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Foundations - 2004 Foundations - 2001 Make A Donation Hope for the Children of Africa A Church for All
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Introduction | Guidelines | Checklist | Resources | Reporting Form | PDF Format INSTRUCTIONS: Check each activity that has been completed, making certain that you have completed the minimum number in each category; all activities in bold are mandatory ones. For each completed activity, please attach documentation: a description of what your church did to complete the activity and any supporting materials such as copies of Church Council or commitee minutes, bulletin and/or newsletter announcements or stories, newspaper clippings, etc. (Be sure to consult other resources in this packet for full instructions and complete wording of activities, as some have been shortened for the sake of space in the list below). A. Educating the Congregation About the Needs of Children and the Poor (Complete #1 and at least two others) _____ 1. Assess the needs of children in your community by forming task force and using Putting Children and Their Families First handbook. _____ 2. Celebrate Children's Sabbath. _____ 3. Hold study series on needs of children and the poor. _____ 4. Have a sermon series on needs of children in your community. _____ 5. Hold a series of seminars on needs of children in your community _____ 6. Hold a series of educational sessions on new research on brain development in young children. _____ 7. Offer a "Child Watch" program. _____ 8. Keep congregation informed through bulletin inserts, newsletters, bulletin boards. _____ 9. Send pastor and/or church staff to continuing education events on children/poverty. _____ 10. Other _________________________________________________________________ B. Making Church Facilities Safe and Welcoming for Children and Families (Complete #1 and at least one other) _____ 1. Evaluate facilities and assure that certain safety protections are in place. _____ 2. Make the church hospitable for children by making certain changes. _____ 3. Review and implement child care facilities for safety and hospitality. _____ 4. Other _________________________________________________________________ C. Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse (Complete #1 and at least one other) _____ 1. Develop policies and procedures for prevention of child abuse. _____ 2. Hold adult education series on child abuse identification and response. _____ 3. Obtain and use age-appropriate abuse prevention curriculum for children. _____ 4. Offer parent support groups and parenting classes. _____ 5. Provide "safe corridors" for children walking to and from school. _____ 6. Sponsor before/after school program that provides safe haven. _____ 7. Other _________________________________________________________________ D. Helping Children Grow as Faithful Disciples (Complete at least any two) _____ 1. Evaluate and program for faith formation of children. _____ 2. Provide new opportunities for children to practice being disciples. _____ 3. Help children understand and participate in rites of baptism and communion. _____ 4. Establish a "Sprouts" program, using Sprouts curriculum. _____ 5. Include children in stewardship campaign. _____ 6. Design study using Building a New Community: God's Children Overcoming Racism. _____ 7. Provide human sexuality learning experience for older children/younger youth and their parents. _____ 8. Provide learning opportunities for parents. _____ 9. Match adult faith mentors and children. _____ 10. Design study for parents on faith development in the home. _____ 11. Sponsor and annual mission study series for children. _____ 12. Other _________________________________________________________________ E. Involving Children in the Life of the Church (Complete #1 and at least one other) _____ 1. Regularly involve children in worship in specific ways. _____ 2. Help children and adults prepare to worship. _____ 3. Have children regularly lead adults as reversal of "Children's Time." _____ 4. Include children and/or youth as members of all church committees. _____ 5. Provide a children' column in newsletter or special children's newsletter. _____ 6. Institute meaningful multigenerational activities and programs. _____ 7. Other _________________________________________________________________ F. Reaching Out to Children in the Community (Complete at least any three) _____ 1. Support public schools in specific ways. _____ 2. Study Education: The Gift of Hope. _____ 3. Offer ongoing tutoring and mentoring programs. _____ 4. Provide supervised before and/or after school programs. _____ 5. Offer weekly "Parents' Day (or Evening) Out." _____ 6. Offer a drug prevention program for neighborhood children and youth. _____ 7. Offer Vacation Church School open to community children. _____ 8. Sponsor a Family Health Fair. _____ 9. Provide school supply kits to neighborhood children. _____ 10. Send community children to camp along with children of the church. _____ 11. Sponsor summer day camp program for community children. _____ 12. Develop community garden for neighborhood families on church property. _____ 13. Offer free music or art lessons. _____ 14. Provide a "lending closet" of costly items needed by families. _____ 15. Provide transportation to prenatal classes and clinics. _____ 16. Sponsor partnership between new and experienced parents. _____ 17. Other _________________________________________________________________ G. Advocating for Legislation and Public Policies that Improve Children's Lives and Lives of Poor Families (Complete at least any two) _____ 1. Join a child advocacy network. _____ 2. Publish child advocacy information and action alerts in church newsletter. _____ 3. Sponsor monthly forum on legislation and "offering of letters" table. _____ 4. Establish child advocacy information center or bulletin board in church. _____ 5. Hold community-wide voter registration drive. _____ 6. Arrange free transportation to voting polls. _____ 7. Challenge candidates for public office to put children and their families first by posing certain questions. _____ 8. Hold a Candidates' Forum on Children and Families. _____ 9. Participate in a Child Watch program. _____ 10. Other _________________________________________________________________ H. Relating to Children Around the World (Complete at least any two) _____ 1. Support U.S. ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. _____ 2. Sponsor educational event or series on impact of war on children. _____ 3. Sponsor educational event on issue of child labor. _____ 4. Sponsor educational event on issue of child prostitution. _____ 5. Use mission magazine stories about children around the world in reports to the congregation. _____ 6. Study needs of children around the world, and send gifts through the Advance. _____ 7. Have an annual focus on mission for children of the church, using Children's Prayer Calendar and Children's Fund for Mission resources. _____ 8. Encourage children to related to children around world through pen pals. _____ 9. Other _________________________________________________________________ I. Building Administrative Supports for Ministry with Children and the Poor (Complete #1 and at least one other) _____ 1. Establish a Children's Advisory Council. _____ 2. Evaluate congregation's ministry with children and make three changes or additions. _____ 3. Evaluate and revamp teacher training for workers with children. _____ 4. Assign responsibility for oversight of church's role as advocate for poor families. _____ 5. Hold annual church council meeting to her from all committees on work with children and the poor. _____ 6. Other _________________________________________________________________ |
