120+
Countries
to date
Thousands
of
Churches
ONE
Unified Day Together
Pure Religion Sunday is November 8, 2026
Host a Pure Religion Sunday event to help your church and community engage in caring for vulnerable children and families where you live.
Together, we can catalyze the Church's commitment to God’s heart for the orphaned and vulnerable.
Everyone can do something on Pure Religion Sunday.
Rooted in James 1:27 and reflected throughout all of Scripture, this special day encourages your church to engage deeply in adoption, foster care, global orphan care and wrap-around family support — central to living as disciples of Christ. Join churches in over 120 countries that have witnessed the transformative power of this day to catalyze action and celebrate all that God is doing in their communities on behalf of vulnerable children and families.
From launching new ministries to engaging with community partners and uniting across denominations, Pure Religion Sunday mobilizes collective action to care for vulnerable children and families.
Consider how your church can leverage Pure Religion Sunday to:
Engage Your People
Deepen your church’s understanding of James 1:27 as a calling for action rooted in Christian discipleship in your church.
Expand Your Ministry
Provide on-ramps for new ministry involvement, focusing on foster care, adoption, global orphan care and wrap-around support.
Connect with Others
Build bridges with your community’s nonprofits, churches and child welfare organizations to multiply your impact.
CAFO and The Worship Initiative
Listen to Father to the Fatherless and use the EP to help your church engage with Pure Religion Sunday in 2025.
Resources for your Pure Religion Sunday events
From customizable Canva graphics and logo packages to planning guides, ideas and timelines … these resources will help you successfully plan your Pure Religion Sunday event!
Get the Field Guide
This is your guide to hosting Pure Religion Sunday in your church this year.
This guide includes the legacy stories of Orphan Sunday + Stand Sunday, recommended marketing timelines, shareable resources, and more — including information on the Pure Religion Project!
Available in English and Spanish!
Access the New Video
This video will help you show the power of churches living out a holy and helpful calling.
Integrating Scripture and footage from around the world, share this video in your Pure Religion Sunday service.
Graphics Package
These customizable Canva graphics can be modified and used for your events — including posters, slides, social media graphics and bulletin inserts.
Available in English and Spanish!
Leverage Book
This comprehensive book helps you plan what to do before, during, and after your Pure Religion Sunday events to engage people in your church.
Logo Files
Download the Pure Religion Sunday logos in three languages to use for your local event.
Preach
This book contains key themes and principles for preaching and teaching effectively on Pure Religion Sunday.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
The history of Orphan Sunday + Stand Sunday
Each year since 2004, the Church has celebrated God’s heart for orphaned and vulnerable children on the second Sunday in November, first through Orphan Sunday and then in 2017 through Stand Sunday, when the two efforts merged. Learn more about the history and legacy of these two special days below.
Orphan Sunday
Orphan Sunday came as a gift from the Church in Africa. While attending a church service in Zambia, an American visitor witnessed the local pastor’s passionate call to care for the orphaned in a community ravaged by AIDS and poverty. As that first-ever “Orphan Sunday” service ended, one person after another stepped forward, giving out of their own need, offering their food, and some even taking off their own shoes and placing them in the offering basket for the orphaned.
That visitor, Gary Schneider, was so profoundly impacted by what he had witnessed that he began to help Zambian leaders coordinate Orphan Sunday efforts across Zambia and also shared the vision in the United States.
In 2009, the Christian Alliance for Orphans began providing united leadership to make Orphan Sunday a catalyst for awareness and action across the U.S. and worldwide. Today, churches and organizations in more than 100 nations observe Orphan Sunday annually. We pray the Church worldwide may be as faithful as our Zambian brothers and sisters to reflect God’s heart for the orphan, both near and far.
Stand Sunday
When Bishop Aaron Blake, a pastor and foster/adoptive father, left his breakfast table for church on the second Sunday in November of 2004, he had a sermon prepared,… and it wasn’t about foster care.
“I had prepared a sermon to preach that morning that I had worked on all week. I stood up to bring the message when the breakfast table image of our boys came back to my mind. The faces of our sons seemed to multiply in my emotions as I recalled the image from the breakfast table earlier. I knew then that God was prompting our church to answer the call to care for children and broken families.”
Without explanation, Bishop Blake said to his congregation, “Brothers and sisters, there are about 30,000 children in the foster care system in Texas and nearly half a million in the U.S.” He then asked this one simple question (and he wasn’t expecting a verbal answer):
“Who will stand with me to defend, care and support abused, abandoned and neglected children in our community?”
After a brief silence, one lady in the back of the church stood up and simply replied, “Pastor… I will.”
Like a tiny smoldering ember dropped in a pile of thirsty pine needles, her voice began to multiply. To his amazement, Bishop Blake watched as one family after another stood up and joined their voices to hers. As a result of that day, this church and the surrounding community have cared for and adopted hundreds of children in foster care over the years. In fact, their county now has more than enough foster families to meet the need.
Pure Religion Around the World
See how Pure Religion Sunday is being celebrated and promoted around the world.
Share your events with us by using the hashtag #purereligionsunday
Frequently asked questions
Join us as we extend love and hope to children in need
Together we can make a lasting impact!
