Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news
agency of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville,
Tenn., New York, and Washington.
CONTACT: Linda Bloom
Feb. 14, 1996
NEW YORK (UMNS) -- Religious communities are being called to join a massive mobilization campaign for a national day of commitment to children.
"We want to draw a moral line in the sand which we will not cross," said Marian Wright Edelman, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund, during a presentation to the National Council of Churches (NCC) executive board.
United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert of San Francisco, the new NCC president, led the Feb. 12-13 board meeting here.
More than 500 organizations already have endorsed Stand for Children Day, which will take place June 1 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. An interfaith worship service is among the activities being planned.
"I believe that protecting children is the moral litmus test of our humanity," Edelman told the NCC board.
Yet every day, she added, adults fail in their responsibilities toward their own children and millions of others. Since 1979, for example, 50,000 children have been killed by handguns. More preschoolers have died from gunshot wounds than police officers shot in the line of duty. "Something is not right here and the church needs the voice to say so," she declared.
While the United States ranks first among industrialized nations in military technology and defense expenditures, it ranks 18th for infant mortality rates and 16th in living standards for the poorest of children. Americans also tolerate a child welfare system which allows abused children to die, according to Edelman.
Participating organizations in Stand For Children Day range from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the National Parent-Teacher Association to Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and include many state and local groups.
Religious leaders are being asked to endorse the day of commitment, alert their membership and ask them to pray and help mobilize participation.
The Children's Defense Fund has established a separate office for Stand for Children Day activities at 1832 Connecticut Ave, NW in Washington. The telephone number is (800) 233-1200.
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