CAFO Summit 2015

What is CAFO and why do they have a summit?

CAFO, Christian Alliance for Orphans is an amazing group of individuals and leaders from many churches, ministries and nonprofits located from all over the U.S. and beyond with the shared purpose of following after God's heart to care for the vulnerable.

CAFO summit is a yearly gathering that allows folks from all over to connect, share information and help guide leadership and ministries as they follow as God has God's positioned them to reach the vulnerable. Summit gathering has various kinds of trainings and opportunities for ministry and lay leaders to meet with their teams or reps as they prayerfully move forward with excellence as God is leading.

CAFO Summit has a great addition this year, kids CAFO!!!

For more information on CAFO Summit or ways you can become involved with CAFO see their website and facebook page.

Communicating Your Child's Needs-Post by Lifesong

Communicating your child's needs clearly and with respect is vital for creating or strengthening Support.

Lifesong for Orphans has a great post with downloadable pdf to help you communicate. You can also share the post via social media.

Check out their link! 

Helping Others Understand Your Child's Needs

Great Meeting Sunday

Look at the verses that are leading our meetings...

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

At our meeting, we discussed many different aspects to what an Orphan, Foster Care and Adoption Care ministry would look like, and we know God will lead us to respond to HIS calling on us at Cottonwood Creek. Basically, we all agreed on this simple fact - We desire to support, educate, counsel, and be an advocate for our church in orphan, adoption and foster care. This is a very broad, yet specific calling for us.

Please pray for us as we continue to meet together and define our role as a ministry. Look for our next meeting soon to come. Anyone is welcome to come and participate.

Blessings - Keith Tyler and Terra Towne

Adoption Ministry Interest Meeting

Hello There!

God is still at work and stirring hearts for adoption, foster parenting and orphan care at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church.  If you have or are currently fostering, adopting or orphan advocates, interested in learning about new ministry opportunities or seeking support and making connections with others from CCBC...

Great news!

We're having a meeting and we want you to come! This Sunday, February 15 at 4pm in room B118 at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church!  Sorry, there is no childcare available for this event.

 Looking forward to seeing you there! For more information, email us

Your Adoption

November is known for National Adoption Month, Orphan Sunday and Thanksgiving. This is a great month to reflect on the words of hymn and Scripture that help to set an "attitude of gratitude".


Great Is Thy Faithfulness. 
Chisolm & Runyan

Great is Thy faithfulness!...All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Great is Thy faithfulness,...There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not...


Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

Great is His faithfulness!! Reflect on what God has done for you, salvation and forgiveness through His son Jesus and your adoption into His family. This November, celebrate your adoption into God's forever family and deepen your commitment to whatever He is calling you to do...gratefully.

Adopt Without Debt

Adoption funding can be a challenge and at times it can feel like it is impossible to fund an adoption of any kind. Great thing we serve a God that specializes in the impossible. God will lead and provide for you. Julie Gumm, trusted God and He led her and her family in an adoptive journey...without debt!
Come and learn some practical ways to fund your adoption from Julie Gumm, author of Adopt Without Debt. We will also have people from Embrace Texas, Abba's Children, Cottonwood Creek and Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University

Who: interested couples and singles  register here 
 
When: Saturday, October 13 from 9:00-11:30 AM 

Where: room A 200-201 Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church 1015 State Hwy 121 Allen, TX 75013   map here 
 
Want more info?

Beyond a Snap

 Beyond a Snap

For a while we've blogged about Lifesong School in Zambia...and earlier this month God allowed me to spend some time with these incredible kiddos and staff. I was able to get to know the precious first grader that we sponsor and to meet some of her family too!

 I went to Zambia initially to deliver sports equipment & underwear, learn, love on the kiddos, serve the amazing teachers and staff at Lifesong School, Shane & Mitzi McBride (fabulous missionaries) and sample the yummy strawberries from Lifesong Farms. On these and in countless other ways God did not disappoint. Oh yes, the berries are amazing!

I had the opportunity to learn from so many gifted and truly incredible people, who serve and minister far beyond the campus.

He revealed more of Himself each time I heard, "Auntie, Auntie take a snap!" as hope filled and often silly kiddos posed for pictures...and took many of their own.

In each fist bump and hug I felt His desire to connect and to know me. Every giggle, song and cheer I heard God's delight.

When the older kids, especially the boys gave some of their lunch (a special lunch of chicken provided by First Baptist of McKinney) to the younger ones, it echoed God's message of provision and sacrifice. There were many moments when His confirmation and blessing were so precious and personal. His lavishness just overwhelmed.

In the compound, He allowed me to touch the hands and to look into the beautifully wrinkled face of love and strength...and to ask for His blessing.

 At times words from Isaiah 6 echoed in my head, “Woe to me!”... “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips...and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”and I was overcome. I knew that I had seen Zambia as God did and I would not ever be the same. 

God had led me halfway across the world to Garneton, Zambia to show me more of Himself beyond a snap.