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Legislative Prayer Day 2009
Join us January 11th from 3 -4, at the Maryland State House - Prayer has always been the way to communicate with God. It is a
two-way conversation where we share our hurts and joys with our Creator and we
hear His answer and direction for living in His kingdom. For some, prayer is a
new experience or quite possibly a neglected experience.
There is a call for us Christians to pursue a more dedicated and
expectant prayer life.
We will be having an opportunity to exercise that spiritual gift of
the open prayer line to God on January 11, 2009. That is the
Sunday before the 2009 General Assembly begins.
From 3-4 PM on Sunday- Pastors, ministry leaders,
families will gather with some of our legislators in the State House for a time
of prayer. We will pray for all of our elected officials and their staffs; for
their health, their families, their wisdom, and for their walk with God to be
strengthened.
Please join us for this time of prayer. In past years we have had
enough people praying to completely circle the State House! What a blessing it
would be to do that again this year! Pass this invitation on to your friends,
your Pastor and your church. For more information call 410-760-9166
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Children Have Fewer Problems at Home and a School When They Live in Intact Married Families that Worship Weekly
Annapolis, MD - A new study co-released
today by Association of Maryland Families and the Family Research Council finds that children have fewer problems at school and home when they live with both biological parents and frequently attend religious services. Drs. Nicholas
Zill and Philip Fletcher co-authored the new study which analyzes data from the National Survey of Children’s Health.
Among the study’s remarkable findings:
1.
Children in this group are five times less likely to repeat a
grade.
2. Children in this group are less likely to have behavioral
problems at home and school.
3. This group is more likely
to be cooperative and understanding of others’ feelings.
4.
Parents of these children
report less stress, healthier parent-child relationships, and fewer concerns
about their children’s achievement.
These differences hold up even after
controlling for family income and poverty, low parent education levels, and race
and ethnicity.
Maryland ranks only slightly above
the national average with respect to the percentage of children living in an
intact married family, and the national average in the frequency of worship
category.
Doug Stiegler, Executive Director of AMF issued the following
statement regarding the study's findings and relevancy:
“It has long been believed that children
living in intact married families and that attend worship services weekly thrive
in many social areas. This survey shows that their overall social behavior is
healthier, they have less stress and show greater educational advancement. This
is the effect of a strong family structure.”
“Social science data continue to
demonstrate overwhelmingly that the intact married family that worships weekly
is the greatest generator of human goods and social benefits and is the core
strength of the United States. Policy makers should strongly consider whether
their policy proposals give support to such a family structure. Children are
not the only beneficiaries but also their parents, families, communities, and
all of society.”
Click here for a copy of the study +
[1] Dr. Nicholas Zill is the founding president of Child
Trends and the former vice president of Westat, and a member of the National
Academy of Sciences.
[2] Dr. Philip Fletcher is a research psychologist at
Westat.
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