Children’s Sabbath

[God] shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. (Micah 4:1-5)

Light a Candle for Children Prayer Vigil is an annual fall advocacy and prayer project of the Family and Children’s Ministries partnership of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This year’s vigil begins on September 14th, five weeks before the National Observance of Children’s Sabbath weekend on October 17-19 sponsored by the Washington DC based Children’s Defense Fund (CDF).

This year’s theme is “Precious in God’s Sight: Answering the Call to Cherish and Protect Every Child.” The 2014 Children’s Sabbath focuses on how we can ensure every child a strong start in life by investing in early childhood development. Needless to say, these are rough times for children and there are numerous other issues relating to children’s health and safety which need our prayer and advocacy. A free worship, faith formation and advocacy resource packet for Christian faith community can be downloaded at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/programs-campaigns/faith-based-action/childrens-sabbaths/. Thousands of congregations from multiple faith communities unite during Children’s Sabbath weekend to simultaneously witness for children through prayer, education, and worship.

As usual, this year’s Light a Candle for Children Prayer Vigil booklet written by UCC and Disciples faith leaders and edited by Disciples pastor Rev. Tim Graves will be available for download at: http://lightacandle.blogspot.com/ or available on Facebook at: “Light a Candle for Children Prayer Vigil”. Light aCandle daily meditations can also be received by email or the RSS feed. Also available is a brochure with tips for implementing the Light a Candle Vigil in your congregation.

It is important to note that our Family and Children’s Ministries Light A Candle for Children vigil and advocacy program and the Children’s Sabbath Celebration is a part of a growing children’s advocacy movement that seeks to unite communities and religious congregations of all faiths across the nation in shared concern for children and a common commitment to improving their lives and working for justice on their behalf.

If you are interested in becoming involved our ongoing United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) children’s advocacy efforts please contact one of our three Ministers for Family and Children’s Ministries including myself, Rev. Dr. Kate Epperly (epperlyk@ucc.org),  Rev. Olivia Stewart Robertson (orobertson@dhm.disciples.org) or  Rev. Dr. Olivia Bryan Updegrove (obupdegrove@dhm.disciples.org).

You are encouraged to use and adapt the Family and Children’s Ministries’ Light a Candle for Children Vigil and Children’s Sabbath Celebration resources in whatever ways you feel are most appropriate for your congregation. Remember, a congregation does not need to have children among its active members to be engaged in children’s ministry!