Christian Adoption Services Hosts Annual Banquet at Calvary Church.
By Marissa Neale, 22 March 2019.
On Thursday March 21, Calvary Church hosted one of five banquets held across North and South Carolina to raise money for the organization Christian Adoption Services on their 40th anniversary.
Christian Adoption Services is an organization that facilitates local and international adoptions for members of the Christian faith.
Sonia Livingston, Director of Development at Christian Adoption Services, said that the funds from these annual banquets help the company minimize adoption costs. According to Livingston, the company has not increased the cost of adoption in the past four years.
Proceeds also help the company to minister to pregnant women seeking to give their babies up for adoption.
“The funds raised at our banquet are critical in ensuring the ongoing ministry” Livingston said.
Livingston reported that Calvary’s annual banquet was the first banquet to be implemented. Livingston said there are usually somewhere from 100 to 350 people at each Christian Adoption Services event, and the company planned to host over 250 people at the event on Thursday night.
“Banquets are attended by a variety of people — adoptive families, those interested in learning more about adoption, adoptees who are now adults, and people who have a heart for orphan care and the unborn child’s right to life.” Livingston said.
According to Livingston, the banquet has a new theme every year and this year the theme for the banquets is Legacy of Love, which is intended to reflect the history of Christian Adoption Services.
“[Christian Adoption Services] was founded in 1979 and in those 40 years, over 2000 children have been placed with a Christian family,” Livingston said.
The Christian Adoption Services website states that the number of orphans around the world totals over 163 million people.
The website also reports the organization has been in North Carolina since 1989 and just became licensed to work in South Carolina in 2017.
“We are thankful for all God is doing and how He is using this ministry to impact children, birth moms, and Christian families all over the world,” The website states.
The next banquets will be held on March 28 in Florence SC and on April 11 at Apex NC.
Livingston explained that while the Charlotte event no longer needs volunteers, they will still need volunteers to help for next years event. The banquet uses volunteers to help set-up before the event and also uses volunteer work at the actual event to help with things such as greeting and registering guests.
The banquet is one of the organization’s two main fundraising events. The other main fund raising event is the golf tournament.
“Our golf tournaments, particularly the one in Charlotte, are huge undertakings,” Livingston said. “Numerous volunteers are needed to help them run smoothly.”
Livingston explained that volunteers are needed at the golf events to help with a number of things such as: “setting up tents, putting out hole sponsor signs, organizing golfer gifts.” Volunteers are also needed to help clean up after the event and to help with segments of the event such as the Silent Auction and lunch.
A golf tournament will be held in Inman South Carolina on May 3. Livingston said the next golf tournament in Charlotte will be held in the fall.
Mock Tweet: Come read about Christian Adoption Services’ annual banquet at Calvary Church and explore future volunteer opportunities on my blog.
