Through solemn promises we make to children and to God in a baby naming, baptism, or infant dedication, through rites of initiation and passage such as first communions and confirmations, through religious education and social, cultural, and recreational activities, the religious community seeks to live out its call to nurture children. In fact, congregations are the single largest provider of center-based child care. It can speak with moral authority and experience because of its long tradition of nurturing children, its commitment to justice, and its experience in providing child care, after-school, and summer programs, and supporting parents in raising their children. Each year CDF publishes a Children's Sabbath manual that provides valuable information and practical suggestions about how your religious community can participate. The manual includes suggested prayers, hymns, sermons, homilies, lesson plans for children, appropriate references from the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran, as well as how-to sections for organizing, communicating with the media, and advocating for children at the local, state, and national level.
Love has to be put into action and that action is service.
Share your gifts and lift your voices to God, to each other, and to the leaders of our nation until not one child is left behind, hurt, or abandoned, and every child flourishes as God intends. In 1998, CDF celebrates 25 years of advocacy, service, and leadership to build a movement to Leave No Child Behind. This column is also syndicated through the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Visit the Child Watch archive for previous columns by Marian Wright Edelman. Marian Wright Edelman is an EPN Featured Columnist .