Ministries

The video was about Sebastian, an orphan from Colombia, and his adoption by the Barkey family, a family of six in California.

We stand in a time of unprecedented change in our country. My concern grows as I see a movement emerging that sees a total revolution in the life of our nation’s people as necessary to usher in a new “age of greatness” and what they believe to be human flourishing.

People can gain access to contraceptives and abortion pills without the government forcing religious and pro-life groups to provide them. But California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Virginia can’t seem to accept that.

We all love a good adoption story. Reading about children finding their forever home warms our hearts and reminds us of the best of humanity. But we often forget that behind many adoption stories lies tragedy.

We all know that the First Amendment protects us from censorship of what we say, but we often don’t think about the flipside. Our constitutionally protected freedom of speech also means that no one can force us to say things we do not want to say—especially things that violate our deepest beliefs.

The shifting culture is changing how people view religious ministries, and those who manage ministry operations and monitor laws affecting them have seen these changes firsthand.

For over a decade now, governments have been ending their partnerships with faith-based adoption and foster care providers.

As a religious organization, By The Hand has always been exempt from paying unemployment compensation taxes. Until recently.