Foster care, adoption and global orphan care leaders and advocates from around the world gathering Oct. 1-3 to elevate care for vulnerable children
HOUSTON, Texas – Christian leaders from across the US and an anticipated 50 countries will arrive in Houston this October to connect and share best practices in caring for the world’s most vulnerable children at the 21st annual CAFO2025 Summit held at Houston’s First Baptist Church (The Loop).
CAFO2025 is hosted by the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), an alliance of more than 300 non-profit organizations and a global network of churches that work together to see God’s people care effectively for vulnerable children and families. The annual event serves as a global hub of connection and action, and a respite for the weary, as many Christian leaders and parents often pour out their lives on behalf of the most vulnerable in their communities.
“Throughout history, Christians have been known for their special care for children the world overlooks,” said Jedd Medefind, president of CAFO. “Today we see that ancient commitment rising afresh, from US foster care to ministry to vulnerable children and families worldwide. The CAFO2025 Summit will be a powerful catalyst for this global movement, right here in Houston.”
CAFO2025 will feature more than 100 workshops and a variety of pre-Summit intensives focused on research and best practices, collaboration, fundraising, leadership and building sturdy families. Some of the mainstage speakers and artist include: author Justin Whitmel Early (Habits of the Household, The Common Rule); evangelist Wendy Palau (Palau Ministries); musician Stephen Curtis Chapman; artist and author Ellie Holcomb; pastor and author David Platt; and CAFO President Jedd Medefind, among others.
For two decades, CAFO has united Christian leaders worldwide in shared initiatives on behalf of orphaned and vulnerable children and families, achieving far greater impact together than any one organization or church could achieve alone. Find a full list of CAFO member organizations here.
A Special Thank You to CAFO2025 Sponsors
The following sponsors have invested time and resources into making this year’s CAFO Summit a success! Learn more about sponsorship opportunities here.
Signature Sponsors
Lifesong for Orphans Lifesong for Orphans helps engage and equip followers of Jesus to reach orphans: some to adopt, some to care, some to give. With caring partners and people like you, we support orphaned and vulnerable children through adoption financial assistance, global orphan care, foster care initiatives, and sustainable business development. lifesong.org
WinShape Homes WinShape Homes has a vision for families and children to experience healing and restoration through the gospel. We partner with local churches to provide Christ-centered care to children and their families. winshapehomes.org
Show Hope Show Hope is an internationally recognized voice in adoption advocacy and orphan care support work. Founded in 2003 by Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, this faith-based, 501(c)(3) NonProfit exists to care for orphans by engaging the Church and reducing barriers to adoption. Show Hope’s efforts have helped thousands of children come to know the love and permanency of a family while mobilizing individuals, families, and students to care holistically for children who are vulnerable. showhope.org
Buckner International Buckner International is a faith-based Non-Profit ministry dedicated to following the example of Jesus by serving vulnerable children, families and seniors in the United States and internationally. Founded in 1879 in Dallas, Texas, today Buckner seeks to protect children, strengthen families, transform generations and serve senior adults. Buckner offers a variety of ministries including foster care and adoption, family transition programs, community-based family preservation programs and senior living communities. Buckner also provides humanitarian aid and crisis relief to poverty-stricken children and families. buckner.org
Care for Children: Care for Children’s pioneering work enables governments to place orphans and vulnerable children into local families as a positive alternative to institutional care. careforchildren.com
Champion Sponsors
Christian Community Credit Union Christian Community Credit Union (CCCU) is America’s leader in biblical banking solutions offering High-Yield Savings, High-Yield Checking, and more! When you bank with CCCU, your money is used to f inance churches & ministries for growth and support Christian charities. mycccu.com/CAFO
Lifeline Children’s Services Lifeline Children’s Services ministers to vulnerable children and families by equipping the church to practically live out the command in James 1:27 to care for the most vulnerable in our communities and beyond. We seek to unite families through international and domestic adoption; create healthy families through education, counseling, and family restoration; break generational cycles through foster care and global orphan care; and support life through pregnancy counseling. lifelinechild.org
Nathan Cadis Media At Nathan Cadis Media, we believe story is your most powerful asset. And behind every story is a person, a people—each made in the image of Christ. Just as faith was passed down through oral tradition and written by the Apostles, we count it a sacred calling to bear witness to the remarkable acts of God in our time. nathancadis.com
One More Child One More Child exists to provide Christ-centered services to vulnerable children and struggling families. onemorechild.org
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot In the town of Possum Trot in the woods of East Texas, 22 families linked arms and adopted 77 of the most difficult-to-place children in the local foster care system. Their courage and faith ignited a national movement to solve the foster care crisis and change lives for vulnerable children across the U.S. Now, it’s our turn to find our place in the movement. angel.com/movies/sound-of-hope-the-story-of-possum-trot
Sustainer Sponsors
Care Portal CarePortal is a Care-Sharing technology that connects families in crisis with people who can help. Caseworkers submit vetted requests, and local churches and community members respond. Connection changes everything, and it’s closer than ever before. careportal.org
Connection Plus ConnectionPlus exists to keep families together and thriving. We equip parents and the professionals who support them with tools, coaching, and guidance to navigate trauma’s hardest behaviors and restore attachment. Together, we are expanding healing in every community—creating real connection and real change. connectionplus.care
FaithBridgeU We envision a world where all foster & adoptive parents have access to high-quality, Christ-centered training. We provide 50+ hours of live training each year coupled with a growing library of 170 hours of on-demand training in English and Spanish. faithbridgeu.com
Louder Helping Non-Profits, churches and purposeful brands stand out online. At Louder, we create strategic websites and compelling digital campaigns that amplify your impact, turning every appeal into a movement for change. louderagency.com
Orphan Outreach We glorify Jesus Christ by having a significant, long-term impact on orphaned and vulnerable children and families, equipping each child for a fulfilling, independent Christian life in their community. We work in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. orphanoutreach.org
Pathways for Little Feet Pathways for Little Feet provides financial support to adoptive and foster families throughout their journey through adoption loans, counseling grants, and retreat scholarships. pathwaysforlittlefeet.org
Pinkston Pinkston is a full service branding, marketing, and communications agency that offers an integrated collection of strategic capabilities, including public relations, digital marketing, brand identity, research, social media, crisis management, video production, and web development. pinkston.co
The Bair Foundation For more than 50 years, The Bair Foundation has remained steadfast and responsive in its work to bring about meaningful change in the lives of America’s most vulnerable. As a Christian foster care agency, we have provided hope and stability to more than 250,000 children and families in crisis. bair.org
Whose Am I Whose Am I serves and encourages adoptive families as they navigate the unique triumphs and trials of adoption. Our heart is to provide a safe space where families and adoptees can explore what it means to find their true identity and worth in Christ. whoseami.org
Supporter Sponsors
Abba Fund ABBA Fund’s story began with one family’s first adoption. God used the generosity of church families and friends to help provide their financial needs to bring their child home. ABBA Fund was founded in 2004 with a small amount of funds to provide interest-free loans to other Christian adoptive families. abbafund.org
Both Hands Both Hands helps adoptive families & volunteer groups organize service projects for widows while raising funds for adoptions and orphan causes. bothhands.org
Compassion International Compassion International is a Christ-centered ministry partnering with local churches to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. We share the gospel, meet real needs, and equip churches to care for each child in a personal, hope-filled way. compassion.com
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an accountability partner to a growing community of over 2700 leading churches and ministries, committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in areas board governance, leadership, financial management, and fundraising. ecfa.org
Finally Home Finally Home is a Non-Profit whose mission since 2008 is to equip foster, adoptive, and kinship families to build healthy homes where children and youth can heal. Finally Home’s trauma-informed, research-based curriculum, reinforce time-tested skills and characteristics found in healthy families. finallyhome.net
Focus on the Family Focus on the Family’s Wait No More program prepares hearts & homes for kids in foster care or those awaiting adoption. We inspire families & churches to get involved in the lives of these children through adoption, foster care & wrap around support. waitnomore.org
For the Children For The Children’s mission is to mobilize the local Church to create life-changing moments for children who have experienced relational trauma. We do this through our Royal Family KIDS Camp and Mentoring programs, and Bridge to Belonging purposefully designed for children age 6-12 years old. forthechildren.org
HopeConnect by 4Kids HopeConnect™ is a digital platform created by a nationwide alliance of leading CAFO-affiliated ministries to empower parents and caregivers in nurturing a Biblical sense of hope and identity in children who have experienced trauma.. HopeConnect™platform and resources are all available free of charge. hopeconnect.org
KHCB 105.7FM KHCB is Refreshingly Timeless Christian Radio. At KHCB Houston 105.7, time-tested teaching and timeless praise and worship come together in a refreshing, always-on source of spiritual growth and encouragement. Listen and be refreshed. Tune in at 105.7 FM or stream on the free KHCB app. khcb.org
Promise686 Our aim is to fulfill God’s promise “to set the lonely in families” by mobilizing church communities to care for vulnerable children and families. promise686.org
Safe Families for Children Safe Families for Children seeks to bring the church and community together to keep children safe and families together.. Our goal is to support and strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and reduce the number of children unnecessarily entering the child welfare system. safefamilies.net
Send Relief A collaboration between the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board, Send Relief is Southern Baptists’ global compassion ministry. We respond to crises and strengthen vulnerable communities around the world by meeting physical and spiritual needs in Jesus’ name. sendrelief.org
Together for Good Together for Good (TFG) creates pathways for the local church to come alongside vulnerable children and families through Christ-centered ministry. Together, we work to ensure that families never walk alone. When parents face a crisis without a support system, they become vulnerable—placing their children at greater risk of trauma. tfgood.org
Resource Sponsors
Alliance Defending Freedom Alliance Defending Freedom is the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, freedom of speech, marriage and family, and parental rights. By God’s grace, we have won 15 Supreme Court victories and have played a role in 77 victories at the high court since 1994. We work worldwide to advance every person’s God-given right to live and speak the truth. adflegal.org
Backyard Orphans We equip church leaders to empower believers to help hurting children find healing homes. backyardorphans.org
Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries Since 1892, Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries has provided hope for South Carolina’s children and families in need. Each year, more than 200 children and their families participate in one of our core programs: residential care, crisis care, foster care and family care. conniemaxwell.com
Hephzibah62:4 Hephzibah62:4, a subsidiary of The Wesleyan Church, provides coaching, resources, and financial support to local churches throughout the U.S. and Canada so they can engage effectively in transforming the lives of vulnerable children in their communities. hephzibah.org
Mission:Leadership Mission:Leadership is a faith-based executive recruiting firm focused squarely on serving Non-Profit ministries, Kingdom-oriented businesses, churches and academic institutions. Whatever your need, we know great Christian leaders throughout the U.S. and across the globe and how to connect you to them. missionleadership.org
Whole Child Initiative Whole Child Initiative is a people-focused, proven method of caring for children in vulnerable situations. By addressing their physical, emotional, social, educational, and spiritual needs, this approach creates an environment that allows children and their support structure to thrive. wholechildinitiative.org
