Those of us who yearn to see Christians re-earn the title, “defenders of the fatherless” have much to cheer.
In July, Christianity Today described “the burgeoning orphan care movement.” And it is. From the remarkable growth of Summit to the global reach of Orphan Sunday, 2011 was another year of tremendous growth in the movement.
Consider three great recent affirmations of this reality:
1. The 2011 ECFA Giving Report revealed that of 29 giving categories, three of the four categories seeing the largest increase in giving related to adoption and orphan care. While the 400 largest fundraising charities in America saw a mere .2% increase in giving in 2010, giving to Christian orphan care rose by 21%, adoption by 15% and child sponsorship by 24%.
2. The Washington Post this month provided a moving window into what it described as “An evangelical Protestant ‘orphan care’ movement.”
3. Adoption Today magazine in November featured an excellent article on Orphan Sunday. The introduction to the edition by editor Richard Fischer described: “Christian churches across the country have taken up, or in many cases, taken back orphan care as a tenet of their faith. Reconnecting with and answering the call to care for the widows and orphans in their midst, an enlightened wave of awareness to the needs of orphaned children throughout the world is the message of the day in churches all across America. It’s time to celebrate and give thanks!”
Yes, God is indeed rousing His people to again deserve the title, “defenders of the fatherless.”
As 2011 ends, let’s celebrate the past year and join in prayer that all we’ve seen thus far would continue to grow beyond what we could ask or imagine!