How we speak to one another plays a key role in building relationships. Yet today, communication is in crisis. According to a recent UNICEF report, two out of three children experience verbal abuse. The International Labor Organization also reports that one in five workers worldwide faces harassment, most often through verbal abuse and humiliation.
Mother’s Words of Love — A Global Initiative
In response, members of the Church of God hosted the Beginning of Peace: The Words of Mother’s Love Seminar in New Windsor, NY. This global initiative, launched as part of the Church of God’s 60th anniversary in 2024, aims to heal conflict and bring peace by encouraging people to practice the words of a mother’s love in daily life.
The campaign centers on nine key phrases: greeting, gratitude, apology, forgiveness, concession, respect, encouragement, consideration, and compliments.
The event began at 2 p.m. with interactive tables where guests explored each of the nine phrases. Attendees also viewed campaign panels and voted on the words they most wanted to hear and share. The main program featured a seminar highlighting how these phrases can strengthen communication in meaningful ways. The event concluded with a performance of the campaign song by a student choir.
The seminar emphasized the importance of positive communication throughout life. Research shows that “babies learn about the world through communication with their caregivers.” By age five, children experience as many as one billion moments of communication—most often through words spoken by their mothers. From the womb through every stage of life, a mother nurtures her child through words of love.
Mother’s Words of Love in the Community
Church of God member and local business owner Elizabeth Santana put the campaign into practice at the daycare she operates.
“When the Mother’s Words of Love campaign was announced, we chose to apply it directly with daycare families in our community. We discovered that leading with warmth, understanding, and the kind of unconditional love a mother naturally extends has the power to break down walls and open hearts. In a time when so many feel disconnected, this campaign has been a reminder that real change in our community begins with the person standing right next to us and that love, when shared freely, brings families closer together and closer to peace,” Santana said.
To learn more about this initiative and take part in upcoming events, we invite you to visit our Activities page. Church of God members are making a continual effort to put these words of love into practice in their daily lives, sharing messages that promote hope, strengthen relationships, and encourage positive communication within our communities.
