We have been encouraged by the stories of churches observing and celebrating National Adoption month! Focus on the Family has launched their End the Wait tour. Make sure you get to an event if they are coming to your area. Also, check out the list of churches hosting an Orphan Sunday and see if there is one happening in your area that you could attend.
One of the most beautiful things about working with the churches that are hosting an Orphan Sunday is that the body of Christ is working together to see God's heart revealed through adoption. One of Jesus' last prayers is for the unity of His Church. It is a privilege to work together with believers from many different denominations, all working together, to see children find loving, forever families, where they can be loved and experience the love of God.
Pray for the churches hosting an Orphan Sunday, attend one if you can and pray that the number of churches hosting in Canada, would increase exponentially for next year!
From Christian Alliance for Orphans:
We serve a mighty God who IS able to move mountains, but sometimes He is simply just trying to help us see something from a different perspective. Orphan Sunday is not about one church, one person, or one objective. Orphan Sunday is the Church (collectively as God intended) coming together on ONE DAY with ONE PURPOSE using ONE VOICE. Below is a Prayer & Fasting Guide for the week leading up to your Orphan Sunday.
Prayer and Fasting Guide
Monday: Today, pray for local foster and adoptive folks who are on the front lines of orphan care to be encouraged, supported by the local Church and that God may give them the strength to continue. This includes, but is not limited to: foster and adoptive parents, those who work within the foster care system, those who facilitate foster care or adoptive services, case workers, social workers, psychologists and therapists. These folks are on the front lines of orphan care and often feel alone or bound by a system.
Tuesday: Today, pray for your pastor, your church leadership, and the Church as a whole to feel the Lord's heart for the orphans as seen in Psalm 68:5-6 (below) and for Him to raise up workers for the harvest from your church and community to go to the "fields of the fatherless." "A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..." - Psalm 68:5-6"Give up your wicked ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows." - Isaiah 1:16-17
Wednesday: Today, pray for state and federal policy makers, judges, attorneys, penitentiary and correction officers and workers, and national organizations committed to helping orphans. Ask the Lord to give them wisdom as they make decisions directly affecting children, particularly the orphan.
Thursday: Today, pray that God would move mightily within the Church across Canada and give the Church a positive voice across Canada as it reaches out to homeless children and youth, victims of child trafficking, foster care, parents struggling to care for and raise their children, birth parents, and children trapped in an abusive situation.
Friday: Today, ask the Lord help parents struggling to care for their children due to financial, physical, medical, stress or social stigma due to a birth defect. Ask the Lord to protect children and their parents from kidnapping, child trafficking, hunger, disease and war.
Saturday: Fasting Day: If you are able to fast (give up food for the day), then fast and pray. If you are unable to fast, consider giving up one meal, a favorite item, TV, Facebook or your phone. Today, ask God that of the 2 billion Christians in the world, 7% would show hope to a single orphan, looking after the child in their distress. Ask the Lord to convict the church around the world that if we did this, there would effectively be no more orphans. Ask the Lord to show
each of His followers that we can each do something. Within your prayers, choose a country or countries to pray specifically over and pray for nationals within that country to rise up and be willing to care for orphans.
Orphan Sunday: Today, pray for Orphan Sunday events around the world to go smoothly. Pray for the Lord to speak through pastors and speakers around the world. Pray for the Spirit to convict, encourage, challenge and confirm families, pastors and orphan care workers all over the world.
Click here for more Orphan Sunday resources or information
We have been encouraged by the stories of churches observing and celebrating National Adoption month! Focus on the Family has launched their End the Wait tour. Make sure you get to an event if they are coming to your area. Also, check out the list of churches hosting an Orphan Sunday and see if there is one happening in your area that you could attend.
