ABHMS partner brings people of different faiths together to protect children’s welfare
VALLEY FORGE, PA (02/18/2026)—On the morning of September 11, 2001, a group of 400 Georgia religious leaders representing different faith traditions gathered for breakfast. Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, was the keynote speaker. She forcefully argued that people of faith must unite to advocate for all children across Georgia. As the leaders prepared to leave, news of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C reached them. Hearing it, everyone in the room committed to stay and work together for Georgia’s children.
“That was the day the Interfaith Children’s Movement (ICM) was born,” says Rev. Cassandra A. Henderson, now the organization’s executive director. “Out of tragedy came a resolve to work across faith lines for the sake of children.”
In 2001, Georgia ranked 49th out of 50 states in child well-being, according to Henderson. Today, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Georgia ranks 39th. This remains a challenge for the ICM as they continue to connect faith partners to each other over children’s welfare. Their main framework is known as “Learn. Pray. Act,” which combines advocacy education, interfaith prayer, and public action.
The partnership model they have built is not only interfaith but also intergenerational. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu children and youth are trained to advocate for and practice civic engagement. Specifically, ICM educates them about policy pathways and explains who holds power and how legislative and executive decisions are made.
Henderson recounted a visit to the Georgia Capitol one year, where the ICM delegation was met with an unwelcoming attitude by a legislator. However, two years later, after ICM’s continued advocacy and presence, the legislator warmly welcomed another delegation of 30 ICM youth and discussed several bills related to children’s welfare that she co-sponsored. Despite their initial hesitation, the delegates had a lively discussion with her.
Such opportunities equip young people to become effective advocates for justice. Ju, a 2023 ICM youth advocacy Intern, joined the program to develop her communication skills and learn how to speak up for important issues. With an interest in science, she felt she needed to develop a stronger public voice. “I went through the immigration system. and I feel like there are some important things that aren’t discussed,” she said. “We [youth] have a lot that we can offer but not much opportunity that’s given to us.”
In 2024, ICM received a Palmer grant. (Established in 1999 through a permanent endowment with the American Baptist Foundation, the Virginia and Gordon Palmer Trust supports mission-focused grant cycles, some of which are promoted in partnership with American Baptist Home Mission Societies.) The grant funded the expansion of the organization’s activity into county-based coalitions. As a result, ICM was able to reach rural counties far from Atlanta. The grant enabled the founding of the Youth Advocacy Alliance for ages 11–18, which grew out of the Summer Youth Advocacy Internship into a year-long, youth-led program.
The impact of ICM is notable. Their annual interfaith prayer celebration draws over 300 participants, with a similar number signing up for their yearly MLK March, and as many as 200 people taking part in the ICM’s Capitol Advocacy Day in February 2026. Regular events like the Children’s Sabbath weekend and Heart parties are also highly popular. Overall, ICM directly serves over 1000 individuals each year.
ABHMS partnerships with organizations like ICM help bring together communities that might not have connected otherwise to create positive change. Henderson named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an inspiration for their mission: “We call our community the beloved community, living into Dr. King’s vision for what can be possible when we truly appreciate the sacred worth of each person, not trying to change them into what we think they ought to be, or make a supremacist model of our own faith traditions.”
Henderson’s focus on humility and building bridges aligns strongly with Micah 6:8—“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” You can support this sacred work and join a movement that lives God’s call to justice through compassion and faithful presence. Donate today.
By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, ABHMS senior writer and editor of The Christian Citizen
