Advocacy Is Heading the Show

HERALD NEWS, APRIL 21, 2005
Story and photos by GREGORY J. RUMMO

           “I saw the face of Jesus, in a little orphan girl. She was standing in a corner, on the other side of the world…So what now? What will you do, now that you’ve found me?” —Steven Curtis Chapman

             It really was no surprise when earlier this year, the five-time Grammy award winning Christian contemporary artist Steven Curtis Chapman played to a sold out concert hall at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford. He’s sold over 9 million records in his career with one album certified platinum and two certified gold.             

Steven Curtis Chapman (playing guitar) sings with Mark Hall of Casting Crowns at Continental Airlines Arena last February.

What might have been a surprise to some concert goers however, was Chapman’s repeated emphasis on adoption during the concert. It’s a theme he has threaded through many of his newer songs such as “What Now?” and “When Love Takes You In.”

            But his passionate advocacy for adoption is much more than material for a few hit songs. It’s a way of life for the Chapman family. In addition to their three biological children, the oldest of whom attends Baylor University in Waco, Texas, they have adopted three orphan girls from China. “I’ve been buying diapers and formula for the past 18 years,” he said jokingly at his concert at West Point, New York on April 2 during a fifteen minute heart-to-heart chat with the audience in-between sets.

            Chapman uses his concerts to foster awareness about adoption and to raise money for Shaohannah’s Hope, the adoption foundation he and his wife, Mary Beth started several years ago. Named after their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah’s Hope was created to offer financial assistance by providing grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to families that were willing to adopt but could not afford the expenses involved.

            Typically, about midway through a concert, Chapman uses a combination of a poignant video and live music to reach out and touch the hearts of those in the audience. This is followed by a short talk from Scott Hasenbalg, the Executive Director of Shaohannah’s Hope who encourages concert goers to drop by and visit one of the foundation’s booths during intermission.

Jenny Rummo (left in orange t-shirt) fields questions from interested concert goers at one of several Shaohannah's Hope booths that were set up throughout the arena in the hallways. The concert broke both the attendance record and the donations record to Shaohannah's Hope for the 2004-2005 "All Things New" tour.

My wife and I were among the 20 or so volunteers that manned several booths at the February 26 concert in East Rutherford. We worked the booth at the main entrance to the concert hall. Before the concert and during intermission, interested people thronged around us to learn more about adoption. Many were also eager to make a donation. Some joined the Stevey Joy Club, named after the Chapman’s second adopted daughter, by pledging $20 monthly for a year. Others gave a one-time gift. One person handed me a check for $2,500. 

            Chris and Stacy Garrison are beneficiaries of Shaohannah’s Hope. They received a $2,000 grant towards the adoption of their daughter. They are hoping to travel to China this summer.

            The Garrisons are on the ministerial staff at the Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Paterson. They were also among the volunteers at the East Rutherford concert. “We were thrilled at the opportunity to work at one of the booths,” they told me. “Just think, we have a chance to make a difference in the life of a Chinese orphan we may never meet until we get to heaven.”

The complete story of the adoption of his first daughter, Wu Min Jian appears in Rummo's second book, “The View from the Grass Roots—Another Look.” It's 536 pages of sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant and almost always provocative commentary on American Culture. $14.95 shipping and handling included. Click here for more information.

To date, Chapman’s “All Things New” tour has raised almost $2 million towards the goal of $2.5 million. But the goal of Shaohannah’s Hope is more than simply taking money from the generous and redistributing it to the needy. Chapman is also interested in creating a desire in the hearts of concert goers to examine the question of adoption for themselves and their own families.

            My wife and I saw this first hand when we spoke at an America World Adoption seminar held at Hawthorne Christian Academy earlier this month on April 2. Over 20 couples showed up for the 3-hour presentation. At the start of the seminar, each couple introduced themselves to the group. Invariably, they said their interest in coming to the seminar that day to consider adoption was kindled by the message they heard at the Steven Curtis Chapman concert.

            When I spoke to Chapman later that afternoon before his concert at West Point Military Academy, he was truly humbled that his message is having so profound an impact.        

            Chapman describes adoption as “a perfect picture of what God has done for each of us in making us His children through Christ.” He’s on solid biblical footing. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul describes a Christian’s relationship to God as an “adoption, as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”

            Chapman has bigger plans for the future. There’s talk of his foundation possibly building a clinic in China for special needs orphans. And he’s trying to gain more exposure among the Chinese people. “He’s learning Mandarin,” Hasenbalg says. “A friend of his is helping translate some of his songs into Chinese. Steven is hoping to be invited to play at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.”

           Chapman explains: “When Mary Beth and I adopted our daughter, Shaohannah, we realized that it was only through obeying God's gentle call on our lives that we were able to experience His blessings and goodness in this miraculous way. We can honestly say it is through adopting Shaohannah, Stevey Joy, and Maria Sue that we have truly seen the face of Jesus.” n

Those interested in learning more may wish to visit ShaohannahsHope.org, StevenCurtisChapman.com and AWAA.org.

Gregory J. Rummo is an author and columnist. His second book, “The View from the Grass Roots—Another Look,” was published last year in August and is available from Amazon.com or the author's website, GregRummo.com.  

This article appeared in the Herald News on April 21, 2005