REACHING CHILDREN IN NEED:
what's being done - what you can do
By Patrick McDonald with Emma Garrow. Kingsway Publications. 190 pages
ISBN 0 85476 864 5
Patrick McDonald's passion for reaching children at risk is the driving force behind this book. By 'children in need', he means any child who is neglected or exploited - whether suffering abuse, the ravages of war or the results of HIV/AIDS; or forced into prostitution or life on the street.
It was his Christian faith, the loss of his own father at 12 years old and his experience of working with street children in Bolivia when he was 17 that prompted McDonald into this work. Although many Christians were working among children, he saw that co-ordination was desperately needed and, as a result, Viva Network was established. It aims to be a network linking evangelical Christians working with children in need - providing a focus for training, prayer, co-operation, etc., as well as a co-ordinated voice to churches, governments, etc.
The book relates a number of moving stories about individual children and many terrible statistics. It describes some of the excellent work undertaken by Christians seeking to share Christ's love with children worldwide - both now and in the past. There are plenty of practical ideas and many of the opportunities and common pitfalls are honestly described.
McDonald describes the Bible's 'mandate' to reach children with the love of Christ. It is clearly beyond the scope of the book to include a comprehensive theological framework on helping children in need. And although I think the biblical mandate could have been explained more accurately, I found his account of Christian compassion in action moving, informative and challenging.
