The History of Pure Religion Sunday

In 2009, the Christian Alliance for Orphans began providing united leadership to make Orphan Sunday a catalyst for awareness and action across the US and worldwide. And in 2017, Stand Sunday was included to invite the Church to stand for children and families impacted by the foster care system in the United States. Today, Pure Religion Sunday bears the legacies of these two great movements, now unified, and expands the opportunities for churches to find uniquely impactful ways to live out the pure religion reflected throughout all of Scripture. 

The Purpose of Pure Religion Sunday

Rooted in the pure religion described in the book of James and invited throughout all of Scripture, Pure Religion Sunday is a day to recognize and respond to God’s heart for vulnerable children and families. Observed on the second Sunday in November or throughout the year, it encourages churches to engage deeply in adoption, foster care, global orphan care and wrap-around family support — central to living as disciples of Jesus.

Whether you are seeking to build new church partnerships or deepen existing ones, Pure Religion Sunday is a tool you can use to serve churches in your community and invite them into meaningful engagement with your mission.

Deeper than a day of awareness or activism, it’s a call for churches to embrace the ways that moving toward the hurting and hard places in our communities will begin to refine us as we all seek to look and act more like Jesus.