New Church Life July/Aug 2013 | Page 72

Helping Children in Crisis Wade W. Buick W e are introducing a new effort and organization designed to assist children in dire need. We call ourselves Helping Children in Crisis (HCIC). We exist to connect members of the New Church seeking to care for children in crisis situations with people and resources who can help. New Church societies have a rich history of charity and acts of kindness. In HCIC we seek to organize these efforts for children by combining good works with outreach and ingraining professional standards of practice in our mission. The focus of our efforts is the General Church Sacred Care Orphanage in Etora, Kenya, which was founded and is run by the Rev. Samson Mogusu Abuga and the General Church Board of Kenya. In addition to providing spiritual, emotional and physical care for children who desperately need it, HCIC seeks to connect interested, like-minded people with the General Church through the doctrine of charity. “The people and resources who can help” may include folks inside the Church and out. For all of my adult life I have struggled with introducing friends to the Church in an active way that showcases our beliefs in action and deed. I have referred them to the teachings, informed them about societies and schools, and tried to make the Church accessible. Unfortunately, I’ve had little success. I feel like our system of introduction for someone outside the Church is like going from 0 to 60 in a second. I believe New Church charities are one way to help bridge that gap, particularly for people outside of Bryn Athyn. For this reason we are attempting to give the HCIC network of donors and sponsors a uniquely global footprint. We are seeking ambassadors in each New Church society, across social networks and beyond, to act not only as liaisons and information nodes but also as a scouting network to help identify the next potential project. That next project could be in Detroit or Philadelphia or Tijuana or the Philippines, or anywhere New Church people are seeking to care for children in crisis. HCIC friends and ambassadors also can be conduits to networks of like-minded people outside the Church who may be interested in helping, and in doing so may develop a deeper interest in the Church. 400