Rachel's Day
Justice for Children and Youth
Many children today fear they will not grow up to be adults. They also fear drugs, guns, gangs, going home to an empty house, poor education, illness, hunger, unsafe streets, that friends will kill themselves, being unloved, and being alone. If these fears “speak” to you, plan a Rachel’s Day observance in your congregation the first Sunday in May each year. A blue ribbon — a symbol of hope — may be made and given to congregation members and visitors.
Rachel’s Day is an observance that started in one congregation — Bethel West in Chicago — and spread to a synod and synodical women’s organization. In 1996, the first Sunday in May was observed as Rachel’s Day in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. The day took its name from Jeremiah 31:15–17. In those verses Rachel grieves for her children. Rachel’s Day is a time to mourn the loss of our children and to renounce the forces of evil and fear that plague our nation.
In July 1996, the Metropolitan Chicago Synodical Women's Organization brought to the Women of the ELCA Third Triennial Convention a memorial asking all women to encourage their congregations to recognize the first Sunday in May each year as “Rachel's Day.” The memorial was adopted.
What a wonderful way to build community and relationships by connecting adults (who may or may not be parents or grandparents) with children at risk. It is another way to remind us that, as the African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” We are all responsible for all children.