Save the children

Happy New Year…Really?! We must be honest with the services we have. The Bible teaches us that the ‘truth will set you free!’ (John 8:32 GOD’S WORD: 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”)

Please do not shoot the messenger. I’m just saying what I am seeing with my other highly educated outreach professionals who represent different careers, faiths and ministries. Together we agree with the facts! Let me set things straight, the police, social services, hostels etc are not to blame here ok? But it has to be said.

Each month we have come across a child on the streets of Birmingham sleeping rough. This is a fact. Last night we encountered a child who had run away because of serious abuse within their care setting. First of all, the issue is not the factors leading up to the child being in care. The fact is many agencies are involved and great funds are being paid for the care of this child. And for whatever reason, we found yet another child on the streets talking of serious abuse within their care setting.

There is something desperately wrong when in 2018, we have children sleeping rough on the streets of Birmingham. This child was not from Birmingham and as with the other children we have encountered, they were drawn here from other areas, nevertheless, they are known to services in our ‘second city.’

Last night we called all relevant agencies not only biblically but legally as we are ordered, to ‘follow the laws of the land’ (Romans 13:1-14). But that said, the child was terrified for their safety within the care system and the hands of the authorities. During the outreach, we also met another care survivor who told of his abuse experience within his provision.

We cannot judge without facts recognise that not all care providers are falling short. However, we must not discount the effects that it has on those children who we have all failed.  Failed to provide the correct support, not only as tax payers, but as Christians and humanitarians to show due diligence in holding to account those services that fall desperately short of those humanitarian, legal and biblical principles of care, to love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31 - GOD’S WORD’S). The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.’

Can we not turn these children from victims of this current system to a credit to society?

With this in mind, please pray for the children who are sleeping rough on the streets of Birmingham and those children who are currently being deliberately denied funds for their education. Funds which should be allocated to schools that have taken these children in but receive no funds for their work.

Matthew 18:6 - but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/02/child-poverty-britain-set-to-soar-to-new-record-ifs 

In Yeshua name, Amen. Shalom.