“We’ve had the same materials around for years,” Bethany’s President Chris Palusky says.

“People, they’ve known us for domestic infant adoption… but people don’t seem to know about just these other areas that we have been working in. Domestic infant adoption is about 13 percent of our work. But working with refugees is about 40 percent of our work; working in the foster care [and] in the foster care adoption space is over 40 percent of our work.”

Rebranding

One of Bethany’s goals in rebranding their organization is to give a better picture of their work.

To do that, they first redesigned their logo. Their new logo is now a big ‘B’ with a cross as a part of it.

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services via Facebook)

Palusky says the idea that fueled this logo was to make it identifiable and easier to point beneficiaries in the right direction while Bethany workers are in the field assisting them.

“People could say, ‘Go to the big ‘B’ with the cross in it,’” Palusky says.

Bethany has also revamped their website to better reflect the number of programs they have and the different ways volunteers can get involved — whether it’s through praying, giving, refugee work, foster care, or adoption.

“But there’s so much more,” Palusky says.

“So, one of the reasons that we’re going through this rebrand is to say this is what Bethany is about. We are the gritty Christians. We always have been and we always will be. And, we’re in the middle of the mess. We’re in the middle of the foster care crisis. We’re in the middle of the unaccompanied minor crisis, and we’re in the middle of the global refugee crisis.

“We’re in the middle of the mess as the gritty Christians because that’s where we believe Christ would want us to be.”

In the Midst of the Mess

Bethany is in their 75th year and the organization has grown immensely. Marguerite Bonnema and Mary DeBoer originally founded Bethany in 1944. Palusky says they are described as being tough as nails.

They first assisted one child, then two, then three, and the number of children continued to grow, as did the number of their programs. As they grew, they kept in mind that family is the solution.

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services via Facebook)

Bethany has maintained Bonnema and Deboer’s mentality of ‘being in the mess,’ working with the most vulnerable people in the world, and keeping families together.

With the organization’s rebrand, Bethany wants to ensure that their materials, their approach, and their future work consistently reflect this to partners and beneficiaries, as well as the different fields they work in and plan to work in.

Palusky says alongside the media changes of their logo and website, Bethany will begin to change the way they speak about their programs.

“You’re going to see us talking more about how we’re working in these difficult places — be it domestically, be it on the border, or be it internationally…. I think you’ll see more of the breadth of what we’re doing, rather than just one service line.”

Bethany will continue expanding their work with in-country adoptions, in-country foster care, and working with unaccompanied refugee minors domestically and internationally.

Visit Bethany’s new website and find ways you can get involved on a local or global scale today. Get started here.

Header photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services.

The proposal to cut the adoption tax credit was unveiled by House Republicans two weeks ago as part of a 429-page tax reform. But the proposal to repeal this credit caused an uproar from groups on both sides of the aisle. From the Christian community, Focus on the Family and Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman were among those who spoke out against its repeal.

The adoption tax credit has been available for the past 20 years. With this break, adoptive families can be credited up to $13,460 after their taxes.

Kris Faasse, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Bethany Christian Services, explains, “The tax credit is not a deduction. It’s actually a credit that someone gets when they get done with all of their other taxes. And the adoption tax credit, which is indexed for inflation and is now over $13,000, it’s really meant to help families who bring a child into their family through adoption with either the cost of adoption or the cost of just bringing that child into your family and accessing the necessary medical or psychological treatment that kids might need.”

Without the adoption tax credit, Faasse points out the cost of adoption would be overbearing for many families.

“The average cost depends on the type of adoption first and foremost and then it depends on the state where the adoption is taking place because adoption law and requirements are state law. Generally, adoption of a child out of foster care is at no cost to the adoptive parent or at very low cost because those kids are the wards of the state and it’s certainly in the interest of the state to have those kids move into a permanent family.

“Domestic, infant adoption can range anywhere from say $25,000, I’ve heard of some agencies in some states that may charge up to $50,000. Intercountry adoption is also in that range, and that is very much impacted by the travel cost to the country where the child is and the fees that might be charged by that country as well as any expenses to pay for the staff and the process here in the states. So again, it’s a range.”

However, even for families that adopt a child in foster care, they can still face substantial costs. “Kids who’ve been in foster care who are available for adoption are in foster care because of abuse and/or neglect. So they come with hurts and traumas that families need to and want to address, and the tax credit makes that more possible because not everything is covered by insurance. A lot has to come out-of-pocket.”

While the adoption tax credit is here to stay, Faasse says the conversations it has generated should serve as a reminder to the Church of our biblical mandate to care for orphans.

“We’ve always seen a role for the Church in wrapping around families, having adoption ministries, providing that ongoing support for families…. We know a lot of churches may step in and help with fundraisers for the family to meet the cost of adoption.”

Bethany has several opportunities for you and your church to get involved in caring for orphans and vulnerable children. In doing so, you can be a tangible extension of Christ’s love and grace in a kid’s life. Click here to learn more at Bethany’s website!

With so many questions and unknowns, it can be intimidating for a child to travel overseas and be hosted for three weeks by a family they've never met.

But when these boys traveled through Angels from Abroad and stayed with a family in Dallas, they were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed their host family.

Time and time again, Dillon International has seen lasting bonds form between orphans and host families in their Angels from Abroad program–bonds that can lead to adoption.

Dillon International, a Buckner International affiliate, will bring over more orphans from Colombia to Dallas, Texas in December. But for now, they need host families.

Free interest meetings are being held in Dallas, Texas for churches and families to learn more about Angels from Abroad. The meetings are at the Buckner Children and Family Services campus in Dallas.

Their next meeting is Thursday, May 30 from noon-1:30 pm.

“We’ll be able to share profiles of the children that we’re anticipating currently to be participating in that program,” Denise Schoberg with Dillon International explains. “We currently are anticipating 7 children from Colombia. Two of those are single children: girls who are 13 years old. Then we have two sibling groups: a brother and sister who are 14 and 13; and then a sibling group of three children who are 14, 10, and 8.”

Adoption trends in Colombia are similar to the rest of the world. Young, healthy orphans with no siblings have the highest probability to be adopted domestically. Older orphans in a sibling set are less likely to gain a forever family.

There are currently 60,000 children in Colombia’s Child Protection System. 9700 of them are older orphans in a sibling set. These are just the kind of children Dillon International is accredited to place in families.

The kids in Angels from Abroad don’t come necessarily with the expectation of adoption. They are prepped to see this as a fun vacation experience. Host families are simply encouraged to share God’s love, form a lasting connection, and stay in touch when their child goes back to Colombia. If the host family just can’t say goodbye to their child, adoption is a welcome result.

Churches in the Dallas area can also get involved in ministering to these orphans. Your church can host Vacation Bible Schools during the weeks the orphans visit, or volunteer for Angels from Abroad events and programs.

Even if you aren’t led to host or adopt, prayer is always needed. “We would ask prayers for families that families who have a heart for caring for the older children would open their hearts and homes to these children and allow these children to experience what it feels like to be part of a faith, loving, nurturing family,” says Schoberg.

“It obviously would be somewhat of a frightening experience coming to a new country and staying with a family. But we would also ask prayers for [the children’s] hearts to be prepared and open, and that they return to Colombia knowing love.”

Click here to learn more.

Amidst the uncertainties, another
concern arises. In the wake of the quake and the collapse of a functioning
government, what is happening to the adoptive process? Records are buried under mounds of rubble. It could be months before paperwork can be
found and get the process moving forward again.

Meanwhile,
prospective parents who were in the process of adopting orphaned children prior to the earthquake
now are frantically trying to protect these future members of their family. 

Rather than the children being left in limbo, Marc Andreas with
Bethany Christian Services says, "The U.S. Government and the
Secretary of Homeland Security have issued clearance for all of these children
to come to the United States on humanitarian parole."

Who is eligible? According
to the State Department, "children who
have been legally confirmed as orphans eligible for inter-country adoption by
the Government of Haiti and are being adopted by U.S. citizens." Or, "children
who have been previously identified by an adoption service provider or
facilitator as eligible for inter-country adoption and have been matched to U.S.
citizen prospective adoptive parents."

Andreas explains, "That means
the U.S. government and military will work together to bring those children out
of Haiti safely and bring them to the United States where they can meet with
their adoptive families."

The State Department estimates
there are at least 300 Haitian cases involving U.S. citizens at different
stages of progress, Bethany's included. "Fifty-eight children are all being approved under this new special
circumstance where they will all be granted this humanitarian
parole."

Bethany partners are assessing
their response to the coming needs, too. Andreas says, "We, as well as
many other faith-based organizations, are able to show a fantastic witness in
this crisis where we are able to live out the Gospel."

God's Littlest Angels–an orphanage in
Pétion-Ville, along with Bethany's other partner–Creche Enfants Jesus (under the ministry of Chances
for Children) is responding to needs.

On January 25, Chances for Children will fly in 5,000 pounds
of supplies. This food, water, formula, medicine and supplies will last for at
least 4 months.

The next step is to
begin collecting in-kind donations and prepare a container to ship to Haiti
once the ports are open. Click here to help.

Because of that, the Southern Baptist International Mission Board is encouraging churches to adopt a people group. According to the IMB, 'Your church can have a key role in bringing an unreached people group to Christ. Adopting a people group helps churches take an active and direct role in missions."

The IMB says there are seven steps to adopting a people group: 

Pray for God's guidance, discover your church's natural affinity, determine expectations, identify a missions champion, investigate opportunities to serve. When you find an unreached people group, celebrate them and pray for them. Then communicate with others and follow through on those commitments.

The Joshua Project says there are 2.5 billion people who are still considered unreached, or nearly 40-percent of the world's population.

You can get more information about adopting a people group at IMB.org, or go to JoshuaProject.org.