While attending a church service in Zambia, an American visitor, Gary Schneider, was struck by the pastor’s passionate call to care for orphans in the local community, a community dramatically affected by AIDS and poverty. Those in the congregation faced real need themselves, needs we can barely imagine. But, as the service ended, one after another stepped forward with money, food, and material things, some even taking off their own shoes and placing them in the offering as a response to the pastor’s call for the orphans.

Gary Schneider, President of Every Orphan’s Hope, was so impacted that he began to help Zambian leaders coordinate Orphan Sunday efforts across Zambia which spread to the United States in 2003.

It stands as a day specifically set apart to bring attention to God’s call for us to stand for the orphan. We are a people called to defend the fatherless, to care for the child who has no family, to visit orphans in their distress. Orphan Sunday is our opportunity as preadoptive families, adoptive families, and those who have hearts for children around the world to rouse the Church, our communities, and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan. It’s an opportunity for the Body to demonstrate what we are for instead of simply what we are against. What we are for is what God’s heart is for–and God’s heart is for the orphan both in an earthly sense as well as a spiritual sense (Exodus 22:22-23; Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 24:19; Job 29:12; Psalm 10:14,17-18; Psalm 27:10; Psalm 68:5-6; Psalm 146:9; Proverbs 31:8-9; Isaiah 1:17; Isaiah 56:5; Hosea 14:3; Matthew 18:5; Matthew 25:40; John 14:18; Romans 8:14-17; Romans 8:23; Romans 9:4; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 3:26; Galations 4:4-7; Ephesians 1:3-5; James 1:27)

“Orphan Sunday helps to bring the message of the orphan to the eyes, ears, hands and feet of God’s huge family,” said Ed Schwartz, President, Loving Shepherd Ministries.

“Orphan Sunday isn’t about charity; it’s about the mission of Christ. I pray that every Gospel-transformed congregation will observe Orphan Sunday, calling all Christians to our mandate to image Christ by caring for his little brothers and sisters, the fatherless of the world,” said Russell D. Moore, Dean of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of Adopted for Life.

Today, Mark and I spent the day absorbing, taking in, learning, and fellowshipping at the MidAtlantic Orphan Summit in Hershey. We heard 8 speakers today–so I’m a bit overwhelmed with all the information we heard. May the Lord use me–use the 500 people who were there today–to impact their churches and their communities and their circles of influence to reach the 147 million orphans worldwide. And, may He teach us to image Him, to care about what He cares about, to experience heartbreak when His does, and to be filled with His hope for His children.