Antioch Adoptions

It started with a twelve-year dream of Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington. He desired to see all children from the foster care system adopted into loving homes. He also desired for more families to be able to afford infant adoptions.

"We took $20,000 cash just as Jesus did with mina's in the parable of Luke, and had it at the church meeting, May 1998. I spoke from the book of Matthew on talents and told the congregation, 'everyone here is going to get free cash from us today,' he said.

A total of $16,000 was dispersed to the 1500-1600 in attendance, and the parable of multiplying talents was explored. By the end of the service the congregation knew what was expected. Everyone ranging in age from five to seventeen was given a crisp five dollar bill. Those 18 and older were given a ten dollar bill.

"We want you to keep this money for six months, mix it with your God-given talent and we're going to take it up on Jesus' birthday as we celebrate in December," Hutcherson concluded.

"Just as happened in scripture though, some people pooled their money to invest it, some buried it, and some saved it. But the majority took that seed money and invested it in different, creative ways." By adding God given talents to seed money for six months, the initial amount increased in excess of 1,750% or 17.5 times, for a total of $280,000 collected in December. Those funds provided startup money for Antioch Adoptions. The church hired Donna Warner to facilitate adoptions at no charge or at cost, depending on family need, and have since hired Tammie Snyder as their Executive Director.

Antioch Adoptions seeks to place infants and children regardless of ethnicity, age, or special needs into Christian adoptive homes without any agency fee, and to remove barriers to adoption - financial, perceptual, and practical. They have taken on the mission of empowering the Church body to be involved in recruiting and developing families to consider adoption of older or minority children in foster care by recruiting, supporting and training families to adopt.

The ministry of Antioch Adoptions is committed to:

• Being founded upon biblical principles
• Establishing Godly standards for families
• Connecting any needy child with a family in a fair and equitable manner through adoption
• Education and equipping of families to adopt older children, or little ones of color
• Serving as advocates to schools, churches, communities, and government
• Providing support for birth families and single parent families through challenges they may Goface

Go to Antioch Adoptions
Back to Church Testimonies