SATS December 2009 Edition
 
 
STUDENT NEWSLETTER: 31 March 2011

The 4 to 14 Window: the church has missed it for 2000 years!

I have become convinced that the church simply HAS to rethink its stance on children. This article is a heartfelt plea for us to give serious attention to something that I believe has largely been overlooked by the church for 2000 years.

Let's begin with

The plight of our children

There are nearly two billion children in the world today – one third of the world's population. In many developing countries children make up nearly half the population. An additional 26 per cent are young people aged 15-29. And all of these children, according to Dr Dan Brewster , could be said to be ‘at risk'. Very many, of course, are at risk because of poverty -- in danger of suffering, exploitation, neglect, and death. Key statistics reveal the critical nature of this problem:

•  8.8 million children die before their fifth birthday – an average of more than 24,000 per day – from diseases that could easily have been prevented or treated.

•  More than 37 per cent of children around the world live in absolute poverty – a total of 674 million children.

•  More than 91 million children under the age of 5 suffer from debilitating hunger.

•  15 million children are orphaned as a result of AIDS.

•  265 million children have not been immunized against any disease.

•  Children living in severe deprivation struggle with a lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods.

•  About 30 per cent of the children under the age of five around the world suffer from severe or moderate malnutrition.

•  In the last decade about two million children have been killed and more than six million injured or disabled in armed conflicts.

Dan Brewster is an expert in the field of Holistic Child Development and coined the phrase, “the 4 to 14 Window”. His book “Future Impact” provides much of the data reflected in this article.

To read the rest of this article please click on http://www.satsonline.org/content/4-14-window-church-has-missed-it-2000-years

 

What do Dr Daniel Sweeney, Dr Dan Brewster and Dr Keith White have in common?

They are the speakers at our 4/14 Window Conference to be held at the Edenvale Baptist Church from 11-13 May. Not only will they be addressing many of the issues raised in the article (left column), but they will also be conducting practical workshops.

Daniel Sweeney, for example, will do the following:

- Recognising the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse

- Play therapy with sexually abused children

- Play Therapy with Foster/Adoptive children

- Trauma and Brain Treatment considerations

- Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Attachment Disruption.

Dan Brewster will do three sessions on Child, Church and Mission.

Keith White's sessions are:

- Biblical Exegesis of Psalm 8

- Biblical Exegesis of Matt 16-21

- An example of Applied Theology: The Growth of Love

- Toddling into the Kingdom: a Radical Challenge for the Church.

Other workshop speakers include Robert Botha (An innovative funding model in support of holistic child development for children at risk), Thea du Plessis (Children's Spirituality; Children's Church: Doing Things Their Way), Gerhard Botha (Children's Prayer Network) and EE3 for Kids.

The plenary on day 3 will include testimonies from children.

This is a conference you simply cannot miss! Go to http://www.satsonline.org/node/7212 for more detail or email jenny@sats.edu.za

Tutor cellphone numbers

Don't forget that if you wish to contact your tutors by phone, instead of by email, you are able to dial dedicated numbers and speak directly to them. The following numbers are available on weekdays from 8 am - 4 pm:

Bev van Rensburg - 081 344 1109

Pelham Lessing - 081 344 1219

Noel Woodbridge - 081 344 0308

Mark Pretorius - 081 344 0321

Vernon Light - 081 344 0362

Naturally, Zoltan Erdey is be available at SATS - 011 234-4440.

Please note that these numbers are available only for queries related to your studies. Please respect the privacy of your tutors by not calling them after hours. Kindly note also that tutors will not be making any calls from these numbers.

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