By Associated Press
St. Louis, MO – A leader of one of the nation's major black Baptist denominations is calling on black churches to set goals for addressing social problems.
Churches are being asked to help reduce by 25 percent the rate of black divorce, teen pregnancy, illiteracy, murder and H-I-V infection by 2012, and increase the adoption of black foster children.
The call is part of the ambitious Save the Family Now initiative that was rolled out this week.
More than 45-thousand delegates of the National Baptist Convention U-S-A are in St. Louis attending the group's annual Congress of Christian Education.
The Reverend R-B Holmes Junior says it was time for black clergy to lead a movement to challenge the culture and forces that have hurt the black family.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)