Nurturing families

Health and well-being happen when we nurture families as they seek to raise healthy children.

As "A Vision for Children and the Church" states, we hope for a church where we take seriously our baptismal vow to nurture all children committed to our care.The 205th General Assembly (1993) agreed that we also strive to bring good news to all those places where children are in need, bringing adults and children alike together to share in ministry.

The following study guides, kits, media resources, Web sites and books can provide help in understanding and taking action to nurture families.

All items with a “PDS” number can be ordered from Presbyterian Distribution Services at (800) 524-2612 or from The Presbyterian Marketplace.

Education | Service | Advocacy | Worship

Simplify the holidays

Want to approach the holidays differently?

• Make the Global Marketplace a primary sources for gifts.
• Shop Partners for Just Trade for fair trade gifts.
• Explore alternative giving through the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
• Check out the Best Gift Catalog for ways to help with your gifts.

Responsible Toy Buying

Parents are constantly faced with decisions about what toys to buy and what toys to avoid. High-powered marketing and the influence of popular culture interfere with thoughtful decision-making at the toy store. This year, parents have additional concerns about the safety of toys imported from China.

The 2008-2009 Toy Action Guide is intended to help adults promote children’s creative and constructive play by making informed choices about toys, and by working with others at home, school and in the community to promote positive play and toys.

Video Games

An estimated 80 percent of all video games sales happen during the holiday season, many destined to be gifts for children and adolescents.

For over five years, The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) — a coalition of 275 faith-based institutional investors, including the PC(USA)'s Mission Responsibility Through Investment — has been working with retailers on sale policies and practices to develop industry best practices and to ensure that inappropriate video games do not fall into the hands of children.

• Download "Gift Giving in a Season of Peace" for an overview of the issue.
• Download a copy of "Children and Violent Video Games" to get guidance in how to identify games with violent content.

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