Orphan Run MS: Gaining Momentum

Over the last few weeks, I have introduced you to Orphan Run Mississippi.  I wrote about how 4theVoiceless got involved with this event and how 15-year-old EmilyFaith Abbott has been working tirelessly to promote it. 

EmilyFaith speaking to DeSoto Central Middle School's Fellowship of Christian Students this week

Great orphan care discussion in Ms. Clayton's class at DCMS.

The calendar has rolled over into March (Mid-South forecast for snow notwithstanding), and it is time for action.  Even though the Orphan Run MS 5K (and accompanying one-mile fun run) is still 7 weeks away, the next couple of weeks are critical for race preparation.  Now is the time to line up volunteers and order pre-race supplies.

That is why I am calling on each of you readers to do four things:

1. Sign up for the race here.  Whether you are a runner or not doesn't matter.  As EmilyFaith says: walk, run, or skip it.  Just be there, wear the T-shirt to promote the cause, and be a part of this great cause.  Ultimately, orphaned Ugandan children without a home will have one; it doesn't matter where you finish in the race that really matters.
2. Remind everyone you know who already knows about the race to sign up now.
3. Continue to promote awareness of Orphan Run Mississippi.  That can be as simple as a couple of mouse clicks to share this post.
4. Ask businesses in the Mid-South if they are involved with this race.  Tell your favorite businesses -- as I have -- that you sure hope they are sponsoring and promoting it.  If you need a corporate packet, please let me know, and I will get you one.

Thank you for leveraging your influence for the benefit of this cause.  It will just remain a good idea without you and others like you making it happen.  I look forward to updating you about great progress in the weeks to come.  Engage.  Do your part!

Thanks for reading and responding.

4theVoiceless,
Al

What Is the Summit Conference and Why Should I Go?

The Summit Conference is coming to Nashville May 2-3.  What is the Summit Conference, you ask?  So glad you did ask.  This is THE conference for those involved in orphan care ministry, and Nashville is as close as Summit will come to many of us, especially those of us in the Mid-South area.  Everyone I have talked to who knows more than I do about the movement of churches and other organizations toward God's command to care for orphans has said that this is where I need to be. 

Here's what the Summit 9 page has to say about the conference:

The Christian Alliance for Orphans’ annual Summit has become the national hub for what Christianity Today recently called, “the burgeoning Christian orphan care movement.” Summit IX on May 2-3, 2013, at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN is expected to draw 1,800 to 2,000 pastors, grassroots advocates, organizational leaders and church ministry heads. Alongside more than eighty workshops, the unforgettable plenary sessions will include David Platt, Randy Alcorn, Michele Bachmann, Bishop & Donna Martin, and other global leaders. Summit inspires, equips and connects for adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry.

For more information about the conference, check out the Summit FAQ page.

Interested in going?  This would be the year.  If you attend CHC and are interested in going, let me know.  We would love to take a group.

I'm going.  I hope to see some of you there.

Earlier this week, the 4theVoiceless blog hit 5,000 page views in less than a year.  Thanks for reading. Awareness matters.

4theVoiceless,
Al