The 2016 National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® Celebration
The 2016 National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® Celebration, “Children of Promise: Closing Opportunity Gaps” will focus on closing opportunity gaps due to poverty and lack of access to high-quality early childhood development and a high-quality education so that every child can reach their God-given potential. For that to happen, we as people of faith need to stand tall within our communities and push our nation to keep our promises of love and justice, equality and dignity for all. – Children’s Defense Fund
Children and Poverty:
- America’s child poverty rate is one of the highest among industrialized nations.
- Child poverty creates gaps in cognitive skills.
- Child hunger jeopardizes children’s health and ability to learn.
- Child poverty fuels the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
- For more information: Poverty Report
The National Observance of Children’s Sabbath is the opportunity for us to live into the General Rules of The United Methodist Church by:
- Celebrating and strengthening existing efforts for children
- Discovering and sharing new opportunities to help children
- Praying, studying, and reflecting as a community of faith
- Taking action
- Committing to new, long-term efforts
The National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® includes worship, but it is not a traditional Children’s Sunday.
- Children’s Sunday is a day set aside to celebrate children as active participants in the life of the church. Children serve as worship leaders throughout the service, including preaching.
- Children’s Sabbath is an ecumenically celebrated weekend committed to educating the congregation and community about the state of today’s children and families in America. Children provide leadership through music and reading of scripture.
RESOURCES
2016 National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® Manual
How Children’s Sabbath and Children’s Sunday Are Different
Planning Children’s Sabbath Webinar Recording with Shannon Daley-Harris
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