National Observance of Children's Sabbaths

The “National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths” will be held Oct. 16-18 this year. Thousands of churches, synagogues, mosques and temples across the United States will hold special worship services, education programs, and advocacy activities to engage people of faith in the lives of children and their families.

Sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), the Children's Sabbaths celebration is a way for faith communities to celebrate children as sacred gifts. It provides the opportunity for houses of worship to renew and live out their moral responsibility to care, protect and advocate for all children.

The celebration is a part of a broader Children's Sabbaths movement that aims to unite religious congregations of all faiths across the nation in shared concern for children and a common commitment to improving their lives and working for justice on their behalf.

To assist communities with planning and implementing their Children's Sabbaths Celebration, CDF produces an annual National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Manual: A Multi-faith Resource for Year Round Child Advocacy. Worship resources and prayers found in this year's manual are intended for use throughout the year.

The National Observance of Children's Sabbaths celebration is supported by Catholic Charities USA, the Islamic Society of North America, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA., the National Assembly of Bahá’ís in the U.S., the Sikh Council on Religion & Education, the Union for Reform Judaism, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and more than 200 other religious organizations and denominations.

In 2000, The United Methodist Church's highest policy-making body, General Conference, designated the second weekend in October for this observance. The denomination's Program Calendar designates Oct. 9-11 for the observance this year.

Children's Sabbath Promotional Resources

 National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Promotional Packet(.pdf). Packet includes:

For more information about the celebration of the Children’s Sabbath, go to Children’s Defense Fund .