Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

by Mike Cauley, D.Min.
Florida Conference President
Florida Conference children are among our most valued treasures. I love the vibrancy and energy of our young people. There is nothing which compares to their vitality and zest for living.
Because children in our homes and churches are so important, God has given us a winning formula for nurturing them to maturity in Christ—the home, the church, and Adventist Education. It takes all three to give our children the advantage they need in a world whose culture is so very counter to the restoration of God’s image in man.
The devil hates our children and families. He is doing all he can to destroy us. The intensity of evil seems to be increasing exponentially. Our children deserve every advantage we can provide that will enable them to grow to a place of joy, peace, and fullness in Christ.
Recently, our son was putting his girls to bed. As he was getting the three-year-old tucked in, she spontaneously began to sing a little song which she made up, “I’m afraid of dark rooms…I’m afraid of water…but I’m not afraid when my daddy…is with me.” That’s what it’s all about—helping our children know their Father in heaven is present in their lives. The world is a dangerous place without Jesus, but when their Father is with them, children can live a life of rest, peace, and security.
So it takes all three:

1. Parents who love God and pray daily for their children and look for ways to regularly nurture them in every aspect of their lives.
2. Church which provides for ministry to children in Sabbath School, Pathfinder and Adventurer Clubs, and other ways.
3. Adventist Education which is designed to reinforce the values children are taught at home and in church. Most of a child’s waking hours are spent under the influence of educators and classmates.

Let us provide every advantage possible for our children to know their Father and live the abundant life to which He has called them.