On Pure Religion Sunday, Nov. 9, churches around the world shared about God’s heart for vulnerable children and inspired their communities to get involved in various ways — from supporting local caseworkers to encouraging families to foster or adopt.
“I can’t help but marvel at all that God has done through Pure Religion Sunday through the years,” said Jason Johnson, National Director of Church Engagement & Mobilization at CAFO. “And to think it all began in a small church in Zambia, where one pastor’s call to care for orphan children sparked a global movement.”
To date, Pure Religion Sunday – including Orphan Sunday and Stand Sunday – has reached churches in over 120 countries and continues to inspire people to respond to God’s heart as expressed in James 1:27 and all throughout Scripture.
We hope the stories below will encourage you to continue advocating for vulnerable children in your community so that every child can experience God’s unfailing love and the belonging of family.
If your church didn’t participate this November, you can still host a Pure Religion Sunday at any time throughout the year — learn more at cafo.org/purereligionsunday.
Michigan, USA
In preparation for Pure Religion Sunday, Cedar Springs Baptist Church in Comstock Park, Michigan, asked its local social services office whether car bags would be helpful to caseworkers. Receiving an enthusiastic green light, Cedar Springs overhauled its typical Sunday evening programming and invited the whole church to help pack car bags of soft fidgets, tissues, joke books, snacks and more for social workers.
“The evening started with an explanation of how often social workers and case aids drive foster children in our area,” said Kristin Wynalda, a church ministry leader at Cedar Springs. “Interspersed with the tables of items for the car bags were trivia questions about local foster care and global orphan care. Everyone jotted down their guesses to the questions as they filled their bags.”
More than just an opportunity to pack bags or educate the congregation, the event was designed to help build a culture of care for vulnerable children and families.
“We are trying to normalize foster care and adoption as ministry. It can feel very ‘other,’ and many in our congregation have never had any interaction with a social worker. The only things they know about foster care are the horror stories. By hosting a laid-back event that gets people actively helping social workers and hearing about what’s going on in foster care in our county, we hope to become more of a congregation that’s living out James 1:27,” Wynalda shared.
The event was also designed to make it clear that everyone has a role to play in that process. Kids who couldn’t write thank-you notes colored pictures to go in the bags, and people who couldn’t spend as much time on their feet hosted tables rather than looping around the room to stuff bags.
In this way, the event spoke to Cedar Point’s overall philosophy of ministry.
“We’re a small rural church, with an older congregation, in a zip code that doesn’t have many non-kinship foster placements compared to the rest of our county,” she added. “But we’re proof that everyone can do something on Pure Religion Sunday!” – Katie Casselberry, CAFO
Also in Holland, Mich., Ridge Point Community Church took a creative and personal approach to Stand Sunday this year by surprising each attendee with a packet of Pez candy refills when they walked in the door — more than 1500 candy packs across three campuses, shared Wendy Cheek, director of Mosaic foster care and adoption ministry at Ridge Point Community Church.
During the service, they shared the personal testimony of Wendy and her husband Mike, who have seen the power of Pez candy dispensers to help them connect with the foster children they’ve cared for through the years.
After the service, everyone was invited to select a Pez dispenser attached to an ornament from a number of Christmas trees in the lobby. These ornaments included the words GIVE, SERVE and PRAY with next steps on how to connect in each area to support children in foster care in their community.
“It was a hit!” Wendy shared. “We had so many people coming to talk to us. They understood the connection and could see how it could be such a great ice breaker for kids [in foster care]. I think it made us more approchable, too.”
Wendy said there’s something “pretty special” about participating in an event like Pure Religion Sunday knowing so many other churches are doing the same thing around the world. “It may sometimes feel like a drop in the bucket, that’s a LOT of drops,” she added. – Jenny Pope, CAFO
Mazatlán, Mexico
In Mazatlán, Mexico, the team from Back2Back Ministries visited 13 local churches to share God’s heart for children in need of family. Through a series of informational sessions led in partnership with local government representatives, they invited church members to learn more about the process of fostering and adoption in their community.
Their hope was simple yet profound: that God would strengthen those already called to foster or adopt — and awaken new hearts to join them, said Wendy Acevedo, coordinator with Back2BAck Mexico.
Each person who attended received a Pure Religion Sunday magnet featuring children waiting for families as a daily reminder to pray for those still in need of a loving home.What began as a practical effort to connect churches with resources became a powerful expression of unity and compassion. “It’s a good opportunity to act in love – the love of God – and to build a stronger community,” said Wendy Acevedo, coordinator with Back2Back Mexico. – Keren Perez, CAFO
Lambaré, Paraguay
Más Que Vencedores (MQV) Church in Lambaré, Paraguay is living out a quiet but powerful commitment to children and families in their community.
Each month, the congregation sets aside intentional time to pray for orphaned and vulnerable children. Earlier this year, the church hosted a special service focused on the needs of vulnerable children, including a message on biblical hospitality and God’s call to care for those without parental protection. And Pastors Luis and Katiana Salomón — a foster and adoptive family themselves — help to model what it looks like for the church to respond to the needs of the vulnerable with compassion, hospitality and biblical conviction, said Valery Szostak, coordinator for Paraguay Protege Familias, a CAFO Global Network.
During Pure Religion Week in November, MQV Church participated in a live conversation with Paraguay Protege Familias (PPF), shared encouragement on social media and held a Sunday service centered on the meaning of pure religion and Scripture’s invitation to care for children and families. That same week, a child with a disability was brought to a local hospital, Valery shared.
“While authorities searched for a safe place for him, Katiana Salomón visited the child, purchased needed medications and supplies, and stayed in ongoing communication with DICUIDA [the government agency overseeing foster care] to support efforts in identifying a family who could care for him temporarily,” she added. “It’s beautiful how the church continues to mobilize believers toward action.”
Two families from the congregation are now enrolled in training to become care providers, and several others actively support foster families through donations, prayer and practical help. The Salomóns’ first foster placement was made possible through the full support of their congregation — a picture of the church living as the body of Christ together.
MQV Church in Lambaré stands as a hopeful example of how a local church can embrace Pure Religion in meaningful, everyday ways — strengthening families, supporting caregivers and reflecting God’s heart for every child. – Keren Perez, CAFO
Pennsylvania, USA
Keystone Family Alliance in Pennsylvania leveraged Pure Religion Sunday — under the name of Stand Sunday — as a tool to engage communities and churches in 32 counties across the state.
In addition to inviting 180 church partners to observe Stand Sunday, KeyFam county coordinators worked with churches and community partners to facilitate engagement events throughout the weekend. Ranging from carnivals to movie screenings to trivia nights to prayer services, these events were designed to connect attendees to the specific needs of vulnerable children and families in their local communities — and invite them into next steps they could take to meet those needs.
At an event in Adams County, attendees assembled 50 care bags for their local social services caseworkers to use when placing children in foster homes.
Meagan Whren, Clarion-Jefferson County Coordinator with KeyFam, shared that at their carnival event, she was encouraged to see churches and pastors leading the way: “Some helped with set up, ran games, and also clean up! It was a true church community effort from many churches …”.
KeyFam estimates that more than 1,100 people across the state attended these events, and they’ve had multiple families express interest in becoming licensed foster families. But family recruitment wasn’t their only focus. Instead, KeyFam’s goal for these events was to call people to find their “something,” using whatever gifts and talents they have to creatively support children and families in foster care.
For KeyFam, Pure Religion Sunday is an invitation and recognition of the role of the local church.
“Church leaders are impactful in so many ways,” said Becky DuBois, executive administrator at KeyFam. “When it comes to Pure Religion Sunday, their commitment and acknowledgement of the role that Christians play in being part of the solution to the child welfare crisis is essential in speaking to the hearts of those in their congregation. Not only do those attending their church take notice, but the community outside of the church takes notice, too.” – Katie Casselberry, CAFO
Bucharest, Romania
Nearly 10 years ago, Pastor Adiel Bunescu’s church outside of Bucharest, Romania began observing Orphan Sunday, desiring to awaken hearts to the needs of vulnerable children. What started as a simple moment of prayer grew into a rhythm of compassion that has deeply marked their church community today, he said.
In partnership with the Romanian Alliance for Orphans (ARFO), the congregation created prayer cards featuring the names and stories of children in need of care. Each church member was invited to “adopt” a card — committing to pray faithfully for one child. Weeks later, during a follow-up service, Adiel shared that two children from a local residential center needed a family to host them for winter break. Unlike the others, these children had no relatives to visit — both had lost their families.
After the service, several families stepped forward. Among them was an older couple nearing retirement who had once told him they would never adopt. They had been cautious when Adiel and his family first adopted and hesitant to engage deeply.
“Something stirred in their hearts that morning,” Bunescu said. The husband, a physical education teacher, said he felt an unshakable conviction: these children were meant to be theirs.
The couple welcomed the children into their home for the holidays in late 2019 and by early 2021 they had officially adopted them. The transition wasn’t easy, Bunescu added, sharing that the pandemic brought life to an unexpected standstill but also provided “uninterrupted time to get to know each other.”
“Today both of the children are thriving in high school,” he added, sharing that their testimony has become a beautiful story of obedience and the power of the church responding to God’s call for the orphaned and vulnerable.
Over the years, Bunescu said that Orphan Sunday has continued to shape his church’s congregation. Many members have since opened their homes through adoption and foster care. Others serve by volunteering at ARFO events, supporting adoptive families, or attending CAFO Summit together each year. What began as a single Sunday of awareness has become a community movement — one that reflects God’s heart for family and His faithful pursuit of every child, he said. – Keren Perez, CAFO
Zimbabwe
Across Zimbabwe, churches are increasingly embracing Pure Religion Sunday as a time to reflect God’s heart for vulnerable children and families. This year, leaders shared encouraging testimonies of how the day is awakening believers to action.
In one congregation, the pastor showed a film on adoption and challenged his church to make a tangible difference for orphans in their community. Many others responded by praying, planning and discussing how to serve families in need long after the day itself, said Pastor Rephat Nyarenda.
“Pure Religion Sunday is becoming a movement,” he said, “one that is inspiring the church in Zimbabwe to lead with both conviction and compassion.”Zimbabwe Without Orphans used the day to highlight their upcoming summit in December — an event designed to strengthen collaboration between churches, NGOs and government leaders to advance family-based care through adoption and foster care initiatives. – Keren Perez, CAFO
Middle East
In Jordan and throughout the Middle East and North Africa, churches from multiple denominations gathered to observe Orphan Sunday 2025 through prayer, worship and community engagement. The day brought together congregations across the region in a shared expression of God’s heart for vulnerable children and families, said Nisreen Hawatmeh, founder and managing director of Sanadak.
“We are grateful to see this growing spirit of unity and compassion among churches in the MENA region,” said Hawatmeh. “We believe these moments of collective prayer will bear lasting fruit in many lives.”
Churches in the region hosted dedicated times of intercession, shared biblical reflections on care within family and community and mobilized members to serve in practical ways. Leaders across the region also noted that this growing unity is strengthening long-term collaboration and expanding the church’s collective response, Hawatmeh added.
Regional posters and photos from Orphan Sunday celebrations show congregations standing together in prayer, reminding the church of its ongoing call to reflect the gospel through care, belonging and supportive community for children and families. – Keren Perez, CAFO
Pure Religion Sunday is a day where churches around the world come together to recognize and respond to God’s heart for vulnerable children and families on the second Sunday in November and throughout the year. Rooted in James 1:27 and reflected throughout all of Scripture, it encourages churches to engage deeply in adoption, foster care, global orphan care and wrap-around family support — central to living as disciples of Christ.
