Sunday, July 18, 2004
Let's join to meet the needs of children in crisis
From the RoundTable blog
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Martin is executive director of Child Evangelism Fellowship in Roanoke.
I recently attended a conference called "Children in Crisis." This conference was designed to help Christian workers in children's ministry meet the needs of today's children who are confronted with a multitude of crisis situations.
Being the director of a nonprofit mission organization, Child Evangelism Fellowship of the Roanoke Valley, we encounter many children here in the Roanoke area who are dealing with diverse struggles. It is our goal to help local churches reach the unchurched children in their neighborhoods, providing them with hope and a positive direction for their lives.
I am sure that we can all agree that being a kid these days is tough - harder than ever before. Unthinkable tragedies and dizzying upheaval in society have scarred our children's emotions and increased their fears.
Every social evil negatively impacts children. And every frightening TV report makes children think that they could be the next victims.
They are worried, frightened and some are even afraid to go outdoors or to walk to school. Yes, being a child isn't easy these days.
Compassion International offers these heartbreaking facts about America's shameful neglect of her young:
Every nine seconds, a child drops out of school.
Every 10 seconds, a child is reported abused or neglected.
Every 15 seconds, a child is arrested.
Every 36 seconds, a child is born into poverty.
Every minute, a baby is born to a teen mother.
Every three minutes, a child is arrested for drug abuse.
Every four minutes, a child is arrested for an alcohol-related offense.
Every 23 minutes, a child is wounded by gunfire.
Every weekday, juvenile crime peaks from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., when nearly 5 million children in our country are left home alone after school. Children of today are called the throwaway generation.
According to Jerry Wilger, director of InnerChange Freedom Initiative, a prison rehabilitation program, if the statistics continue at the pace they have been, 32 percent of children who are 2 years old today will spend time in prison. Meanwhile, millions of children today know almost nothing about the Bible or the church.
We live in a world that is full of hurting people. Whether poverty, poor health, lack of education or sin that has poisoned our world cause the hurt, often the ones who are most drastically affected are the children.
Instead of asking the question of what's wrong with the world, we each need to ask ourselves "what's wrong with me that I let it continue like this?"
Yes, all around us are the needs, and God has placed the answer in our hands and hearts.
Let us join together as concerned individuals, churches and communities, focused on meeting the spiritual needs of children in crisis.
