November 11, 1999

CLEVELAND—The National Council of Churches’ Women’s Caucus luncheon offered two nationally known speakers who provided advice to reduce stress and a challenge to work harder for the nation’s children.

The Rev. Dr. Emily Chandler, Massachusetts General Institute of Health Professions, presented statistics showing that prayer can ease stress and shorten hospital stays. Marion Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund urged the caucus to challenge politicians to promise health insurance for children and protect them from guns.

Dr. Chandler, a Presbyterian pastor and registered nurse, said research has shown that "people who pray have shorter hospitalizations, less need of medication, and less stress."

She described the health care profession’s renewed interest in faith as a factor in treating patients. "It’s the forgotten factor in health," she said. The prevention of disease is about managing stress.

"People who attend services of worship seem to live much longer, tend to adopt healthier life styles and are capable of managing stress better than those who don’t attend church . . When people get together to worship, things begin happening to their bodies," Dr. Chandler said.

Marion Wright Edelman called upon women to challenge politicians "of every stripe" to promise health insurance for all children, and to support laws outlawing guns.

"Children under age 15 in the United States are 12 times more likely to be involved in shooting incidents than in 25 comparable countries combined," Ms. Edelman said. "Every two hours a child is killed by gunfire, and that doesn’t count the number of children who are wounded – and I also worry about the children who witness these acts of violence," she said. We must insist that politicians protect children instead of guns, she said.

Ms. Edelman called upon church women to work for the eradication of poverty in the United States. "Hunger is not an act of God, it is a choice of people," she said. "No other industrialized country in the world lets children be their poorest group as we do. Where is the voice of the church? Ending poverty as we know it – the church must take the lead," she said.