Once again, Sunday for the girl child is being celebrated this Sunday. It is a day to remember our girls, offer prayers for them, and express our solidarity with them. It’s a time to reflect on how much God treasured children and how we, as a church, ought to value our children, especially females. Although girls in our society may not be subjected to severe prejudice, there are societies where they still face severe discrimination. They suffer in different ways. Their lives are made more difficult by wars, poverty, gender inequity, natural calamity, sexual abuses and other social evils. The unfavorable conditions in which they are placed pose a challenge to all those who believe that all people were made in the image of God. The Bible describes God’s kingdom as a place where all people are treated equally. It is a place where children are respected and the weak are acknowledged. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” in his ministry (Matthew: 19:14). In a society that considered children as non-persons, Jesus gave them a place and valued them. Mathew describes an instance where Jesus heals a girl child who was the Canaanite woman’s daughter (Matthew: 15: 21-28). By Jewish standards, Canaanites were considered outcasts. They were never worthy of a Jewish rabbi’s mercy.  Yet, for this child, Jesus’s compassion transcended all social practices. The society’s gender, geographical, cultural and ritual barriers were broken by his overflowing compassion to save this infant. It was a paradigm shift in how children were treated in a traditional society. Are children important to the church? The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. Allowing the girl child to develop and flourish in the church’s ministry is essential. The church needs to take measures to care for the girls who are abused, abandoned, and forced to work in unfavorable situations. Could this be part of the church’s mission?

 On this special day, greetings to everyone!