Jim Moss - November 6, 2022
Orphan Sunday
Orphan Sunday Nov. 6th, 2022 Jim Moss Exodus 22:22 “You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. Deuteronomy 10:17-18 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 18He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. Psalm 68:5-6 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. 6God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. Ruth 1:16-17 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” Ruth 2:19-20 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!” So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” 20“May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.” The Gospel expressed through the local church family is the answer for the cultural dilemma of caring for widows and orphans As the local church of Jesus Christ: We have the right to redeem We have the resources to redeem God will give us the resolve to redeem City Church’s Involvement: 2011 – 111Project launches in Tulsa County through City Church 2011 – First 111Project conference in Tulsa Count (8046) 2014 – Hire Chris Campbell as Executive Director for 111Project 2015 – OKDHS & 111Project launch Oklahoma Fosters Campaign with Oklahoma Governor 2015 – Pauline Myer children’s shelter closes in Oklahoma City 2016 – CarePortal launches in Oklahoma/Tulsa County 2018 – Laura Dester children’s shelter closes in Tulsa 2019 – Oklahoma recognized as top 5 state for decrease of kids in care and increase in foster families 2021 – 26th county opens for CarePortal officially serving 1/3 of the states counties 2021 – Oklahoma child welfare numbers drop below 7200 for first time in 15+ years 2022 – Oklahoma child welfare numbers drop below 6800