This month at my church, First Baptist Spartanburg, our MPACT Kids (children’s missions program) is focusing on the Persecuted Church and I had a “great” time leading them in a “secret church” experience this past Wednesday evening. So many times as parents, we tend to shy away from the more difficult topics like persecution or suffering, but it’s so crucial that we begin chatting with our little ones early about what it means to be a persecuted Christian, why many brothers and sisters around the world have to meet in secret churches, and how we can be a part of their journey and story.
Here are some great links to help and guide you:
- Open Doors – I love this organization! They release a yearly report, World Watch List, highlighting the persecuted church and it’s so very informative of how we can be praying for brothers and sisters in these countries. Do you know what country is #1 as the worst place to live and be a Christian? Click on the link to find out!
2. Kids of Courage / Voice of the Martyrs – This is a great ministry and resource to especially share with the kiddos. They have great explanations, activities, and prayer points that are written on a child’s level as well as a parent page to help guide us. One of the great resources that I came across was an activity guide to use with children called Bold Believers, focusing on different areas and different children who face persecution. (You do have to create a log in to download)
3. A Mama’s Story Blog – I’m not real sure how I landed on this page as I was researching “persecuted church and how to chat with kiddos” but I did and it has some great ideas and other resources.
A Shameless PLUG! If you have kiddos between the ages of first and fifth grade and you live here in Spartanburg and you don’t already have a great church that has a great missions program…well, you should totally bring them to MPACT kids at FBS on Wednesday evenings. It’s a great way for them to learn about what God is doing around the world (every month is a different theme) Preschoolers also have Missions too and my oldest loves it!
And Because it’s St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow, I can’t NOT share some fun stuff too! (and he was kidnapped and persecuted too… work with me here…. )
4. St. Patrick’s Day Party Games! – This link has lots of links to fun games, scavenger hunts, trivia and more! And DON’T forget to snap a pic of your Irish Meal and share with our On Mission Moms Facebook Group. You might just win a fun little goody! (I’ll close the contest at the end of the month – because you can celebrate with Irish food all month long!)
5. VeggieTales Story of St. Patrick’s Day – This is a quick 8 minute video over on YouTube sharing the life of St. Patrick, in a pretty cute way! My girls (well one of them) really enjoyed it and I used it as a way to share about the life of St. Patrick and that the day is not just about wearing green or eating Lucky Charms… sorda…
You can also check out more info and links over on our On Mission Moms Pinterest Page to learn ways to pray, give, go, advocate and just know more about the Persecuted Church!
onmissionmoms.com 