The Bible calls God’s people to advocate for the weak and vulnerable.
In Proverbs 31:8 it says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
When we act as advocates, Scripture shows us that we are reflecting the character of Jesus and how he first loved us. Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are referred to as our advocates – Jesus advocates for us to the Father (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:24, 1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy Spirit advocates for us when we don’t know how to pray (Romans 8:26).
At CAFO, we see committed Christians in all spheres of influence – from the church and Christian NGOs, to businesses, social welfare and government entities – seeking to advocate for orphans and vulnerable children more effectively.
And we also see the unique challenges that come with advocacy, where problems feel complicated, solutions are varied and issues of protection and privacy can often seem limiting when it comes to connecting the needs of vulnerable children with others in the community.
Growing the Global Movement of Advocates
This is one of the reasons we are excited to launch a new approach to strengthen and unite the voices of Champion Advocates – to help grow and guide the global movement of Christians working together to be God’s answer, through the local church, to care for orphans, vulnerable children and families.
Champion Advocates will be equipped each month with the following resources:
- A key theme or idea to learn about and share
- Communications tips, tools and best practices
- Spiritual formation resources for personal growth
- Quarterly webinars on practical advocacy & communications topics
Champion Advocates will also receive a free one-year Individual Membership to CAFO, which includes a discount to Summit, and access to OVC Essentials on Demand.
In return, Advocates are asked to commit to growing in their understanding of the issues that affect vulnerable children and families and agree to share one piece of content each month in their spheres of influence – whether it’s a blog, a social media post, a teaching or bible study lesson, or other forms of communication.
Just as Christians have been advocating for orphans and vulnerable children throughout history, we want to strengthen YOU in your advocacy work this year.
The application window for the 2023 Champion Advocates Program has closed. If you are part of a CAFO Member Organization, please reach out to us at info@cafo.org for more information on how to join.