Minute for Mission: International Women’s Day

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Activists, social leaders, organizations, women and men chant slogans against gender violence during the “Vivas nos Queremos” march in Quito, Ecuador. Photo: UN Women/Johis Alarcón

International Women’s Day is a day set aside each year to address challenges that particularly limit the lives of women and girls. In observance of International Women’s Day, for 2026, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women asks us to observe the day using the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”1 

In 2026, we mark the 31st anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action — “the world’s most comprehensive, visionary plan ever created to achieve equal rights for ALL women and girls.”2 More than three decades of progress toward gender equality have bettered the lives and hopes of women and girls around the world. Even so, “in fundamental areas of life, including work, money, safety, family, property, mobility, business, and retirement, the law systematically disadvantages women. From harmful social norms to discriminatory laws, women and girls continue to face entrenched obstacles — even pushback — to equal justice. If progress continues at its current pace, it will take 286 years to close legal protection gaps.”3 

International Women’s Day reminds us to reflect on our responsibility to make this world a just world for ALL. As people of faith called by God to care for one another, let us follow the U.N.’s call to “achieve a better world for women and girls.”

Note: The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the largest gathering on gender equality at the U.N. Learn more about the PC(USA) and Presbyterian Women’s participation at CSW70 by visiting pcusa.org/about-pcusa/agencies-entities/interim-unified-agency/ministry-areas/united-nations-ministry/commission-status-women.

1. un.org/en/observances/womens-day
2. unwomen.org/en/get-involved/for-all-women-and-girls

unwomen.org/en/news-stories/announcement/2026/01/international-womens-day-2026-rights-justice-action-for-all-women-and-girls

Carissa Herold is marketing associate for Presbyterian Women in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Inc.

Let us join in prayer for:

Yesenia Ayala,  Associate, Financial Aid for Service, Interim Unified Agency
Gohar Aznauryan, Administrative Assistant, Jinishian Memorial Program, Interim Unified Agency

Let us pray:

Loving Creator, on this International Women’s Day, and all days, let us strive toward gender equality so your daughters, and all of your children, can live in wholeness, using their gifts for the good of the world. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Presbytery of Cuba’s 1949 photo album illustrates church’s growth

Staff at the Presbyterian Historical Society have recently digitized in full a 259-page photograph album pieced together by the Presbytery of Cuba in 1949.

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Presbytery of Cuba photograph album, 1949, page 18. Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de la Habana (First Presbyterian Church of Havana). Images clockwise from top left: choir, receiving the missionary, veterans, Sunday school teachers and officials. Middle image: governing body. 

The scrapbook was created with the intention of commemorating the first 50 years of mission work in the country — inside, group shots of students, teachers, pastors and their families, and missionaries abound. They are complemented by photos of the urban areas in which the seeds of numerous congregations were planted and subsequently blossomed.

In March 1890, the PCUS Board of Foreign Missions received a letter from Evaristo Collazo of Cuba. Collazo wrote of his and his wife’s work in Havana, where they ran a day school out of their home. He then asked for help — he wanted to continue offering this service to his community but also had to bring in financial support for his family. Would they send someone to assist him in this important work?

The Rev. Anthony Graybill, the founder of the PCUS Mexico Mission, arrived in Havana not long after. He hit the ground running, baptizing 40 adults, ordaining multiple elders and installing Collazo himself as pastor of the small congregation. 

Collazo and his wife continued serving in Havana; Magdalena Collazo until her death in 1893; Evaristo Collazo until he joined the liberation army in 1895, where he served as a male nurse with the rank of lieutenant. At this time, the deteriorating situation in Cuba led the PCUS Board of Foreign Missions to suspend work for the time being. It wasn’t until after U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence that the church reinstated mission work in Cuba. In fact, the mission boards of nine U.S. Protestant churches sent missionaries to Cuba as the 19th century gave way to the 20th. One example is the April 1899 arrival of PCUS missionary Juan G. Hall in Cardenas, who was received by Ezequiel Torres and Isabel Waugh — all three are names that readers will find dotted throughout the photo album’s captions. The First Presbyterian Church of Cardenas, organized by Hall on Feb. 11, 1900, with 21 members, two elders, and two deacons, is known today as Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada “Juan G. Hall” en Cárdenas. After Hall’s death in 1904, he was succeeded by Robert L. Wharton.

In 1904, there were seven Presbyterian churches in Havana alone. This includes Collazo’s congregation at the Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de la Habana (First Presbyterian Church of Havana), which traces its official organization to the year 1901. Upon his return to Havana after his stint in the liberation army, Collazo began collaborating with a missionary sent by the PCUSA Board of National Missions. Pedro Rioseco, of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, arrived in Havana in 1899, where he and Collazo opened a day school together. 

After a letter from Rioseco arrived detailing how their last service in Havana filled the space entirely, leaving barely room to stand, the board sent the Rev. Dr. Joseph Milton Greene to assist the two men in organizing their congregation into an officially recognized church. Greene arrived in October 1901; on Dec. 8, the First Presbyterian Church of Havana was established. Collazo continued his work as before, taking to the pulpit and teaching the local children. He became an official member of the PCUSA and served as moderator of the Presbytery of Havana in 1906.

The Presbytery of Havana was organized on Nov. 16, 1904. It included five pastors, seven congregations, and 416 members. 

By 1918, the presbytery consisted of 27 churches — some of which had previously belonged to other denominations. After experiencing firsthand the rising influence and strong impact of the Presbyterian missionaries on the local Cuban communities, the Congregational Church formally transferred four of its congregations to the Presbytery of Havana in February 1909. 

The unification of all Presbyterian mission work in Cuba in 1918 added more congregations, bumping the number up to 27. Six ministers previously working under the auspices of the PCUS were added to the presbytery’s roll, including Robert Wharton of Cardenas. 

In 1930, the Presbytery of Havana was renamed the Presbytery of Cuba. On Jan. 1, 1959, the Presbytery of Cuba reported 4,293 members in 34 congregations with 46 ministers.

McKenna Britton, Communications Associate, Presbyterian Historical Society Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Rachel Anderson, Global Ecumenical Liaison, Global Ecumenical Liaison Office, Interim Unified Agency
Molly Atkinson, Senior Administrative Assistant, Financial Aid Service, Interim Unified Agency

Let us pray:

God of steadfast faith, we give thanks for the generations who planted seeds of your love in Cuba, and for missionaries, pastors and families who served with courage and dedication. Bless the work of remembering and preserving their stories, so that we may learn from their faith, perseverance and vision. Amen.

Minute for Mission: World Day of Prayer 2026

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“Rest for the Weary” By Gift Amarachi Ottah

World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement observed in more than 170 countries, led by Christian women who welcome all to join in prayer and action for peace and justice. World Day of Prayer is celebrated annually on the first Friday of March; for 2026 that is today, March 6. 

This year’s theme, “I Will Give You Rest: Come,” inspired by Matthew 11:28–30, was chosen by an ecumenical group of Nigerian women, who also prepared this year’s worship materials. “Through their exploration of different kinds of burdens — shame, systematic oppression, religious persecution, poverty and despair — the writers help us understand both the weight of human suffering and the depths of divine rest. Their work shows us that true rest isn’t just about physical relief, but about transformation through God’s grace and community support” (worlddayofprayer.net/nigeria-2026.html).

On this World Day of Prayer, let us remember that in Christ and in Christian community, our burdens become light.

To learn more about World Day of Prayer, visit worlddayofprayer.net or wdp-usa.org/materials for resources.

Carissa Herold, Marketing Associate for Presbyterian Women

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:

Denise Anderson, Lead, Restorative Justice, Thriving Mid Councils, Interim Unified Agency
Monty Anderson, Vice President/COO & Corporate Treasurer, Operations, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

Precious One, we are weary and our burdens are heavy but in Christ and in Christian community, our souls find rest. In thanksgiving and joy, we bring your light to your people, offering care and your promise of rest to all who struggle and despair. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Webinar panelists describe their innovative ministries that are helping young families

The third and final installment of the “Holy Shift” webinar series drew 125 attendees from across the country, offering inspiration and practical insight into innovative ministries serving young families.

Hosted by the Rev. Neema Cyrus-Franklin of the PC(USA)’s Around the Table initiative and moderated by the Rev. Libby Tedder Hugus of Resonate Coaching, the session featured four panelists whose ministries are reshaping faith formation for parents under 40. The webinar series was co-sponsored by the Office of Christian Formation and 1001 New Worshiping Communities of the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA), Sessions one and two are available online.

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The Rev. Kristin Willett of First Light Fellowship in Anthem, Arizona (Contributed photo)

The “Holy Shift” series was born out of research conducted with the PC(USA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by TryTank Research Institute, a venture of Virginia Theological Seminary. The study explored how young adult parents are shifting their relationship with church, spirituality and faith practices at home.

In “Holy Shift: Part 3 – Doing the Work,” four practitioners shared stories of risk, creativity and resilience in their efforts to meet the spiritual and practical needs of young families. The Rev. Kristin Willett, pastor of First Light Fellowship in Anthem, Arizona, described her journey of planting a new worshiping community focused on interactive worship and community engagement.

“We’re not here for perfection,” Willett said. “We’re here for chaos and tantrums and everything in between.”

Willett began by conducting “community exegesis,” asking local parents what they loved and struggled with in their neighborhood. Many expressed loneliness despite busy schedules. Willett responded by creating spaces for authentic connection, including worship in concentric circles, child-led prayers, and interactive sermons.

Jason Floyd, assistant to the pastor and youth coordinator at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles, shared the story of Remix Youth Academy, a summer program that uses music, film, spoken word and visual arts to connect with youth.

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The Revs. Brandon and Kristin Willett are pastors of First Light Fellowship, a new worshiping community in Anthem, Arizona. (Contributed photo)

“I felt a nudge to connect with people where they are,” Floyd said. “Rather than trying to forge a new path, I wanted to meet them in the things they were already doing.”

Inspired by a seminary assignment, Floyd launched Remix with support from his pastor and presbytery. The program includes Bible study, meals, and hands-on creative workshops. Students produce short films, music videos and spoken-word performances that reflect their faith and experiences.

The Rev. Ivette Llano Viano, pastor of El Camino “On the Way” in Lawrenceville, Georgia, described her ministry to Spanish and Portuguese-speaking immigrant families that she shares with her spouse, the Rev. Rafael Viano. El Camino began during a sabbatical and grew into two congregations: one in Spanish (El Camino) and one in Portuguese (Casa Brasil).

Llano highlighted the challenges of working with families who have multiple jobs and language barriers. She emphasized creativity and described ways the church can support parents in their responsibilities. The ministry finds creative ways to incentivize learning and celebrates achievements of young people to build self-esteem.

The Rev. Beth Garrod-Logsdon, pastor of Wilmore Presbyterian Church in Kentucky, shared the story of Urban Village, a faith-based community center serving neurodiverse children and their families. Garrod-Logsdon described herself as a “second generation planter” in the life of Urban Village. As a member of the community, a member of the initial planning team and the pastor of a nearby church, Garrod-Logsdon had helped to dream what the community-centered space could be. When the original mission developer, who was a martial arts education specialist, left in 2023 after four years, Garrod-Logsdon was asked by the Presbytery of Transylvania to assist. Garrod-Logsdon helped Urban Village discern the needs of the community and the gifts of the ministry and its leaders to become what it is today.

Urban Village offers martial arts, sensory swings, climbing walls and open play. 

Panelists emphasized the importance of creativity, community engagement and financial sustainability. Many rely on grants, partnerships and alternative revenue streams such as birthday party rentals and craft markets. Each panelist offered wisdom to the audience gathered who were themselves thinking of innovative ways to reach families.

“Leave room for God,” Garrod-Logsdon advised. “Sometimes we hold our vision so tightly that we don’t allow God to shape it.”

“Meet people where they are,” Floyd added. “Listen to what they’re already doing and loving.”

Beth Waltemath, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)(Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Ruth Adams, Director, Assistance Program, Engagement & Church Relations, The Board of Pensions
Ahmad Ali, Vice President and Managing Director, Investments, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

God of new beginnings, thank you for the holy shifts that open doors to connection, creativity and grace. May every home, gathering and shared meal become a place where your love can grow. Amen

Mission Yearbook: Pastor calls generations to share truth, build bridges and walk together in hope

With Psalm 78:1-7 and Ruth 1:8-17 as her preaching texts, the Rev. Dr. Lorraine Leist brought the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network conference to a thoughtful and hopeful conclusion during closing worship.

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The Rev. Dr. Lorraine Leist

“I am struck by the richness of all we have experienced here together,” said Leist, the associate pastor for congregational care and older adults at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Denver. Scripture echoes these themes,” she said, “the generations learning from one another, always drawing us deeper into God’s love.”

The psalmist “invites us to listen to the triumphs of faith and failures as well,” she said. “These truths are not to be hidden but passed down.”

In our churches, older members might confess that “we stayed silent when we should have marched,” she said. “Shared ministry comes from such honesty.” It’s “faith informing justice.”

Younger members can learn the practical skills that were required of their forebears to create victory gardens, for example, and of “making do.” Those skills can help young people who see responding to climate change “as a spiritual imperative.”

Truth-telling “can feel heavy,” Leist said, “but Psalm 78 calls us to speak honestly so hope can take root and every generation might see their hope in God.”

We also need the gift that Ruth offers us: an expansive love that bridges generations, Leist noted. Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, “refuses to sugarcoat her reality,” and her daughters-in-law “choose the path that each needs”: Orpah electing to take the path toward home, and Ruth opting for a different path, crossing “boundaries of culture, family and nation. She embraces an expansive love.”

More than just a show of personal loyalty, Ruth’s choice “is a pivot in salvation history,” according to Leist, securing David’s line “and, in a Christian reading, preparing the way for Jesus. She shows us God’s purposes can unfold in the very places where human boundaries break open.”

Younger church members have many gifts to offer the church, including “questioning the binaries that shape identity — male and female, insider and outsider, even the secular and the sacred,” Leist said. “Their truth-telling challenges us not to cling to neat categories, but to embrace the fullness of God’s Creation.”

As a child, Leist would listen to her mother’s stories about the life of Leist’s grandmother, who lived on a farm in southern Indiana that had no running water. The farm was miles from the nearest store, and family members went to town once a year to purchase new shoes. “She could mend anything and find a use for things that people threw away,” Leist said of her grandmother. “Such resilience matters today.”

These kinds of stories “remind us that we too can adapt, persist and remain faithful.”

New opportunities emerge from such an exchange, she said. “Different generations collaborate to create something neither could have done alone,” she said. “May our younger generations share their imagination, not be afraid to push boundaries, and challenge assumptions that have kept us in the past. May we all remind each other that where you go, I will go.”

“May we leave this place embracing hope and walking together in the wide, wide hope of God,” Leist said.

At the conclusion of the service, Leist blessed those gathered with words that included this charge: “Friends, as you go forth from this place, may you remember to be brave enough to tell the truth and receive God’s boundary-crossing love, so we can build bridges together. Go with God’s peace. Amen.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Angielee Acevedo, Lead Housekeeper, Stony Point Center, Interim Unified Agency
Rhea Adams, Service Desk Technician, Information Technology Infrastructure, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)

Let us pray:

God of every generation, teach us to tell the truth with courage and to listen with love across age and experience. Help us pass on stories of faith, resilience and justice, so that hope may take root in those who come after us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Workshop urges faithful conversations about advance care planning

The Rev. Cindy Ray, executive director of the Presbyterian Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, was in her wheelhouse when she recently offered a workshop on the intersections of faith, stewardship and advanced care planning during the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network annual conference.

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Photo by Olivier Collet via Unsplash

She opened with a slide of her parents, Jerry and Gerry, who were married for 70 years. Her dad suffered a massive stroke four years ago and was placed on a respirator, even though it was his wish not to be kept alive by artificial means and to die in the company of his family. Her mother had to decide when to take him off the respirator. “I was so glad to have that advance directive,” Ray said. “We told our mom, ‘you are honoring his wishes.’”

Ray said that any conversation on advanced care planning should be multigenerational. “I encourage families to bring their grandkids into it, especially if they are grown,” she said. “It also allows them to grapple with the fact that the lead generation won’t be with them forever.”

The biggest question to be answered is, who will speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself? Not only is it a planning process for making decisions about future medical care, it’s “a matter of faith,” Ray said, since “God is the sovereign author of our life” and life is “a sacred gift, but our bodies are vulnerable.”

“Death is a reality, but it is not the final word,” Ray said. “Our hope is in the resurrection and the promise of eternal life.”

Someone who agrees to implement health care instructions on your behalf if you are unable must be able to answer “yes” to a few questions, Ray said, including:

• Are you willing to take on this role and responsibility?
• Do you understand my wishes for future health care?
• Can you make the decision I would want to make, even if you disagree? 
• Can you make important health care decisions under stressful situations?
• Do you feel you can strongly advocate in the face of family members and others who may challenge my wishes?

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The Rev. Cindy Ray

Ray also discussed what a power of attorney and an advanced health care directive do. The latter includes medical treatment you want and don’t want, how you want your agent to make decisions, how you want your pain to be managed, where you want to receive care, your preferences regarding mental health care treatment, your desire to donate organs and tissues, and plans for your funeral arrangements. 

Ray noted that 9 in 10 people say talking with loved ones about end-of-life care is important, but Pew Research reports that fewer than 3 in 10 people have done so. “Those have been some of the most blessed moments in my ministry,” Ray said.

She also had ideas about how to open the conversation:

• Choose a comfortable and private setting to avoid interruptions or time constraints.
• Initiate the discussion by saying something like, “I know this isn’t easy to talk about, but if I get sick or have an accident and can’t make decisions for myself, I’d like to share what would be important to me so you could be my decision-maker.”
• Share your thought process. Explain that you have been thinking about the future and want to be prepared. Frame the conversation in a way to help the family and ensure wishes are respected.
• Focus on your faith, stewardship and values. Talk about what you appreciate about life and how your values and beliefs are guiding your preferences for medical care.
• Explain the why. Let your family know that talking about this now can help them make decisions later and avoid conflict and guilt.
• Explain the default. Clarify that without a directive, health care providers’ default is to “do everything,” Ray said, which may not align with your wishes.
• Be prepared for discomfort. Acknowledge that these conversations can be uncomfortable for everyone, but sharing your feelings can help launch the discussion.
• Take your time. It’s not necessary to cover every detail in one meeting. Ray’s advice was to start with “a brief chat, and let it evolve into a series of ongoing conversations.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Christopher Abney, VP, Director of IT, Presbyterian Foundation
Susan Abraham, Associate, Mission Program Grants & Mission Development Resources Committee, Interim Unified Agency

Let us pray:

Faithful God, you are the giver of life and the holder of our days. Grant us wisdom and courage to speak honestly with those we love, to plan with care and to entrust each other with sacred decisions. When conversations are hard, remind us of your presence and the hope that carries us through every beginning and every ending. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Equipping grandparents to build faith, one relationship at a time

Sandy Safford, the faith formation coordinator at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Lakewood, Colorado, has a number of tools that grandparents can use to engage in intergenerational ministry and create lasting memories with their grandchildren as well as other children and youth at their church. During a “Grandparent/Grandchild Ministry” workshop recently held as part of the annual conference of the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network, Safford discussed dozens of tried-and-true options.

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Photo by Sergiu Valenas via Unsplash

Safford helpfully grouped the ideas into eight categories: retreats and camps, activities that bridge or cross the generations, grandparent days, equipping grandparents, long-distance grandparenting for keeping in touch, holidays, writing and sharing your stories, and congregations and worship.

Safford herself is a first-time grandmother, but she made it clear “you don’t have to be a grandparent” to engage some of the ideas she shared from her more than 30 years’ experience. “They are for equipping grandparents and how we as church leaders can provide opportunities beyond the church for grandparents in our communities,” she said.

In many faith communities, “so many folks serve as grandparents without being blood relatives,” Safford said. Her own children fondly remember the “substitute grandparents” from her family’s 10 years in Utah. “My children were so loved. We all have folks who just want to love on our kids and our youth. Take advantage of that,” she advised workshop participants. “They have gifts to share.”

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Sandy Safford

Among Safford’s many ideas for intergenerational ministry:

• A Grandparent Retreat, which “should be easy for a lay leader to do for a weekend. There are a variety of activities, and it’s flexible,” Safford said. “You can make it happen with a small team.” One thing Safford has observed is that “it’s a whole different experience when the parents aren’t there. There are precious moments of listening, discovering from one another, and sharing stories.” The weekend is designed “for kids and grandparents to get to hear each other’s stories. Also, for grandparents to chat with one another.”
• One grandmother Safford knows has a grandchild who lives far away. The grandmother writes her grandchild every week and tucks some stickers into the envelope. When they video chat, the grandchild shares with her grandmother what she did with the stickers. “That’s an easy connection,” Safford said.
• It’s also relatively easy to host an intergenerational tea party around the holidays, mixing generations at the tables and supplying each table with a board game. To mix things up, Safford will call “time” after a few minutes and have children rotate to another table, picking up the board game as it is at their new table.
• At a scavenger hunt on church grounds or in a park, participants can look for certain objects or colors, bringing them back to share. Invariably, a grandpa will bring back a blade of grass after following instructions to find something green, put it between his fingers and make it whistle. Pretty soon, all the grandchildren are following suit, Safford said.
• Safford uses the “Growing in God’s Love” children’s Bible and others. Flyaway Books has a number of titles exploring difficult topics, including “My Elephant is Blue,” Melinda Szymanik’s book about “big, heavy feelings.”
• Birthday adventures are fun events for both old and young, and don’t add to the typical pile of presents the grandchild receives. It can be a day of “doing something together” involving just the grandparent and the grandchild.
• Beloved magazines Ranger Rick and Highlights are still around, Safford noted.
• “Faith on Our Feet” is a series of monthly gatherings Safford’s church offered to blend worship and a mission project.

“Part of my ministry is to equip everyone to build relationships,” Safford said. “I strongly believe we need to provide that for every kid in the congregation.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Rafaelina Valerio, Housekeeper, Stony Point Center, Interim Unified Agency
Princeton Abarahoa, Associate, African Immigrant Congregational Support, Interim Unified Agency

Let us pray:

Loving God, thank you for the wisdom of elders, the curiosity of children and the bonds that grow when generations share faith and love. Bless all who step into the role of mentor, grandparent and guide, so that every child may feel known, cherished and rooted in you. Amen.