Subject: Fathers unconditional love
From: "Fatherhood Foundation" <[email-masked]>
To: "Warwick Marsh" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 08:19:15 +1000

Issue No. 114-1st November, 2004

visit us at www.fathersonline.org

Welcome to fathersonline.org

Grandfathers

Father Funnies

Single Dads

Special Feature

Thought for the Week

News & Info

Dad's Prayer

Mission Statement & Help Us!

Welcome to fathersonline.org

Dear Warwick,

The Fatherhood Foundation is going through a period of change.  We need to connect more with you, our readers.  We need to consider what we have achieved, who we are doing it for and what we might do better.  Improvement is always possible and none of us can ever say that we’ve got it all together.  In the midst of this process of change, a good friend of mine, Darryl Mills, sent me this story about a young girl with the subject heading the ‘Power of an Idea’.

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was 'too crowded.'  'I can't go to Sunday School,' she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.  Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kind hearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read:

'This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.'

For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building. But the story does not end there...

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividend.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr.Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, 'Acres of Diamonds'.

This is a true story, which goes to show

WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS.

For some reason, as I read this story, I began to cry and had to ask myself why this story about a young girl affected me so much.  Maybe it was because I could identify with children like her.  My upbringing wasn’t exactly perfect. For at least half of my first 12 years I was fatherless.  Perhaps this young girl was too.  I really don’t know.  All I know is that there are millions of children who grow up without the love of a father both here and around the world.  Our children pay for our mistakes.  It would seem that the innocent always suffer for the guilty.

The Fatherhood Foundation, whilst making a stand for men as fathers, is not a father’s rights organisation.  Our main goal is to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.  The main beneficiaries of loving fathers are children like the little girl in the story.  The Fatherhood Foundation is all about the idea of unconditional love.  There is nothing like the beautiful innocence of a child.  The little girl in the story showed unconditional love for the children around her.  Her sacrificial giving of 57 cents was multiplied ‘exceedingly abundantly, above all she could ask or think’- such is the power of love.

The Fatherhood Foundation has accomplished a lot in the last 3 years with very little and yet there is still much to be done.  Our children need to know the love of a father both on this earth and into eternity.  Will you help us?  We need to raise a million dollars, not to build a bigger building, but to build a more effective outreach to fathers in our nation.  The role of the Fatherhood Foundation is to inspire fathers and renew families, all for the sake of our children.

Your help will be a blessing to many generations.

Lovework

Share the story of this little girl’s sacrificial giving with your children and your family.

It will inspire them. You too can change history through the power of love.

Yours for unconditional love

Warwick Marsh

PS  Over the next few weeks we would love to hear from you.

We would love your comments and ideas on our newsletter and the subjects you would like to see covered.

We would love your help with fundraising so that we can better serve the children of Australia and the world.

Please contact us at 02 4272 6677 or email: [email-masked]

____________________________________________________________

Warwick Marsh  has been married to Alison for 28 years. He is the father of five children, four boys and one girl, ranging in age from 23 years to 11 years.  Warwick is a musician, songwriter, producer and public speaker who likes to think he can still laugh at himself.

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Grandfathers

SENIOR EXERCISE

I just came across this exercise suggested for seniors, to build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders.  It seems so easy, so I thought I'd pass it on to some of my younger friends.  The article suggested doing it three days a week.

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.  With a 5 lb. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then relax.

Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10 lb. potato sacks, then 50 lb. potato sacks, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100 lb. potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks; but be careful.

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Father Funnies

The Top 10 Topics You Don't Discuss at the Dinner Table

10. The dog's latest 'gift'
9. Klingon dating rituals
8. Chewing tobacco
7. Precious moments figurines
6. Recent refrigerator 'science projects'
5. Anything that makes you laugh hard enough to make milk come out your nose
4. Smoked oyster breath
3. The way your mother used to prepare this dish
2. Bitumen impregnated Kangaroo
1. Childbirth

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Single Dads

The Fight for Justice (Pt 2)

How Wilberforce Achieved Success

By Roland Foster

That which has been is that which will be,

And that which has been done is that which will be done,

So, there is nothing new under the sun.

This observation was written in about 935 BC.  It is as true today as it was then.  Its modern equivalent is the saying, “History always repeats itself”.

Last week’s article revealed the similarities in the responses to the introduction of two parliamentary bills: Senator Len Harris’s shared-parenting bill in the Australian Senate in June 2002, and William Wilberforce’s anti-slave trade bill in the British House of Commons in 1788.  Both bills were ignored.  In the first case, the parliament was dominated by lawyers.  In the second case, the parliament was dominated by slave owners.  Both parliaments refused to recognise and acknowledged injustices if the solutions threatened their self-interests.  Both bills had little chance of success.  But Wilberforce did succeed.  He also provided us with an example to follow in the fight for justice for non-custodial parents.

Wilberforce fought for a cause which appeared hopeless but he didn’t consider lowering his goal to that which was politically achievable.  He had no interest in compromise or balance.  He didn’t get distracted by discussions about reform.  He entertained no thought of benefits, determined by complex formulas, for the families of those taken as slaves.

Wilberforce dreamt of only one solution to the evil he recognised: abolition.  He didn’t want the slave trade reformed.  What would a reformed slave trade look like today?  He didn’t want a better slave trade.  He wanted no slave trade.  He was an abolitionist, not a reformer.

In 1807, after nineteen years, Wilberforce’s anti-slavery bill was finally passed.

Wilberforce succeeded because he knew the difference between right and wrong and he fought for what was right with commitment and perseverance.

Len Harris’s bill, when successful, will have the effect of diminishing the Family Court of Australia, and of dissolving the Child Support agency (CSA) by rendering it obsolete.  The CSA’s financial inducements to one parent to remove the children from the other parent, will no longer have the backing and support of the Family Court.

An accompanying bill to repeal the Child Support Act would also be useful.  The CSA should be completely abolished.  Non-custodial parents should not get distracted by discussions about its improvement or reform.  We do not want a better CSA.  We want no CSA.  It does not need to be replaced with anything.  The decision-making process should revert to parents.  The restoration of their authority should not be undermined by any new bureaucratic interference.

A presumption of shared parenting (Len Harris’s Bill) will enable parents to come to an equitable arrangement for the care and financial support of their children based on their own particular circumstances.

The repeal of the Child Support Act will return to parents the authority to determine how their children will be supported, nurtured and cared for.

There is no other solution.  The social experiment of displacing parental authority with officialdom has failed.

__________________________________________________________
Roland Foster is an non-custodial father, separated since 1997, with 5 young children aged between 7 and 15 years.  Roland is a passionate father and an active social reformer who believes Australia's current laws are contributing to the creation of our fatherless society.

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Special Feature

Fatherhood Foundation - A Brief History

Our Accomplishments to Date

Part 1 of 3

The Fatherhood Foundation has been over a decade in the making.  It was officially incorporated on 1st May 2002 as a charitable non profit incorporated association with Warwick Marsh, Alison Marsh, Phil Latz, Geoff Moses and Michael Baker as the founding board members.  The head office for the foundation is in Wollongong, NSW.  The goal of the Fatherhood Foundation is to inspire men to a greater level of excellence as fathers for the benefit of their children.  Even a 10% improvement in fathering could save Australia 1.3 billion dollars per year, according to Dr Bruce Robinson, author of ‘Fathering from the Fast Lane’. Dr Bruce Robinson estimated the cost of the fatherlessness in Australia to be over 13 billion dollars per year.

Since it’s inception, the Fatherhood Foundation has enjoyed solid broadbased support in the Australian community.  Such an encouraging reaction has come largely in response to the many successful initiatives launched or sponsored by the Foundation.  These include:

*  Collecting and strategically disseminating groundbreaking research on the causes and   effects of fatherlessness.  (Pt1,2,8,9,)

*  Family positive television campaigns with broad coverage.  (3,)

*   Production of ‘Fathersonline’ a free weekly email to encourage and equip busy dads.  (4,)

*   National speaking tours on family and fatherhood.  (5,9,10,)

*   Direct involvement with Parliamentarians and policy makers to encourage awareness and positive action on issues which confront Australian fathers.  (2,5,6,7,8,9,10,13)

*   Pioneering the Good to Great Fatherhood Mentoring Course for the 21st Century. (13)

*   Supporting and strengthening Australian marriages by forming the National Marriage Coalition. (11)

*   Formulating a costed proposal for a three year programme worth $13 million, ‘Australian Fatherhood Initiative Media & Mentoring Strategy’ Pt1.

1. GROUNDBREAKING FATHERHOOD RESEARCH

The Fatherhood Foundation initiated the publishing of the Fatherlessness Fact Sheet through Bill Muehlenberg of the Australian Family Association.  The Fatherlessness Fact Sheet has become a media and parliamentary resource sheet used by politicians of all political parties.  It has now been updated and revised four times and has become Australia’s most broadly circulated fact sheet on fathering.

2. HISTORIC UNANIMOUS VOTE IN SA PARLIAMENT

FOR FATHERHOOD INQUIRY

The Fatherhood Foundation research document on Fatherlessness and The ‘12pt Plan’ were used by Andrew Evans, leader of the Family first Party in the South Australian Upper House, when Mr Evans moved his historic motion for an Inquiry in the Status of Fathers.  This motion was subsequently passed by all Members of the Upper House: Labor, Liberal, Democrats and independents including Family First.  This was the first inquiry of its kind held anywhere in Australia and became another milestone in the restoration of fatherhood.  It is significant to note that the vote for this inquiry was unanimous across party lines.  The Fatherhood Foundation believes this is a reflection of the bipartisan support that the Fatherhood Foundation has achieved at a Federal level for the restoration of fatherhood in Australia.  Acknowledgement is also given to Andrew Evans MLC and the Family First Party along with many other fathering organisations and charities all over Australia.

3. TELEVISION AND MEDIA CAMPAIGNS

In August 2002 the Fatherhood Foundation launched the ‘My Dad’ media campaign. Three community service announcements featuring children talking about their dads were broadcast on over 26 commercial TV stations across Australia including Channel 7, Channel 9, Channel 10 and regional networks.  In August 2003 the Fatherhood Foundation launched the ‘Thank God for Fathers’ campaign with people on the street talking about their fathers.  The same approach was used for a three advert series called ‘Love Your Mum’ for Mothers Day 2003.  The Fatherhood Foundation’s main role is to educate and inspire fathers, but we are equally supportive of the important role mothers play in families.  The Fatherhood Foundation has also sponsored family mentoring TV programs for Optus cable and our production arm is finalising an educational / family pilot show for Australia commercial TV.  Several other media projects are at pre-production stage.  Over the last eighteen months the Fatherhood Foundation has secured almost 3 million dollars worth of TV advertising through community service advertisements promoting fatherhood  and families in Australia.

In March 2004 the Fatherhood Foundation initiated an outdoor billboard advertising campaign called:  ‘Fatherhood Leaves an Impression for Life’.  The approximate worth of this media campaign is $150,000.  The Fatherhood Foundation would like to acknowledge the kind support of Trevor Suitor and the Men of Integrity Australia.

Note:  We are detailing our accomplishments so that you as a reader can better understand what we have done and where the Fatherhood Foundation can best help the community at large.  We would greatly appreciate your comments and ideas on the above three part series, particularly with a view to raising funds so we can complete the task at hand.

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Thought for the Week

You cannot live a perfect day

without doing something for someone

who will never be able to repay you

John Wooden

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News & Info

Children want to do ordinary activities with dad, finds Britain's largest survey of school children

Britain's children want not expensive holidays, computers or bikes from their dads, but shared time playing football, chatting at bedtime, being helped with homework, 'messing about', being cooked for, attending the mosque, going shopping.

That's the verdict of more than 2,000 primary-aged children who have offered their views on what they like from a 'Day with Dad'.

The survey backs up recent research at Lancaster University showing that more than half of British children want more time with their dads doing ordinary activities. 'They want to do mundane things with dad, playing, hanging out, what other researchers have called 'doing stuff',' according to Charlie Lewis, Professor of Developmental Psychology, who co-authored the Lancaster University research.

(Family Understandings, Langford W, Lewis C, Solomon Y, Warin J, Joseph Rowntree Foundation)

Duncan Fisher, Director of Fathers Direct, said:

'A lot of us worry that being a good dad means paying for the latest new computer game or toy. It puts pressure on us to work harder when in fact our children most want us involved in activities that cost nothing more than time.'

________________________________________________________

Latest Survey-Pre teen drinking

Among the findings was that 44 per cent of 12-year-olds and almost 60 per cent of 13-year-olds had drunk alcohol in the past year.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11233893%255E26462,00.html

________________________________________________________

Letters

Dear Fatherhood Foundation

With 1/2 million children swapping from parent to parent each week, how many more TV sets, furniture, bedding etc is required to keep up this madness?

It's not only lawyers that benefit from this.

But there is good news for Roland Foster (Issue 113, 25/10/04), not all Liberal MP's in Canberra are lawyers and after Oct. 9th, we have more, very committed Christians. Our new local Member for Wakefield (North of Adelaide) David Fawcett, has been running seminars in his Baptist Church for a number of years.

There are other new committed Christian members (Bass, Greenway, Family First Senator) plus many more are speaking more openly about their faith. To get Australia back on it's feet, let's get on our knees, then rise to take our rightful places in society!

Kind regards

Dieter R. Fischer
Driving Plus, Adelaide

www.driving-school.com.au
[email-masked]
Your safety is Driving PL US
PS100V5

PS  Glad other people make spelling errors. It's so lonely, if you're the only one.

'Divroce turns parents into friends' is the headline on a story

by Laura Anderson in the Adelaide Advertiser.

From:

www.fathersonline.org

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Dad's Prayer

Dear God

The story of the young girl

from Philadelphia was so moving.

With so little she did so much.

The young girl’s compassion for her friends

who couldn’t come to Sunday School,

because there was no room,

made room for thousands,

and in her death she passed on the message of life.

It is more blessed to give than it is to receive.

Father,

teach me to be a giver and not a taker,

to be a sharer and not a hoarder.

to be a lover and not a hater,

to be a well of unconditional love.

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Mission Statement & Help Us!

Mission Statement
The Fatherhood Foundation is a charitable, non profit incorporated association with a goal to inspire men to a greater level of excellence as fathers, by encouraging and educating them, thereby renewing and empowering families.

Click here for more information about us

Help Us!

The Fatherhood Foundation believes that the key to life is giving.  That's why this newsletter is given freely without expectation.  Life is also about relationships.  That's what being a good father is all about, developing relationships with your loved ones.

If you would like to give financially to the Fatherhood Foundation,

please mail your cheque or money order to:

Fatherhood Foundation

PO Box 440

WOLLONGONG  NSW  2520

AUSTRALIA

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