c. 1996 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Quoting the Gospel of Mark, Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday (July 29) urged members of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church to see the face of Jesus in every child.

Mrs. Clinton addressed a packed hotel ballroom, where about 1,500 delegates and visitors were attending the 1.7 million-member denomination’s quadrennial meeting, which ends Aug. 2.

In a speech focused on the importance of supporting children and families, she referred to the Gospel account of Jesus embracing a child and saying that anyone who welcomes a child welcomes him.”That was an admonition to all of us to think of every single child as though that child has the face of Jesus,”she said.”If we could just transpose that picture and ask ourselves, `How could I deny Jesus health care or education? How could I deny Jesus the chance to live in a home that was safe?’ … If all of us could begin to think like that who call ourselves Christians, this nation would be a whole lot better off.” The first lady, who attended a White House conference earlier in the day on children’s television, told the delegates that broadcast industry officials have agreed to offer three hours a week of”quality education children’s programming.”President Clinton announced their decision at the White House earlier today.”This is a very significant step because for the first time we can count on there being on our television sets programs that we’re not embarrassed to have our children watch,”she said.

Mrs. Clinton congratulated the denomination on its 200th anniversary and thanked the church for the historical contributions of its members. “This is an institution that has witnessed and weathered all the decisive events in American history,”she said.”You have been a refuge, a beacon, a source of strength for millions of your fellow countrymen and some of our greatest Americans _ Americans like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass have found inspiration and spiritual renewal in your sanctuaries.” She sounded some of the same themes _ including support for affirmative action and condemnation of recent church burnings _ that AME Zion bishops addressed in their quadrennial message, delivered Thursday (July 25) to the conference’s delegates.”We know we have to stand up against the voices of division and hatred at every possible opportunity,”she said, referring to the recent fires that have burned dozens of mostly black Southern churches.”We have to work for the day when racism is doused forever, when it’s not burning in anyone’s hearts as well as burning in any church sanctuary.” Mrs. Clinton, a member of the United Methodist Church, spoke of her pride in being a Methodist.

She recalled that her youth minister was”one of the most important people in my life when I was growing up.”She credited vacation Bible school lessons with teaching her how to learn to love everyone, no matter what their racial or ethnic make-up.”Children, particularly pre-teens and teen-agers don’t have enough safe places where they can go to talk to adults who care about them,”she said.”I am so grateful that I had a church that was there for me. I’m grateful that my daughter does,”she said, referring to her teen-age daughter, Chelsea.

Echoing comments made in April when she addressed the United Methodist General Conference in Denver, Mrs. Clinton told the AME Zion delegates that denominations are bound to have disputes on various issues, but manage to continue despite them.”That’s what America needs right now,”she said.”We are going to have disagreements, but what we need is that overriding feeling of unity and optimism that has kept this church going for 200 years.”

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