An Exercise to Experience Orphan Sunday with Your Church
Not everyone and not every church realizes what kind of children are living in care. Many assume that children in an orphanage are there simply because they have lost their parents. In reality, the reasons are often far more complex.
The following story and activity can help your church community better understand the experience of a child who ends up in institutional care.
A Very Lonely Child
Lily (or any name that fits your context) is a seven-year-old girl living in your town. She has a mum, a dad, and two little brothers. Her grandmother lives nearby, and Lily loves going to school, where she has friends and a kind teacher.
But things at home begin to unravel. Her father starts drinking heavily and becomes violent, often beating her mother. Even though Lily is scared, she tries to protect her younger brothers. Eventually, her mother can no longer cope. She moves with the children to her own mother’s (the grandmother’s) house. But the stress takes a toll, and Lily’s mother requires treatment in a psychiatric clinic.
Grandmother does her best to care for all three children with the help of a local social worker, but the responsibility becomes overwhelming. Finally, it is decided that Lily, as the oldest, will be sent to an orphanage. Because it is in another part of town, she can no longer attend her old school and loses not only her family but also her friends and teachers. In the orphanage, the only familiar face she sees is her social worker, who visits occasionally.
How to Do This Activity in Your Church
This story (or a version adapted to your local context) can be acted out in your church service, helping members—both adults and children—feel the weight of a child’s experience.
- Every time you introduce a person in the story, invite a volunteer from your church to represent them (a girl for Lily, a young woman for the mother, etc.).
- Use a long piece of string or yarn. Lily holds the end, and as each new person is introduced, they are connected to her with the string. At the beginning, Lily is connected to her whole family, school, and support system.
- As the story unfolds and relationships are broken, cut the strings one by one. In the end, Lily stands holding only short, broken strings—a visual picture of her lost connections and isolation.
Afterward, invite the participants to reflect: How did it feel to be cut away? How did it feel to stand as Lily, left alone?
Prayer Points for Your Church
- Pray for children like Lily—those who have lost loved ones, experienced trauma, and long for safety and belonging.
- Pray for families to open their homes and hearts to welcome such children.
- Pray for your church and others to become strong support systems for foster and adoptive families.
- Pray for good collaboration between parents, social workers, and churches.
- If you know children in care personally, pray for them by name—not just on Orphan Sunday, but in the weeks to come.
