Beating Swords into Plowshares: Ending Gun Violence and the Violence of Child Poverty

The Children's Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

Each year, our congregation participates in a 40 Days of Prayer Vigil for Children which leads us to the celebration of Children's Sabbath. This year, we celebrate that Sabbath on October 20th and our vigil will begin on September 15th. 

This year's theme is Beating Swords into Plowshares, which is based on Micah 4: 1-5:

"In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He 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. For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever."

There are many ways in which our congregation shows our love for God in Christ through our ministries with children. Soon we will enter into an intentional season where we explore our community’s children and how we can make a difference in their lives.

Enter into this season of children with a prayerful heart and a willing spirit to hear and respond to God’s call to nurture, love, support and advocate for our children.

Blessings,
Tracy