'Our children are losing their childhood' - CFN Newsletter Week 146

CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK NEWSLETTER 146

> Campaigners call on Government to tackle promiscuity
> News:
> 'Make the Cross count' support grows
> Toy retailer launches 10 charity wristbands
> Close the gap for children in care
> Sites:
> Five year licence for Cross Rhythms City Radio
> How family-friendly is your church?
> Joint prayer event for autism sufferers
> Salvation Army's growing youth outreach: ALOVE
> Marriage MOT: Hold the ladder steady!
> You've got to laugh: Church democracy
> Members' Zone latest

> OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS WEEK

The UK's leading provider of outreach resources for churches now has its summer brochure out - discover CPO at www.cpo.org.uk

> FROM THE EDITOR

Dear all

Lots of excitement in our neck of the woods at the moment as Christian Media Centre and CPO join forces to create a new organisation: Christian Publishing & Outreach (CPO).

The new organisation will encompass all the activities of the two ministries from publishing (Christian Herald, Woman Alive, Families Together and CFN, plus all the titles we produce for other organisations) to outreach resources (posters, invites, impact cards, tracts, CD-ROMs, videos and other multimedia products), and much more in between!

Hope you find lots that interests you in this week's update!

Take care

Russ

Russ Bravo
Christian Family Network
info@cfnetwork.co.uk
http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk

PS Christian Family Network is here to direct you to the best in parenting, marriage and family resources; to link you up with other Christian families up and down the UK; and to help you make the most of life as a follower of Christ - at home, at work, at school and college, at play and online.

Your feedback, positive and negative, enables us to develop CFN in the way that is most useful for you - so please tell us if we're off the rails or on the button!

And don't forget - if we can pass on material (sample copies of Families Together, leaflets) which will help you tell your friends and your church about CFN, just mail Lyn Bedford at marketing@christianmedia.org.uk and she'll be glad to help you out.

CAMPAIGNERS

Soaring promiscuity and STIs among pupils – the Government must act now
 
LIFE, the UK’s leading pro-life charity, is calling on the Government to act now following the Royal College of Nursing’s research highlighting how a generation of pupils are being pressured into early sexual activity.
 
A Life spokesperson said: "When will this Government realise that their relentless promotion of value-free sex education to children and access to contraceptives and abortion is a major cause of this alarming rise in teenage promiscuity?
 
"The RCN’s paper also blames TV soaps and magazines for the pressure upon young people to have sex. Increasingly children are finding themselves without family support, and turn to their peers and popular culture for guidance. 
 
"The Government has a responsibility to monitor the media, particularly TV and magazines, for inappropriate content for children. Magazines aimed at children as young as 12 often contain sexually explicit information and TV soaps are no better.
 
"The RCN believes that there is tremendous pressure upon young people to be sexually active at an early age. Children are emotionally and physically ill-equipped to deal with sexual relationships and are getting hurt. STI and abortion rates are soaring and the psychological damage to teenagers is immeasurable.
 
"We are urging once again that the Government changes its approach to the problem. Young people should be encouraged to value their childhood and pursue activities in-keeping with their age. A generation is growing up feeling under-valued with little or no notion of the true value of sex in a committed relationship such as marriage.
 
"In their heart of hearts, the RCN’s nurses do not want to be advising children on sexual matters (and picking up the pieces when things inevitably go wrong). The Government owes it to our young people to stop throwing condoms at the problem and to deal with it in a life-enhancing way that really works."

The call comes hard on the heels of a plea by John Beyer, director of mediawatch-uk, for the main political parties to address the issue of violence and pornography in film and on TV.

"Many people care deeply about standards in entertainment and are concerned about the portrayal of violence, the use of obscene language and the display of nudity and sexual intimacy on television," he said. "We believe the quality of our culture matters and that television, in particular, is promoting violence and uncivilised behaviour ... we look to the politicians to safeguard our interests against the very powerful TV and film industries, and we have a right to expect some commitments on these important national issues."

More at www.lifeuk.org and www.mediawatchuk.org

> THIS WEEK'S NEWS

> 'Make the cross count' support grows
 
Voter response has already been high for one particular election campaign, as the country gears up for polling day. Make The Cross Count – which uses a book and website to mobilise the electorate – has attracted massive interest.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> Toy retailer launches 10 charity wristbands

The Entertainer, Britain’s largest independent toy retailer – run by committed Christian Gary Grant – has teamed up with 10 charities to launch the UK’s largest charity wristband partnership with the simultaneous release of 10 new coloured wristbands.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp for the full story

> Close the gap for children in care

Leading children's charity NCH is calling on all the political parties to pledge to close the gap in achievement between children in care and other children by 2020, as part of the drive to end child poverty.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> MARRIAGE MOT

> Check out our archived marriage tips in the Members' Zone, plus stacks more marriage resources at http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk

Hold the ladder steady!

Recently we installed some new bird boxes high up in our Scots pine trees. My husband went up the ladder despite his dislike for heights and I stood and held the ladder steady. We couldn’t both go up the ladder, but he really appreciated the thought that I was there supporting him (and the ladder!)

Sometimes we have to go out on a limb and do something that is risky, that makes us feel vulnerable. That’s when we need our spouse’s loving support. They don’t have to be there doing it with us or for us, but it does help that they are there emotionally, supporting us.

Does your loved one need you to hold the ladder metaphorically speaking for them at the moment? Are you willing to give the time and energy that’s needed to be there for them?

> EVENTS

> YOU'VE GOT TO LAUGH ...

The minister of a Baptist church decides that God is calling the church to a new vision of what it is to be and to do. So at the Elders' Meeting, he presents the new vision with as much energy, conviction and passion as he can muster. When he has finished
and sat down, the chair of the meeting calls for a vote. All 14 elders voted against the new vision, with only the minister voting for it.

"Well, pastor, it looks like you will have to think again," says the chairman. "Would you like to close the meeting in prayer?"

So the minister stands up, raises his hand to heaven, and prays, "LORD, will you not show these people that this is not MY vision but it is YOUR vision?!"

At that moment, the clouds darken, thunder rolls, and a streak of lightning bursts through the window and strikes in two the table at which they are sitting, throwing the minister and all the elders to the ground.

After a moment's silence, as they all get up and dust themselves off, the chairman speaks again.

"Well, that's 14 votes to two then."

Grove Books

> CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK THIS WEEK
(MEMBERS' ZONE) - http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/default.asp

> Advice

> Kate's Marriage advice - hold the ladder steady
> Eric Spellmann looks at computer viruses ...
> Jonathan Carswell on a new gap year course for students - Thinking Space

> Resources

> Christian singer Jaci Velasquez on life and growing up in the music industry
> Can't understand men? Read their rules ...
> The Christian virtues of Dr Who?
> Real answerphone messages
> Church newsletter bloopers par excellence

> Magazine

> The lowdown on what's in our latest issue of Families Together

> News:
> 'Make the Cross count' support grows
> Toy retailer launches 10 charity wristbands
> Close the gap for children in care

> News extra: Encouragement for single parents and step-families PLUS challenge to Government on youth promiscuity

> Sites:

> Five year licence for Cross Rhythms City Radio
> How family-friendly is your church?
> Joint prayer event for autism sufferers
> Salvation Army's growing youth outreach: ALOVE

> Events: Care for the Family's Working to live even visits Scotland, plus what's on near you

> Webwatch index: more than 700 sites categorised at your fingertips

> Site Search Engine: the easy way to trawl our 1,000-page plus archives

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