About One Church One Child of Maryland

The One Church, One Child organization is a national minority adoption recruitment program. The program is designed to find adoptive homes for African-American children.

Although the organization was formally founded in 1980 by Father George Clements, pastor of Holy Angels Catholic Church in Chicago, its roots were grounded in early traditions of the African-American church.

One Church, One Child offers a simple challenge to every African-American church in America: "If one African-American family in every church will adopt an African-American child, there will be no African-American children awaiting permanent homes."

The One Church, One Child of Maryland, Inc. program has become a viable component of the State's Special Needs Adoption Program. African-American churches statewide are called to accept the challenge, and become active participants in the Maryland One Church, One Child Program.

The primary role of the church is to:

• Inform its congregation of the hundreds of children waiting to be adopted.
  
  
• Identify at least one family in the congregation interested in adopting a child.
  
  
• Disseminate adoption literature throughout the church community.
  
  
• Provide support, through guidance and counseling to the family once a child has been placed.

The Pastor's Role…
Guidance Through Dynamic Christian Leadership

The success of the One Church, One Child Program is dependent on the pastor's endorsement and dynamic support of the program. This is accomplished by the pastor:

• Agreeing to allow the church to become an active participant in the program and signing a One Church, One Child Commitment Form. There are no financial obligations placed on the participating church.
  
  
• Selection a member to act as the church's coordinator to the One Church, One child Program. The pastor not required, not expected to be directly responsible for the coordination of the program.
  
  
• Making a sincere commitment to keep the message of adoption before the congregation through sermons, special programs, workshops and seminars allowing the church to become a local resource for adoption literature to interested members of the congregation.
  

The Role of the Church Coordinator…
The Pastor's Aide with a Special Task

The major responsibility of the Church Coordinator is to fully implement the One Church, One Child Program among the congregation. This includes:

• Hosting One Church, One Child Program presentations.
  
  
• Designating one month out of the year as Adoption Month.
  
  
• Set up an OCOC display and materials in an accessible area of the church.
  
  
• Participate in OCOC Annual Adoption Conference in November.
  
  
• Acting as an internal resource to provide adoption information to interested persons.
  
  
• Maintaining and distributing One Church, One Child Program and adoption literature.

Accept The Challenge…
Fulfill the Dream of a Waiting Child Who Needs the Love Only a Family Can Provide

Your church can help find an adoptive family for one of Maryland's waiting African-American children. If you would like more information on the One Church, One Child presentation, fill out our online form or call 410-323-6944.