Any Christian adopters out there (or any religion really)?
We are Christians and for the past 5 years have gone to a small free church.
Now we are changing church, going back to the good old C of E because they have three children's groups and lots of kids. If we were to stay at our current church there would be just two groups, one with two older children and the other with our two kids, new adopted ds (by then aged 4) and birth dd (aged 9) in the same group with no other kids and just a teacher.
I spoke to our minister today (I had already emailed him to warn him we would be taking the kids to a new church and he must realise that in time we will switch our membership too, we have hinted at this but not for now). He understands but does feel disappointed.
He feels that the church needs a 'seed bed' of families to do children's work. But I feel we have been that 'seed bed' for the last two years when dd was in a group with just one other child and there was just one other family with young kids.
Over the two years we have run a Holiday Bible Club and run a monthly group for kids, as a church - lots of other people with me and dh involved and dd attending. Lots of kids came but they were either part of other church families or were non-Christian families and did not really want to go to church. So Sunday mornings there was a group for kids but not many children came. I feel in order to get something going a church really does need more than just one family! I also feel that for me, as a mum to two young children they must be my priority, and what is best for them.
At our new church (which I have been involved in before) about a dozen people know ds is adopted (as they knew me before) but most people do not. It feels good to go somewhere where he is not one of only a handful of kids and where most people will not know he adopted.
DS does not know many kids so this is a chance to get him to know families with kids and to join in activities which are often fun and are very close to where we live. We have also been to cafe church etc there already and the Toddler group so he does feel very at home there.
Does anyone have any experiences of navigating all this with adopted child, please?
Anyone else have experiences of changing church or church with adopted children they would be willing to share (or of other religions), please?
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Any Christian adopters out there (or any religion really)?
15 replies
Italiangreyhound · 20/07/2014 15:34
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