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October
1, 2004
Rector’s Page
St.
John’s to Celebrate the Children’s Sabbath
On October 17th, we will
join with thousands of other congregations across the nation in the
13th
annual National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths. Sponsored by the non-profit, non-partisan Children’s Defense Fund
and supported by Catholic Charities U.S.A., the Islamic Society of North
America, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the
Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and more than 200 other religious
organizations and denominations, the Children’s Sabbath will focus on the needs
of children and on how people of faith can respond through work for justice,
acts of kindness, and prayer.
The Children’s Sabbath theme, “Say That
I’m a Child of God: Assuring Justice
and Care to Leave No Child Behind,” is drawn from a spiritual. The lyrics are, “If anybody asks you who I
am, say that I’m a child of God.” The
Children’s Sabbath’s theme emphasizes that every child is beloved by God and
deserves to be treated with justice and compassion. Sadly, the state of children in our nation today does not reflect
the inherent dignity and worth of every child.
Marian Wright Edelman, CDF founder and president, notes several
statistics pointing to the injustice confronting children in our rich
nation: one in six children lives in
poverty (most of whom are in working families); one in eight has no health
insurance; 13 million children live in families not getting enough to eat;
millions of children live in families who pay more than half of their income
for rent or live in overcrowded or dilapidated housing or are homeless; and
states spend almost three times more on average per prisoner than per public
school pupil. She concludes, “If every
parent, every citizen, every religious leader, elected official, every teacher
and teen, every leader and lay person looked at each and every child as a child
of God, I believe we would not stand for a minute for the terrible injustice
that millions suffer daily. It is time to
give our lives—and not just our lip service—to the conviction that every child
is a child of God, and every child needs and deserves to be nurtured and
protected. We must truly leave no child
behind.”
At all three services on October 17th, we will join in
this united voice for children by offering special liturgies that celebrate this
year’s national theme, “Providing What God Requires and Children Need:
Justice, Kindness, and Faith.” This will be a good time to invite other
families or children to visit our congregation. See you on Sunday.
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