activities as she walked by his hospital room and stopped and said, "that's what I wanted to see." She explained that it would be better to not do the spinal tap if he was feeling much better and that because of the swine flu threat at the hospital it would be better to take him home. So I guess our prayer now is that he will have no more seizures -- especially while sleeping. My mom is almost here so we will post a watch.
I will yet thank God for all of this. I feel that I need to explain something. I know that when I write these lengthy e-mails it might appear that I am a nervous Nelly or some kind of egomaniac that has to live out his troubles in front of as many people as possible. What I hope you will take away from this and our other experience is that I trust God deeply and I can think of no other action or reaction that is more suitable to our situation than to pray and to ask God's people to pray. I trust this more than medicine. I trust this more than anything else. Micah is God's child. I am his caretaker. I want to go to the source and I want to take as many brothers and sisters as I can with me. I do not view this as bending God's ear or performing for a reward. I hope you will share your troubles with me when you are in need. We are to bear each other's burdens -- thank you for helping me bear this one.
All praise to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jack
PS -- I plan to write every one of you back. Tomorrow. Thank you for being the body of Christ.
Please pray for Micah
Hello everyone. We would appreciate your prayers for our son, Micah. He was taken to Children's Hospital today via ambulance because he had another seizure. He came out of it pretty soon after onset and appears to be stable now. This is the second time he's had these seizures -- the last time, which was back in February, he seized for over an hour. They appear to be febrile seizures brought on by fever and the prognosis is he should grow out of this in time. At least that was the diagnosis last time. He is still being observed now and we hope he will come home tonight. God will be glorified through this!
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