Insight E-Mag - October 2009

Think Globally, Act Locally…

Below is an exerpt of an article taken from our soon to be released book "The INCM Comprehensive Guide for Children's Workers." You can buy your own copy at it's official release at CPC '10!

Have you heard the phrase "Think Globally, Act Locally?" When you first read this, you may have thought "Is this article about environmental issues?" I would like to challenge you for a moment and propose we use this slogan not for environmental causes, but in relation to your community and global outreach within your children's and family ministry. How are you involving your kids and families in your mission efforts? Do you support a missionary with offerings during Sunday school? Do you have local service projects for people or organizations in need? Do you travel to a far off country to share the gospel? To help you in your planning, INCM talked to children and family pastors throughout the country and asked "what are you doing for outreach?" Take a look at their responses!

We organize a Family Mission Trip in which the kids are the missionaries and the parents/guardians are there to support and guide them along the way. The projects were fairly easy, but took boldness on the part of the kids. IT'S BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE! The North American Mission Board (NAMB) also leads these types of trips around the country. You can find out about these at their website: www.namb.com. Our Family Mission Trip had the goal of helping parents lead by example on how to do missions.

Chad Smith, Director of Preschool Hermitage Baptist Church in Hermitage, TN

Here are some things we have done over the past year regarding missions with our children.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

This scripture was the basis for our Kids In Motion program that we weave into our Sunday morning experience for children. The program was designed for our children to learn 4 key concepts (serve, pray, love, and teach) by putting compassion into action and meeting them where they are ready and willing to do for others. This has been contagious within our church and across the world as the projects they have worked on have traveled with mission teams to Africa, India, Ecuador, and right here at home. Through this program we have connected ministries within our church as well and students, adults, and mission teams have shared in this project through the hearts of the children. Some of the projects we have worked on are as follows:

1200 Fleece blankets for Ecuador (people from other states heard about and contributed)

1200 Salvation bracelets for Kwambekenya Africa

1200 Christmas angels for Kwambekenya Africa

1200 God's Eyes (Crosses for Kenya)

200 Welcome Baby Kits for Hope Center (local mission)

80 Bookmarks for Cobb County Older Adult Enrichment Program

80 Christmas Cards for Cobb County Older Adult Enrichment Program

80 Letters for the children in India

1000 MUST sandwiches packed and bags decorated

200 Cards for Soldiers

We did a 6-week World Missions Study for our elementary children on Wednesday nights that ended with our church global mission's impact dinner. I can't begin to explain the connections that were made during that 6 week study. We had adults joining us because of the interest their children had each week. God blessed us with missionaries in our office the day we were visiting that country (so amazing...pastor from Africa, and a missionary from Romania...God had a plan...what a privilege to watch in revealed).

We make an intentional effort to share pictures of the children here making the items and the children in the other countries receiving the items. You can tell by the eyes of the children that it gives them the desire to want to be involved when they see something they made in the hands of a child in another country. Through the cross the children see there are no physical boundries, language barriers, or living conditions that can seperate them from the Body of Christ all over God's world!

There are 3 organizations we support in regards to this program:

410 Bridge - Vision is to provide the people of American churches, communities, and families a bridge to a nation in need, a way to answer the calling to serve and to give and to make a difference in God's kingdom. www.410bridge.org

Servants in Faith and Technology (SIFAT) - a Christian, nonprofit organization that provides training in self-help programs for a needy world. www.sifat.org

International Leadership Institute (ILI) - accelerates the spread of the Gospel around the world by training and mobilizing leaders of leaders to reach their nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. www.iliteam.org

Dianne Hylton, Director of Children's Education
Susan Preece, Children's Ministry & Web Ministry
Sherri Juliani, Elementary Coordinator
Mt Bethel UMC in Marietta, GA

Our church has been sending a group of parishioners, most of them families, to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for thirteen years. Our family, including our son, has made that week in South Dakota a priority for our summer vacation time. We have not missed a trip to Oglala since he was six years old.

The trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is primarily focused on connecting and attempting to build relationships with the people who live on the Reservation, as well as share Christ with them. This annual trip has always taken place in the summer, while kids are on summer break, and it's always been limited to one week. Our team offers a bicycle ministry to the children who live up there, as well as a basketball camp. A week-long VBS is planned also. It ends up being a busy week! Planning this trip is a lot of work, but the rewards are many. It's an inexpensive way to reach out to a community in need and get the entire family involved. Jill Umemura Colorado Community Church in Aurora, CO

This is just a sampling of the responses we received! Read the rest of the story in the soon to be released book "The INCM Comprehensive Guide for Children's Workers," to be released at CPC '10.