Honoring parents is a biblical command, and something that often seems even more important as children mature and realize how much Dad and Mom sacrificed, and how much they loved and shaped them all those years.

Last year the children of James E. Schneider looked for a meaningful way to honor their loving, Christian father who passed away in 2000. The children say James quietly lived his 80 years loving and serving his Lord before he died in Columbus, Wis., where he had lived for more than 40 years with his wife Virginia.

When they heard about an opportunity to sponsor a church in India, through Maranatha Volunteers International, the family knew they'd found something special to create a legacy for their father and to honor their mother on Mother's Day.

Together the Schneider's children, Patricia (Robert) Magray of Green Bay, Wis.; Nancy Scott of Willowbrook, Ill.; Kate Schneider of Ukiah, Calif.; Alan (Connie Best) Schneider of Hinsdale, Ill.; and Sandy (Jerry) Alexander of Berrien Springs, Mich., raised funds to build a sturdy Adventist Church in Andhra Pradesh, India, for a new congregation which now has more than 200 members. The surprise is a meaningful one. As new people accept the gospel in India, it is especially important that they have a permanent place to worship. This church will forever pay tribute to the love of the Schneider family and their Christian spirit.

The plaque near the entrance of the church bears an inscription denoting the gift. As far as Mother's Day goes, this year Virginia's children are very proud of the gift they picked out, and say, "Happy Mother's Day!"

For more information about a unique naming gift like this, contact Shawnda McCaleb, director of Donor Administration for Maranatha Volunteers International. Call 916-920-1900, or e-mail smccaleb@maranatha.org.

Carrie Purkeypile, Maranatha Volunteers International communications specialist, with Alan Schneider, Schneider family representative