Children's Advocacy

Tomorrow at First UMC is Children’s Sabbath. Although often interpreted to mean some sort of Children’s Day program, the intent of it is to recognize our role as advocate for all children and to remind us to share God’s love by meeting their needs each day. The following statistics provided by the Children’s Defense Fund are a call to take notice of what is happening to our children. What am I doing to change these numbers?


Moments in America for Children
March 2008

-Every second a public school student is suspended.*
-Every 10 seconds a high school student drops out.*
-Every 17 seconds a public school student is corporally punished.*
-Every 25 seconds a child is arrested.
-Every 35 seconds a baby is born into poverty.
-Every 36 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or neglected.
-Every 41 seconds a baby is born without health insurance.
-Every minute a baby is born to a teen mother.
-Every 2 minutes a baby is born at low birthweight.
-Every 5 minutes a child is arrested for a drug offense.
-Every 9 minutes a child is arrested for a violent crime.
-Every 18 minutes a baby dies before his first birthday.
-Every 3 hours a child or teen is killed by a firearm.
-Every 5 hours a child or teen commits suicide.
-Every 6 hours a child is killed by abuse or neglect.
-Every 14 hours a woman dies from complications of childbirth or pregnancy.

* Based on calculations per school day (180 days of seven hours each)