If you’re even marginally in the pro-life movement you can quote James 1:27 which says that pure and undefiled religion is caring for the orphan and the widow. What we don’t always know is what that looks like on a grand scale. Yes, the family in the church who adopted is caring for the orphan and we have that picture, but the need to heal the mass fatherlessness of our nation often seems overwhelming.

But not to Denver pastor Robert Gelinas. His vision for the fatherless turned 875 children in the Colorado foster system who were waiting for adoption (not all foster children are  eligible to be adopted) just a few years ago into zero. Now he’s moving to eradicate unadopted foster children from Arizona.

This incredible story from Fox News in Phoenix tells of Pastor Gelinas and his efforts to unite the church to give children homes. His ministry, Project 1.27, based on the verse, is founded on the simple and biblical idea that the church is the answer to the crisis of fatherlessness. He told the news station:

“No one person can do it. We can take one child. My wife and I dove into the process. Personally we have six children, five adopted. one at a time. We have room for one more. God will figure the rest out.”

Project 1.27’s website says:

In December 2004 there were 875 children legally available for adoption in the Colorado foster care system. We also knew there were over 3,000 churches in Colorado with members ‘called’ to adopt children. The solution wasn’t rocket science. How do we assist in connecting the children waiting for a ‘forever family’ with church members wanting to adopt and foster?

“The body of Christ needs to come together to make sure there are no children waiting for homes in Colorado. It is a travesty that we have kids waiting for homes in our own back yards. That should never be the case…” said Pastor Robert Gelinas in 2004. So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. The result was Project 1.27.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans… in their distress” James 1:27. Project 1.27 is about helping Christian parents adopt and foster children in Colorado’s foster care system. We believe there is a family for every child or youth who is waiting.

Truly there probably is a family for every child that’s waiting—and it might be yours. So permeated with the illusion of the “American Dream” have we been that we think we can’t afford another child because we have house and car payments when the truth is many of us could drive fewer (or more used) cars or have a smaller house and still have room for more children.

I think of my friends in Texas who took in a foster child last month and now everyone can’t fit in one car because they have too many children. All that boy knows is that he is loved. He’s not really concerned about a family vacation because he has a family.

I think about my friends who have 7 children who purposely live in a moderately sized three bedroom house so they can raise a family that isn’t concerned with stuff but with each other.

These and so many others are finding out that God’s dream for the orphan is bigger than America’s dream for their prosperity, that the real prosperity gospel is the blessing of children.

Project 1.27 is spearheading the movement that could change the world. Imagine what would happen if we took this to all the states. Project 1.27 shows a list of many states with similar initiatives (Click here). Get involved with one of these—or start one! You  may adopt, or you may help fund adoption, or be a prayer covering committed to carrying families and organizations through the process.

Project 1.27 and other places with goals like this work hard to make adoption affordable and to help free children from fatherlessness. James 1.27 is become a reality through Project 1.27.

For more information, goes to Project 1.27’s website here: http://project127.com/