"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 NIV. 

In 1996, less than a year after Donna's mother had died, Donna felt that God was speaking to her and asking her to adopt children from the community. Donna's mother had raised 18 children, and she felt that God was calling her to give them the love her mother had given her. She says, "I was inconsolable. The only way I could deal with that loss was to remember the love she had given to me and my 17 siblings." Donna and Pastor Martin had two biological childrean, Princeton and LaDonna, but she felt God was calling them to invite more children into their home. As they checked into adoption, they found there were many children who needed homes, especially those who had been neglected and abused. After taking classes with her sister on adoptive parenting, they have since adopted four more children: siblings Mercedes and Tyler, as well as Terry and Josh.

Twenty-seven families and friends of Bennett Chapel have adopted 73 children who were in the foster care system of Texas. More families are about to take on this commitment of adoption. Under the leadership of Bishop W.C. and Donna Martin, these families and children are supported with prayer, encouragement, guidance and parenting classes. This premier adoption program is a success:  not one child has been returned to the system, because of the support of the Martins and the Bennett Chapel faith community.

Approximately 134,000 children are waiting for loving and caring homes in the United States. Many of these children have been through trauma, disappointment, neglect, abandonment and abuse through no fault of their own.  Some have been in several different foster care situations and are just looking for someone to love and care for them.

How do we make a difference in their lives? If church families across the United States committed to pray for families who would step out in faith and adopt these wonderful children, we could make a difference.

Bennett Chapel is a small congregation that has taken a huge leap of faith. The adopted children of Bennett Chapel have blessed everyone in the congregation. Blessings have been showered upon the children, upon the families and upon Bennett Chapel Church.

If you would like to learn more about this story for your congregation or yourself please contact Bishop Martin at rmartin@bcministry.org.

Below you will see pictures of families who have adopted. Many of these children are now teenagers.

  Click on a photo to enlarge, then use your right and left arrow keys to scroll through the pictures.