October 15, 2007

Gorge Ecumenical Ministries members will be lifting up children in worship Oct. 17-21 to draw attention to the needs of the children in our nation who are without health coverage.

Gorge Ecumenical Ministries joins thousands of churches, synagogues, mosques, Baha’i communities and other places of worship around the nation celebrating the Children’s Sabbath this weekend as part of the Children’s Defense Fund’s 16th annual observance.

The interfaith National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths celebration seeks to inspire congregations and religious organizations to work on behalf of children through prayer, service and advocacy throughout the year.

The Children’s Sabbath theme this year, “My Boat is So Small: Creating a Safe Harbor of Hope and Health Care for All Children,” focuses attention on the 9 million children in the United States who do not have health insurance and may not be able to see a doctor when they need to. Most of them live in working families.

The theme is drawn from a traditional fisherman’s prayer, “Dear Lord, be good to me. The sea is so wide and my boat is so small,” that serves as CDF’s logo, depicted in a small child’s drawing.

“Millions of children are adrift in a wide sea of need,” notes Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund. “They need us to create a safe harbor of health care for all children that will protect them from the storms of illness and injury.

“Without the protection of health care, children go without treatment, receive delayed treatment when conditions have worsened, and even die needlessly. Families are overwhelmed by medical debt. The richest nation on earth, with the most advanced medical technology, cannot stand by as one out of every nine children lacks health coverage.

“It is immoral, irresponsible, and short-sighted. The time is now to do the right, smart, and achievable thing and ensure all children health coverage.”