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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodists together |
Nov./Dec. 2004 |
From the Bishop
All God's children
The
past eight years, the United Methodist Council of Bishops has led the church in
a focus upon children and children's issues, called The Bishops Initiative on
Children and Poverty. Most of us bishops have led Children's Marches; we have
encouraged the development of new programs to care for at-risk children; we have
called upon the churches to adopt Safe Sanctuaries policies; and we have
sponsored workshops and other educational events to help people learn about the
issues surrounding children and the poor in our society.
Why this focus upon children? We all learned the answer when we, as children, learned to sing "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world." The bishops of our church have called the whole church to focus upon caring for children because all of these children are God's children. Every child is precious in God's sight. Every child deserves a safe, loving, nurturing home. Every child must find our churches to be safe, welcoming and caring. Children are important to us, because children are important to God.
How is your church doing in ministering to all of God's children? Here is a checklist for you to consider:
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Has your church adopted a Safe Sanctuaries policy? Are you using it?
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Are you screening all workers, both paid and volunteer, who care for children?
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Have your trustees and education workers examined your facilities to ensure safe surroundings for your children, including things like windows in the doors of all classrooms?
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Do you have outreach ministries to children beyond your church, rather than just providing ministry to the children of your current members?
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Do you provide child-care for all church events to further enhance the participation of families with children?
This checklist is just a start toward considering how your church can be a place of ministry for all God's children. God bless you as you love the little ones in the name of Christ.
Bishop Mike Coyner
For more information on Safe Sanctuaries policy, log on to www.gbod.org/safesanctuaries. For more information on The Bishops Initiative on Children and Poverty, log on to www.umc.org/initiative.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008