Here is what I have been working on for our ministry statement.  Let me know what you think.  Ill post a seperate post for the "whats the book say" part

Over and over, the Scriptures tell us that parents are to teach their children about God.  This command has not changed, yet we are seeing less and less of this in our homes. Many of today’s parents feel that they are unequipped to deal with their children’s spiritual needs. Consequently, their children continue to slip further and further from where they should be spiritually. 

Josh McDowell, in Beyond Belief to Convictions shares some staggering research with us: Children who lack biblical belief are…

• 200% more likely to steal
• 200% more likely to hurt someone physically
• 300% more likely to use illegal drugs
• 600% more likely to attempt suicide

What do our children believe? Josh McDowell tells us that 80% believe God created the universe, but…

• 63% believe other faiths pray to the same god, although by a different name
• 46% believe Jesus committed sins
• 51% believe He died but did not rise from the grave
• 58% believe all religions teach equally valid truth

These statistics are alarming. At the 2006 Dream Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Reggie Joiner shared the following:

• 96% of all parents believe they are responsible for the moral development of children.
• 1/3 of all adults attend church; however, the number jumps to 2/3 when considering only parents with elementary-age children

These statistics confirm that parents realize that they are responsible for the spiritual well being of their children. During the time they are raising elementary-age children, they return to church seeking answers and Godly wisdom on how the family institution should work. 

Reggie Joiner also shared the sobering statistic that of the parents who returned to church, only 1/5 of them believe that the church taught them anything that helped them to raise their children!

We, the staff of Embrace Ministries, have the privilege of serving you and your children for 40-45 hours every year. During that time, your children will spend literally 100’s of hours watching TV, studying math, and playing video games. But, more importantly, they will also spend nearly 3,000 hours under the influence of you, their parents. 

We want to invest a portion of our 40-45 hours helping you to do your job. We want to model, equip and support you, as parents, in every way we can.  We believe that is being a good steward of what the Lord has given us.

I hope you take the time to read What’s the Book Say? I believe it will give you some new insights into what the Bible says about children.

Chris Edwards

Children’s Pastor