Tucked away a block south of Woodland Street and near the Cumberland River sites the historic red brick Tulip Street Methodist Church.
The building is at the intersection of Russell Street and South 5th Street. A historic home is its neighbor and large trees line the street. Leaves are starting to show their first signs that autumn is approaching and summer is coming to an end.
Upon arriving visitors enter into the gated front courtyard and climb a few stone steps to a closed door. After pressing an intercom button you state your name and purpose, "I'm Brian Forrester and I'm here for the parents in training class."
"Come on in," a female voice crackles over the speaker. With the sound of a buzz, the door unlocks.
Inside, the hallway gives way to an opening with stairs on either side going up and down. The church, which was established in 1892, is somewhat of a labyrinth. You can feel the history as you walk on its creaking floors.
Also inside is Miriam's Promise (www.miriamspromise.org), a non-profit tasked with helping birth mothers navigate the challenges of giving birth to a child, and families prepare to accept those children. Both the birth mother and the adoptive family do so as an act of love that benefits the other.
Claudia and I chose Miriam's Promise because after an initial meeting, we felt comfortable entrusting our home study review and preparation to the social worker on staff named Kim. After interviewing each of us individually, Kim visited our house.
The last step we took for completing the home study was to take a 15 hour class broken down into three Thursdays from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m.
On the first day of the class, we were familiar enough with the building to find our way downstairs. We were one of the first couples to arrive. Before long, a couple from Chattanooga and two couples from the Nashville area were placing name tags on their shirts and making good intentioned introductions.
"Nice to meet you," one would say. "Where are you adopting from?"
"We're adopting from Russia."
"Oh really! That's nice. We've already got our referral. We're adopting a 3-year-old from India."
For Claudia and I the classes were beneficial. The topics ranged from attachment and cultural sensitivity to social/physical developmental ages and hypothetical scenarios and role playing.
By the end of the third class, the seeds were planted for friendships to grow with time. We're now part of a community of families who for a variety of reasons have decided to adopt and share their love and blessings with a child. It's our new community.
