Psalm 78:1-7 NIV
My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
I read in one report recently that 264 million children across the world do not go to school, and also that the vast majority of children with disabilities do not go to school (90%) due to facing multiple barriers: from stigma and ignorance, to lack of infrastructure, materials, or trained teachers.
Today (20th Nov 2023) is World Children’s Day, a day that remembers issues facing children across the globe, and gives us time to think about how we can support all children to have a better life.
If you have read the Bible, you will know that looking after children is at the very core of God’s heart for humanity. On numerous occasions He tells His people to invest time in the children in their community. Invest time in building relationships with them, and educating them so that they are prepared and equipped for their future. This is still true for us today.
Whether parents, children or youth workers, or just part of a church community you have a role and a responsibility to invest your time in the ‘next generation’, and, just to state here, the need to do this safely should be paramount in our thinking.
So, my question for you is, ‘how are you (safely) investing in the children in Your 4-18 community?’
Recently niscu produced a document called ‘Your 4-18 community’ helping individuals, small groups and church families to explore how we can help to connect with and support our children and young people for their future in our modern world.
If you would like to know more, or get your own copy of the ‘Your 4-18 community’ document, you will find it on the link below… I’m guessing for many of us the content in it won’t be ‘new’ but it might encourage us to continue, and maybe it will help some others in your church family to join in too!
Name: Nick Klein CEO
Action: Visit ‘Your 4-18 community’ here…www.niscu.org.uk/your 4-18 community
Prayer: On World Children’s Day, why not spend some time praying for children in your community and around the world?
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