The 2020 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) CARE Conference on Feb. 27-28 will feature keynote speeches by Michael Gerson, Tendai Masiriri, Sarah Quezada and Shannan Martin.
Gerson is a writer for the Washington Post and the author of “Heroic Conservatism” and co-author of “City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era.” He also serves as senior adviser for a nonpartisan organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases called ONE.
Masiriri is the senior executive of an international adoption agency called Holt International. He is an expert in program development and evaluation, global nonprofit management and executive leadership. He now serves in Africa, Latin American and the Caribbean as well as on Taylor’s OVC Board of Advisers.
Quezada is the author of “Love Undocumented: Risking Trust in a Fearful World” and is a public speaker. She has written for Christianity Today, Relevant, InTouch Ministries and more.
“My life has been deeply impacted by Jesus' example of paying attention to and building relationships with those on the outside of power,” Quezada said. “Marrying my husband introduced me to a world of immigrant families navigating life in the complex realities of a broken and outdated immigration system. Once I learned more, I could not look away.”
She is now informed about the immigration policy and integrates that with her passion for orphans and vulnerable children.
Martin is a speaker and is the author of several books including “The Ministry of Ordinary Places” and “Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted.” Martin’s passion for orphans and vulnerable children took form when she experienced infertility and chose the path of adoption.
“The best way for me to invest in vulnerable communities is to be in mutual relationship with those closest to me,” she said.
Martin’s belief is that we cannot love those who we do not know, and we cannot know those who we cannot see. Martin stated the first step is to truly open our eyes and to see our neighbors how God sees them.
Bekah Moser is coordinating this year's CARE Conference and hopes that students and faculty who attend will be reminded that we all belong to each other, she said.
“All of this research and action and education is important because we believe that every child is created in the image of God and has a story that needs to be heard,” Moser said. “The childrenbelong to us and us to them.”
The OVC CARE Conference will take place on campus. According to Kara Riggleman, program service director for OVC at Taylor, this is the first year the conference will include student presentations inspired by their past experiences. For more information and to register, visit https://spark.adobe.com/page/T3eimfYwJjBCg/
