ADRA Joins Faith Leaders in Prayer Vigil Against Foreign Aid Cuts

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ADRA Joins Faith Leaders in Prayer Vigil Against Foreign Aid Cuts

Natalie Bruzon|

March 14, 2025|Reports

On March 12, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) joined dozens of faith-based nonprofits for a prayer vigil in Washington, D.C., speaking out against the current U.S. administration’s sweeping foreign aid cuts. Bread for the World and the Accord Network organized the event at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church. The vigil drew prominent organizations that aid vulnerable communities worldwide.

James Standish, ADRA’s Government Relations Advisor, represented the organization and was one of several speakers at the vigil. Standish affirmed ADRA’s commitment to serving, saying:

At ADRA, we believe that helping the most vulnerable is a core tenet of Christian compassion. While USAID and government funding have played a key role in our work, we now turn to the Adventist Church community and individual donors to help fill the gap created by recent funding cuts. Through prayer, support, and generosity, we can continue providing life-saving assistance to those who need it most, especially in times of crisis.

Slashed funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has hindered ADRA’s mission. As Spectrum recently reported, the agency received $62,617,898 from USAID to fund humanitarian programs worldwide in 2023. The amount represents approximately 64 percent of ADRA’s total revenue of $96,362,929 for that year.

Along with ADRA, World Relief, Catholic Relief Services, Compassion International, and other faith-based aid groups asked Congress to reinstate crucial international programs, condemning the funding cuts on moral and humanitarian grounds, and citing the fallout that has already begun.

 
Bread for the World president and CEO Rev. Eugene Cho called the “broad, un-targeted cuts” a moral failure, urging Christians in the U.S. to stand up for those suffering as a result.

Many speakers, including Standish, stressed that foreign aid comprises less than one percent of the U.S. federal budget, yet plays a critical role in alleviating poverty, hunger, and health crises worldwide.

How Cuts Hurt ADRA

For over four decades, ADRA has partnered with USAID and other government agencies to provide humanitarian assistance across the globe. In fact, ADRA’s bylaws—approved by the General Conference Executive Committee when the agency was established in 1983—explicitly outline the organization’s commitment to forming partnerships with various denominations, philanthropic organizations, development banks, and government agencies that share its mission to meet human needs. This strategic approach has enabled ADRA to expand its reach and impact, even in the face of funding uncertainties.

The recent suspension of over 92 percent of USAID funding has disrupted critical programs and forced ADRA to reassess its aid strategies.

Among the affected services are food security initiatives, health programs, nutrition interventions, and disaster relief. According to ADRA, the most vulnerable of people will be impacted, such as mothers and children in many parts of Africa who will no longer receive ADRA nutrition assistance, pregnant women and children in the Middle East who will not have access to essential ADRA clinics that offer health care, and refugees and displaced individuals in South America who will not receive food assistance, hygiene support, or medical care.

Standish stressed ADRA’s reliance on partnerships and struck an optimistic note: “ADRA hopes that such moments of unity inspire lasting action and deepen advocacy,” he said, “particularly as we collaborate with others to restore critical humanitarian support, especially as funding cuts threaten vulnerable populations.”

Faith-Based Advocacy for Foreign Aid

ADRA and its faith-based partners are actively engaging with lawmakers to push for reinstating foreign aid. The message to Congress is clear: humanitarian support is not just a financial commitment but a moral responsibility. “The Bible is explicit about caring for the poor,” Standish noted. He said that collaborating does not mean “merging or altering our faiths,” but rather “coming together to follow Christian principles in advocating for vulnerable communities in need.”

Other speakers agreed and argued that slashing foreign aid contradicts Christian teachings on compassion and justice. Some at the vigil held signs with messages like “Hunger won’t wait” and “Aid strengthens American national security.”

As ADRA and its partners leverage their cooperation to influence lawmakers, they are also seeking individual donor support to help bridge the financial gap left by government cuts. ADRA is turning to the Adventist community, urging church members and faith-based advocates to pray, donate, and spread awareness of the stark reality that if faith communities remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance may not arise from another place, and many families may perish.

“We sing that song: ‘God bless America,’” Standish said. “Well, folks, God has blessed America.” The point, he drove home, is that the Bible calls believers to share those blessings at such a time as this.

Image: James Standish speaks at the “Prayer Vigil for Foreign Aid” at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Washington. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified James Standish as ADRA’s Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty. He is ADRA’s Government Relations Advisor.

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