ABC encourages observance of National Children's Sabbath.

The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) is encouraging congregations to honor the National Observance of Children's Sabbath, to be held Oct. 14-16. On behalf of the Church of the Brethren, ABC is partnering with the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) to support the event.

The CDF states that most poor children live in working families. "If poor families knew about and accessed all of the benefits for which they are currently eligible, more than 20 percent of poor children would move out of poverty and extreme poverty would be reduced by 70 percent," states a release from the CDF.

National Observance of Children's Sabbath seeks justice and care for the nearly 13 million US children who live in poverty, and the 8.5 million who do not have health care insurance, according to a release from ABC. The theme for this year's observance is "Putting Our Faith into Action to Seek Justice for Children."

For worship planning and Sunday school resources, order a copy of the 2005 Children's Sabbath Resource Manual (Vol. 14). The manual is 256 pages and available from the Religious Action Division of CDF for $7. Call 202-662-3602 or order from the online catalog at www.childrensdefense.org.

The next National Observance of Children's Sabbath will be Oct. 21-22, 2006. Since resources are not made available to ABC earlier than August, the agency encourages congregations to visit the CDF website for more timely information.

Source: 9/14/2005 Newsline
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