“Reclaiming our Children’s Childhood” Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA Jon Partlow preaches for the Pennyrile Church of Christ in Madisonville, Kentucky. One day, while reading the local paper, he read two unrelated articles about children involved in sexual acts (all under the age of ten) at two different elementary schools. Speaking for him[.....]

  “Baby Pictures  In The Bible” Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA The people of the Old Testament didn’t paint pictures on walls or carve images in stone like the ancient Egyptians or Babylonians, but they did leave snapshots in words. Many of these images are of their youngsters. Take a quick look at some[.....]

  National Day of Prayer Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA The National Day of Prayer for Children among Churches of Christ falls on October 3, 2004. Although such a day may seem more political than biblical, we find rationale for such an event in the Old Testament book of Joel. Writing in the midst[.....]

“Meet my foster father, His Royal Highness, the King.” Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA We were at the Memphis City Library. The little boy’s face beamed as he looked up at the businessman who held his hand. “This is my new dad.” All of us who witnessed his claim admired the man who adopted[.....]

  “Open Our Eyes” Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA An at-risk child plays a key role in Victor Hugo’s, Les Misérables, a story made popular in recent years by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Broadway musical. Fantine, a poverty-stricken factory worker, places her illegitimate child, Cosette, in the care of an evil inn owner,[.....]

  Orphans by Choice Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA The words used to describe at-risk children provide an insight into the cultures of different times. In an earlier generation, Americans often spoke of “orphans.” That word is used less often in contemporary society, but has been replaced by phrases such as “parentless children” or[.....]

“Saying No To Adoption” By Harold Shank, National Spokesperson for CCFSA Many people say “no” to adoption, perhaps not defiantly or thoughtfully but, in terms of the bottom line, their decision is “no.” One of our elders, Dennis Ruch, and his wife, Toni, also said “no” to adoption, in three different ways. During the height[.....]

“A Way To Save All The Children” Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA You have seen the startling statistics about children in America: Preteens are the poorest age group in the nation. A child is killed by a gun every ninety-two minutes. Drug use is up. Increasing numbers of kids have insufficient parental care. School[.....]

“Back Then I Believed, But Now I Don’t” Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA In the March 1998 issue, Life magazine reported on their visits with 60 kids in six locations around the nation, asking them about God. They chose to talk to children on the edge: a camp for the artistically gifted; a camp[.....]

    “Poured Out Like Wine” Harold Shank National Spokesperson for CCFSA Stories of service motivate us. Paul aimed to inspire the Philippians to greater commitment when he told how Jesus emptied Himself (Phil. 2:7). He even talked about how he was poured out (Phil. 2:17). The stories of Timothy (Phil. 2:19-24) and Epaphroditus (Phil.[.....]