The second Sunday of June is celebrated as National Children’s Day, dating back to over a century ago. In 1856, the Rev. Charles Leonard of the Universalist Church in Massachusetts set up the second Sunday of June as a time for families to bring their children forward to address their needs as well as have them baptized. At the time, this day was called Rose Day, then Flower Day, and eventually it came to be known as Children’s Day.

One of the ways the United Church of Christ honors children is through the UCC OWL program–“Our Whole Lives” which guides relationships, health and behavior in the context of faith.

“Our Whole Lives recognizes that children are learning about sexuality from the ways they are cared for, how they are taught to behave, how much agency they have over their bodies, how their identities are honored, how they are taught to give and receive affection, what media messages they receive about all those things, and how relationships are modeled for them,” said the Rev. Amy Johnson, minister for sexuality education and justice at the UCC National Setting. 

“Children and youth deserve to grow up in a world which uplifts embodiment over shame. A world where they have the autonomy and support to discover who they are – inside and out – as Creator shaped them to be and become,” said Rachael Ward, minister & team leader for Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries. “Our Whole Lives is this beacon of hope for our youth who need, perhaps more than ever, a mirror and companion along their journey that their bodies are theirs and they are whole as they are in bloom.”

As we continue to celebrate June as Pride month, parents may be interested in the upcoming UCC webinar, "Celebrating God’s Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children." Find more information and a link to register here.