Interfaith Breakfast Rallies Public To Aid Children

ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer

Published: October 7, 2004

ATLANTA—A commitment to keeping children safe was the common denominator that brought together hundreds of members of various Atlanta faith communities for the Interfaith Children’s Movement of Metropolitan Atlanta breakfast on Sept. 29.

The fourth annual “Call to Action” breakfast sponsored by the ICMma was held at the Loudermilk Center for the Community in downtown Atlanta. Over a breakfast of muffins, bagels and fresh fruit, members of churches, synagogues and other faith centers came together to hear the message of the event that had the theme “Top Priority: Georgia’s Children.”

Several members of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, including Sue Stubbs, director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection; Joe Krygiel, Secretary for Catholic Charities; John Phillips of the Office for Black Catholic Ministry; Father Jose Duvan Gonzalez, liaison for the Hispanic Apostolate; and parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Atlanta, joined ministers, pastors and rabbis at the breakfast, which featured a greeting from Georgia’s first lady, Mary Perdue.

Perdue, who has made Georgia’s children in state custody a platform focus, told the breakfast attendees that her campaign, the “First Lady’s Our Children Campaign,” has made it a point to reach out to faith communities and business communities, who can make a difference in the lives of the over 16,000 children who are in state custody.

“As people of faith, we need to provide for those in need. It’s a conviction, and helping these children is a mandate we cannot overlook,” she said.

Every 20 minutes in the state of Georgia, there is a confirmed case of abuse or neglect, she said.

“We can do better than this,” she said, adding that she first thought her task was to create awareness. “At first, all I wanted to do was to raise awareness of the needs of these children. But I realized we can do more. I hope to inspire action—to tell people how they can get involved … I hope that we can encourage those who have never been at the table of child advocacy to come to that table.”

She told the group that there is a link off the governor’s Web site to her campaign, at www.gov.state.ga.us.

“I hope we can encourage people to find some way, whether small or large, to make a difference in their faith communities,” she said. “For too long, these children in state custody have been the nameless, faceless children of Georgia. We have to change that.”

Since 1998, Mrs. Perdue and her husband, Gov. Sonny Perdue, have served as foster parents, and the first lady feels grateful to have a position to further help her cause.

“I feel like even though people didn’t vote for me, they got me, and this is such a gift. It’s a way to make a lasting, positive influence on the future of our state,” she said. “They are our children and we will do better with them as we work together.”

Perdue received a standing ovation from those who attended the breakfast.

The ICMma began with a small group of child advocates who began talking with The Children’s Defense Fund, a national child advocacy organization, about sponsoring an Interfaith Children’s Sabbath Celebration in October 2001. The group believed that various faith communities in metro Atlanta, when working together, could truly make a difference in the lives of children. As the group grew, a decision was made to hold the first Call to Action breakfast. The first breakfast was held on Sept. 11, 2001. While they were discussing the terror that children were facing each day, a very different kind of terror was happening in the world.

At this year’s breakfast, several people who serve children spoke, including two workers from the Department of Family and Children Services. They encouraged attendees to support House Bill 1554, which will reduce the caseload for over-worked DFCS workers. If passed, the caseworkers will have no more than 12 active cases per month.

After various members of the ICMma spoke to the group about volunteer opportunities, the keynote speaker, the Rev. Dr. Joan Parrott was introduced.

Rev. Parrott, the vice president of the Children’s Defense Fund, is a Baptist preacher who has had two private audiences with Pope John Paul II.

With humor and vigor she relayed the story of David and Goliath because, she said, “when you’re doing this work for children, sometimes it’s thankless. Sometimes you get tired.”

Rev. Parrott comes from a long line of preachers. Her father, grandfather and all of her uncles are preachers. A native of Newark, N.J., Rev. Parrott made history when she was the first woman ordained in the 132-year existence of Bethany Baptist Church, her home church in Newark.

She talked about her childhood and the many times that she and her five brothers “played church,” fighting over who would get to be the preacher. But unlike her own family “feuds,” the arguments between faith communities must stop for the sake of the children.

“It is time for us to stop fighting each other,” she said, as the room burst into applause. “When we are divided we fall.”

Rev. Parrott alluded to the presidential campaigns and the lack of talk about children’s welfare.

“When have you heard the issues of the children? We talk and we talk and we talk and we talk, but we don’t talk about the children,” she said. “There are 13 million children living in poverty. That means one in five children is poor. And when you are poor, you can’t study. When you are poor, you can’t pass a test.”

She referred back to the story of David and Goliath, and how David was brave and stood up to the giant Goliath to defeat him.

“David did what he had to do. He did what he could do to get the job done. You need to do what you can,” she said. “You are the Davids. You are the Davidas. And you need to go out there and stand up for children and stand up for justice. If you stand up for truth and you stand up for justice, God will be with you.”

Stubbs, who began her position as the director of the archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection in July, said that being involved in ICMma shows that children are a common mission for all faiths.

“A lot of children are being left behind, and one thing I find refreshing is that the ICMma is not just about how to help with faith issues but with real life issues,” she said. “There are two sides. There is the faith side and then the practical side, and if we don’t address the practical side, the legal issues, then it’s not going to help. This is really a prime time because of Mary Perdue and her focus on children.”

Krygiel said he found the breakfast and speakers “inspirational.”

“(Rev. Parrott) tried to inspire us to come together. There is too much urgency in the cause for our children. Our children are our most precious resource, and if we’re not helping them, if we’re not protecting their welfare, then our future is in jeopardy,” he said.

“It’s really nice to see all the different faith communities working together,” he added. “It inspires me in my work, because it reminds me of the dignity that God gives every human being. He gives each person an equal amount of dignity, whether you’re the president or a person on the street.”

For more information about the ICMma, visit their Web site at

www.icmma.org.