Special Sunday - Human Relations Day - Overview
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2011 Human Relations Day Sunday - January 16, 2011 (can be celebrated at anytime)
“They teach me life lessons . . . (how) to
"Statistics show that children of prisoners are six times more likely than other children to be incarcerated at some point in their lives.”* United Methodist Church Redemption Kids Ministries in Oklahoma is seeking to turn that around. As a ministry already focused on prisoners and ex-prisoners, it was natural for Redemption to reach out to children and families. Many of these children feel alone in their struggles. Meeting children in similar circumstances helps them to cope. “I felt angry. I know I shouldn’t, because it’s not you that locked my parents up,” remembers Equandre Wofford, active in Redemption Kids for more than six years, and now a youth leader helping others succeed.
Joy Block, youth director for the Redemption Youth program at Redemption Penn Avenue United Methodist Church, was incarcerated herself. Block says, “I want our (youth) to . . . follow God first. That’s number one. “That’s going to be their strength—always—in life,” continued Block, who knows the key to breaking the incarceration cycle is to surround young people with God’s love. Your gifts to Human Relations Day provide avenues to restored relationships through ministries like Redemption Kids, a Youth Offender rehabilitation
To send donations by check, mail to: NOTE: List the name of the Sunday in the note section of your check. Human Relations Day is one of the opportunities for United Methodist Churches to celebrate our connectional work. This day of social action and raising awareness aims to heal social ills at the national level. It supports Community Developers, United Methodist Voluntary Service (UMVS), and the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program. The first two programs are administered through the General Board of Global Ministries.In The United Methodist Church calendar, Human Relations Day happens the Sunday immediately following the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. However, you can observe Human Relations Day at anytime of the year. To give online click here. The juxtaposition of these two very special days is not a coincidence. The United Methodist Book of Discipline describes the purpose of Human Relations Day as a call to "the Church to recognize the right of all God's children in realizing their potential as human beings in relationship with each other." OTHER LINKS/RESOURCES: Community Developers Program: National Policy Committee Roster |
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