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Spoons and Prayers

Published on by MaryLeave a comment
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I am often reminded that mission is FOR children but can also be BY children.

Recently, a mother wanted me to meet her young daughter. When considering what she wanted to be when she grew up, her daughter said she wanted to be a missionary and teach children.

I talked to little Hannah and asked her if she would like to start being a missionary now. I opened my bag and showed Hannah a collection of “prayer sticks” that I happened to have inside. Note: One never knows what a Bible teacher “happens to have in his or her bag”!

Years ago, someone gave me a big box of coffee stirrers (craft sticks or popsicle sticks.) I began using these sticks for prayer activities. Participants in training workshops write the names of the children they teach on these sticks. We collect the sticks and then pass them back out again so the children can be prayed for by name. Read the full instructions for prayer sticks here.

Amongst my bag of sticks were two plastic spoons. Instead of writing a child’s name on a stick, a Bible teacher in Botswana had come up with the idea of drawing the face of each child on a plastic spoon. What a great idea! In Hannah, I knew I had found the perfect person to pray for these children.

Hannah took the spoons and took the task seriously. A few days later, her mother sent this message to me:

Hi Mary! I wanted to share with you that we have been praying for the sweet girls whose names are on the spoons you gave Hannah! 1 spoon had another name on the back so there are 3 names. Last night, Hannah prayed for Emma, Ret and Martha and then added… “And all the kids whose names are in all those bags, Lord, you know em.” I just wanted to share with you and thank you for giving her an insight to mission work!!

Thank you, Hannah. You remind me that children are part of the Mission of God. We do not have to wait until we are “old enough” to love God and bless others. Neither are we ever “too old”. This little girl approached the throne of God and confidently asked the King of the Universe to bring blessing into the lives of children on the other side of the world.

How do you think God responded?

Spanish Website News

Published on by MaryLeave a comment
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After much prayer and preparation, I’m happy and excited to say that a project is now underway to translate all the content and features of this English website into Spanish.

Please join us in prayer!

Visit the welcome page at https://misionleccionesbiblicas.org/ and sign up for updates to follow how the project progresses. New lessons will be released as time and funds allow.

Great Teachers:

I’ve met some amazing men and women in Spanish-speaking locations worldwide. They are devoted to sharing God’s Word with the children in their lives. It has been a long-held dream of mine to provide them with resources in their heart language.

Almost 500 million people worldwide are native Spanish speakers, and Spanish is the second most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese (numbers from blog.rosettastone.com). The website’s target user is not a professional educator or theologian but a Christian volunteer who genuinely wants to help children grow in faith.

Project Vision:

A quarter of the world’s population is under the age of 15 years. The Mission Bible Class Ministry began in 2014 with a vision of Christians worldwide equipped to value and spiritually nurture children. Providing resources in the Spanish language is a natural expression of that vision.

For more information:

English: admin@missionbibleclass.org

En español: admin@misionleccionesbiblicas.org

Looking Back at 2023

Published on by Mary2 Comments
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I recently had a look back over the year 2023 and wanted to share some of that review here.  God is good!

 

New Worker Joins Mission Bible Class

Published on by Mary1 Comment
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I sometimes receive emails thanking the Mission Bible Class “staff” or “team” for providing resources. It often surprises people to know that the only staff or team member is me (Mary Nelson).  From time to time, I have had short-term help from interns. Churches and individuals have also made the work financially viable.  But, as for the published material you see here on this website, it has all been done by me from my laptop. It has been a joy!

For at least the next two years, I will not be working alone.  Gina Nored will join me in helping equip Christians around the world to value and spiritually nurture children.

Gina recently graduated from Lipscomb University, Honors College (Nashville. Tennessee, USA). She holds two degrees.  One degree is a Theology and Ministry, B.A., and the other is in Interdisciplinary Education, K-5; B.A.

Gina has already had some experience in missions as a team member at Next Generation for Christ, where she has written children’s Bible curriculum and, among other things, managed Christian camps in Croatia.

Gina will be coming to New Zealand as part of the Helpers in Missions (HIM) program. This program and Mission Bible Class share the same sponsor: The Memorial Road Church of Christ in Edmond, Oklahoma.  It is great to have them come on board as well.

I am excited to see how God will work through Gina in the next couple of years.  Watch this space!  As this story unfolds, you’ll hear more about Gina and Mission Bible Class.

A Very Special Happy Birthday

Published on by Mary5 Comments
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Every child can relate to the idea of a birthday party.  Try this interactive story-telling method to help children celebrate the beginnings of the church.

Background:

The “birth” of the church was long-anticipated and expected.  From the beginning chapters of Genesis and onwards, we read how God, the Father, worked out a plan to redeem imperfect people back to himself.  In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of building “his church”. Then, in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit ushers in a new age and the birth of the church.

Among the crowds gathered in Jerusalem, there were one hundred and twenty believers gathered and waiting just as Jesus had told them to do.  By the end of the festival, specifically the Day of Pentecost, three thousand others had been added to this group of followers.  The Day of Pentecost marks the beginning of an age when imperfect people could have their sins washed away in baptism and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This was the beginning of the church.

Items to Gather:

  • 12 cupcakes topped with soft icing or whipped cream
  • A plate or platter for the cupcakes
  • 12 candles
  • Matches or a lighter
  • “Sprinkles” or “Hundreds and Thousands” (or any tiny cake decorations)
  • A gift box and wrapping paper.
  • The following verse that you have transcribed on an index card or piece of paper:
    “Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 ICB

Prepare:

  • The words below are provided as a guide and are not meant to be read like a script.  Keeping this in mind, read and become very familiar with the events of Acts 1:12-2:41 so that you are able to share the story with the children in a natural way. For additional help, refer to the lesson: Sermon at Pentecost.
  • Place the verse card inside the gift box and wrap it like a birthday gift.

How to Tell the Story:

  1. Introduction: Ask the children to share their experiences of birthday parties.
    As you and the children are talking about this, set out the 11 cupcakes and the gift box on a table in front of the children. (Keep the 12th cupcake hidden from view.)
  2. The church had a beginning: Explain that birthday parties are a way of remembering and celebrating the birth or beginning of a person’s life. “Today, we are going to talk about a different kind of beginning.  It is not the beginning of a life of one person.  This is the beginning of the church.”
  3. One hundred and twenty followers of Jesus: Just before his ascension, Jesus had told the apostles to go to Jerusalem and wait for a special gift to arrive. (Luke 24:49) Tell the children about the 120 followers who had gathered together with the apostles.  Now, add a few sprinkles to the tops of the cupcakes.  Ask the children to help you estimate 120 sprinkles in all.
  4. Eleven Apostles: Ask the children to count the cupcakes and point out that there are only 11.  Talk about how Jesus had chosen 12 Apostles, but after Judas betrayed Jesus and died, there were now only 11.  Matthias was chosen to replace Judas.  This is the time to bring the 12th cupcake out from hiding.
  5. Arrival of the Holy Spirit: Have the children make sounds like the wind and then talk about how the apostles heard a sound like a mighty wind.  Place a candle in each of the cupcakes and, as you light them, talk about the flames of fire resting upon the head of each apostle. The sound of wind and flames made it clear that the Holy Spirit was there that day.  We cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we know he was there because of these things.  Jesus said that the Spirit would give power.  Explain the power these 12 men now had to speak in languages they had not even studied.
  6. Peter’s Sermon: The Holy Spirit also gave Peter the power to courageously preach a sermon to a huge crowd of people that day. Push one of the cupcakes in front of the others as you talk about the sermon content. Jesus wanted all of the Jews to have good hearts and turn to God.   Peter told this crowd of Jews that, instead of following Jesus, they had crucified him.
  7. “What should we do?”: The people felt terrible (quietly blow out the candles and set them aside). They had done a terrible thing.  How could they ever make it right?  They asked Peter.
  8. The gift for everyone: Peter knew that the Holy Spirit had given the apostles a special kind of power, but the Holy Spirit was also a gift that God wanted everyone to have in their life. Peter knew exactly what to say to the people that day.  Now, you or one of the children can open the gift and read Acts 2:38.
  9. Three thousand people were baptised: As you discuss this, group the cupcakes back together and bring out the sprinkles again.  Remind the children that there were 120 believers at the beginning of this day.  Begin adding more sprinkles to the cupcakes so that you cover them with what seems like 3,000.  These may even spill over onto the plate. Talk about how 3,000 people were added to their number on that day.
  10. Conclusion: This was the beginning of the church.  In the book of Acts, we read that, from that day forward, more and more people began to follow Jesus and were baptised.  And even today, when people are sorry for their sins and are baptised, God still adds them to the church as well. Some day, I pray that even you will be added to that number.

And now it is time to celebrate and eat those cupcakes!