Call to Action

Children’s Sabbaths weekend is not only a sacred time of worship and reflection—it is also a summons to act on behalf of children. For some, this may be your first step into public witness and advocacy. For others, it may be one more milestone in a long journey of organizing. Wherever you are, know that you are not alone: your actions join a powerful movement of people of faith and conscience across the country.

This section provides tools and encouragement to help you move from prayer to policy, from reflection to justice. You’ll find advocacy templates, organizing tips, congregational tools, and resources for mobilizing your community.

Along the way, remember that advocacy is an act of discipleship, of solidarity, and of love.

It may cost my job, it may cost my life, but I want to be free, and I want my children to be free. So I’m going down to the courthouse, and I’m going to sign my name. And I’m going to trust God to take me there, and I’m going to trust God to bring me back. That’s courage. That’s faith. That’s Freedom Faith.

Prathia Hall (as cited in Pace, 2019, p. 89)

How to Use This Section

Adapt the template letters or distribute action checklists and bulletin inserts. Encourage your community to take at least one concrete action step during or after your Children’s Sabbath observance.

• Send a letter directly to local elected officials using the online form provided, or adapt one of the letter templates in this toolkit.
• Meet with local leaders to share the lived realities of children in your community.
• Mobilize your congregation by distributing pledge cards, bulletin inserts, or checklists.
• Choose at least one concrete action step during your Children’s Sabbath observance.
• Encourage ongoing commitment—advocacy is not just for one weekend, but for the long work of building Beloved Community.
• Send a letter directly to your local official: you can do this easily by completing the ________________________, which will guide you through the process and deliver your message straight to the right office.

Getting Started: First Steps for Organizers

1. Gather Your Team: Invite two or three others to join you in planning. Even small teams can take powerful steps.
2. Choose One Action: Pick one call to action for your congregation or community to engage in  during your Children’s Sabbath.
3. Tell Your Story: Policymakers and neighbors listen when we speak from the heart. Share a short story of why children’s well-being matters to you or your faith community.
4. Take Action Together: Deliver letters, make calls, or show up at local meetings as a group. Collective action amplifies your voice.
5. Follow up: Share what happened with your community, thank participants, and keep the momentum going beyond the weekend.

What Issues Can We Act On?

Children’s lives are shaped by many intersecting policies. As an organizer, you can help your community speak up about issues such as:

• Child poverty and hunger
• Access to comprehensive health care, including mental health services
• Educational equity and safe schools
• Youth justice
• Family support and housing stability
• Protection and advocacy for LGBTQ+ children

For up-to-date advocacy actions from Children’s Defense Fund, visit our  Advocacy Actions Hub: childrensdefense.org/advocacy-actions

There you can:

• Look up current advocacy actions.
• Explore past campaigns to learn what has worked.
• Find guidance to connect your Children’s Sabbath action with the broader movement for child well-being.

Every letter, every phone call, every meeting, every public witness says: our children matter, our families matter, our future matters.

May this Children’s Sabbath be both a sacred pause and a faithful beginning. May it move you and your community to stand with children—not just in prayer, but in policy, practice, and public life.