Congregations will be encouraged to put their faith into action to improve the lives of children during a national weekend observance next month.

The National Observance of Children's Sabbaths invites all churches to hold programs and activities Oct. 15-17 to respond to the problems facing children in their communities.

The Children's Defense Fund in Washington sponsors the special weekend each October. The churches, synagogues and mosques across the country are encouraged to make a long-term commitment to help children and families through prayer, education, service and advocacy. More than 200 churches, faith traditions and faith-based organizations have endorsed the Children's Sabbaths weekend.

The United Methodist Council of Bishops is calling on all churches in the denomination to participate in the effort.

During past Children's Sabbaths, some faith communities have held individual celebrations and observances, while others have held interfaith services and activities. Although the national observance has been designated for the Oct. 15 weekend, churches may celebrate on a preceding weekend in the year. In some areas, Children's Sabbaths activities occur throughout the year.

The United Methodist Church, through the Bishops' Initiative on Children and Poverty, has encouraged participation in the Children's Sabbaths since 1995. This year, for the first time, the observance will part of a pan-Methodist campaign for children and poverty. This will be the first time the three African-American Methodist denominations and the United Methodist Church have collaborated in a pan-Methodist campaign to make a public witness as Methodist partners.

Pan-Methodism includes the African Methodist Episcopal (AME), African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ), Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) and United Methodist churches.

"We are joining our pan-Methodist brothers and sisters in hopes that the children's Sabbaths will be observed in every congregation of the four denominations," said United Methodist Bishop Marshall "Jack" Meadors Jr. of Jackson, Miss., chairman of a task force guiding the children and poverty initiative.

The pan-Methodist campaign's twofold objective is to renew and empower congregations that are serving children in poverty, and to challenge churches not already involved in such work to establish poverty-related ministries.

The four denominations already share a common commitment to children and poverty, but collaborating in this campaign is significant because it demonstrates possibilities for future work together, a goal of the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation. This commission was created in 1985 to promote cooperation among the four churches in areas such as publishing, missions, social concerns and higher education. It also aims to bring together the denominations, which share common heritage, concerns and ministries.

"Many of us remember growing up in communities where people looked out for each other and everybody looked out for all the children," said Bishop McKinley Young of Atlanta, commission chairman and ecumenical officer of the AME church. "This collective care and nurturing ensured supervision, safety and acceptance. Today's children deserve no less."

The opportunity for worship, study and fellowship, with emphasis on the Children's Sabbaths, is "a response to Jesus' challenge to put children at the center of ministry," Meadors said. "The observance highlights our Lord's call to respond to the needs of the frail and the weak."

One out of every four children in the United States lives with material poverty, he said. Spiritual and moral poverty also exist across the country, and increasing numbers of children suffer from "the demons" of violence, neglect and inadequate health care, he added.

According to statistics from the Children's Defense Fund, a child is born into poverty every 40 seconds; a baby dies every 18 minutes; a child or youth is killed by gunfire every two hours; a child or youth under 20 commits suicide every four hours; a child is arrested every 16 seconds; and a child is arrested for a violent crime every six minutes.

"The initiative is a response to those needs," Meadors said. "It is a response to our goal to reshape and reform the church around ministry with children and the poor."

As a way to assist faith communities in their Sabbath celebrations, the Children's Defense Fund has produced numerous resources, including The Children's Sabbath Resource Manual. The volume includes material for Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and multifaith traditions, and it provides planning tips, worship resources, lesson plans, activity ideas and more. Also available is a 7-minute Children's Sabbaths video, featuring highlights from past events and interviews with religious leaders.

For more information or to order a Children's Sabbaths manual or video, call (202) 662-3652 or e-mail arhee@childrensdefense.org.