OUR CHILDREN

Our children are a reflection of us,
Not what we are, but who we are.
 A glimpse into the future,
Of the many great things we are to become.
As parents we have the power to correct the mistakes of the past,
And pave the path of the future.

Children are the gate keepers of life,
And we (parents) are the protectors of those keepers.
No matter the cultural, social or political differenced between us,
The one common interest of all beings is simple,

THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE

That a child can be called emperor,
A young girl queen
And an unborn soul king.
It is only logic to say,
We know our full potential.
It is easily forgotten,
The true purpose in life.

As creatures of the wild we follow suit,
Forgetting what makes us favored among others.
Young cubs are taught early to survive,
As only the strongest of the pack will stay alive.

As superior beings we have been given choice,
A chance to change, manipulate and dictate.
We are at war with ourselves,
A constant battle in our subconscious which we can not win.
A distraction which takes us away from our purpose as leaders,
Teachers and protectors
Our future
by: Claudia Shakes

'Tis better to give than to receive'
Some years ago, I remember talking to a man who had been an alderman, and who was wondering why some of his constituents had not voted for him the next time he ran.
"I gave that family a turkey at Christmas," he said about one low-income family.

Poor Children Deserve A Place At The Table
Opening my Spectator to the Community page one recent morning, I was greeted by the sight of a generous Christian family surrounded by stacks of red and green Christmas shoe boxes stuffed with North American treasures destined for children in the developing world.

Can “Stuff” Save the Children?
The Division of World Outreach has received many questions recently about international programs which invite people in congregations to fill boxes or pails with gifts for children, especially at Christmas time.

The evangelicals who like to giftwrap Islamophobia
The world's largest children's Christmas project has a toxic agenda It all sounds innocent enough.

A workshop analysing Christmas boxes:
What are the Christmas Boxes? What do they look like? How are they packaged?
(check out their website for current info: www.samaritanspurse.org)

The following Notice of Motion came to the floor of the Annual Meeting of Saskatchewan Conference, May 24 - 27, 2001. It originated with the Saskatchewan Conference Global Concerns Committee of the Division of Mission.