2006 Mission Yearbook
#7061206450
$8.50

2006 Children’s
Mission Yearbook,
#7061206451
$5.50

1. Keep up with the news—When local and world events in the news focus on a particular state in the U.S., a nation overseas, or a region of the world, look for that place in both Mission Yearbooks. Pray for those who are in mission in those places.
2. Go around the world in one year—The Mission Yearbook contains demographic information about many nations of the world, including the geography, population, languages, literacy, religions, life expectancy, and other facts. It tells stories about the people in mission in each nation.
3. Create a prayer wall—Using the names of people and ministries listed in the prayer list on each page, write the names and locations of the people on a yearlong prayer wall. Invite members to visit the wall to pray for our sisters and brothers in mission.
4. Have an instant chat with a partner in mission—Imagine your church school class is studying Egypt. Not only can you read about Egypt in the Mission Yearbook, but you can find our mission personnel and their Web pages on the PC(USA) Web site. You can print letters they have posted and in many cases communicate with them by e-mail. One church school class planned a “live” chat using the help of PresbyNet. Class time was spent in conversation between class participants and the mission partner in Egypt!
5. Write to PC(USA) staff, mission personnel, and partners in ministry—Send letters or e-mails to the people in mission, partners, ministries, and General Assembly staff named each day in the Mission Yearbook.
6. Say “thank you”—The Mission Yearbook provides an appendix with the names of retired mission personnel and the places of their service. Consider writing a letter of appreciation to our retired mission personnel. Addresses are available from Worldwide Ministries.
7. Send a note when church members travel—Many of us are in congregations with members who do a great deal of traveling for work or vacation. Consider sending a note or package from your congregation with a traveling member who can bring the greetings and love of Christ to another congregation. Post the PC(USA) synod and presbytery map and place identifying pins on the map to mark the places your congregation has visited.
8. Prepare devotions—Every day thousands of Presbyterians pray through the pages of the Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study. Join them by preparing devotions to open meetings with information from the day’s page in the Yearbook.
9. Give the gift of mission involvement—When young people in your congregation are confirmed, give them their own copies of both Mission Yearbooks.
10. Prepare for worship—The Mission Yearbook has daily and Sunday lectionary listings and a hymn suggestion for each Sunday lectionary passage. The Children’s Mission Yearbook is a great help in preparing children’s sermons.
11. Hear a new voice—Ask a young person in the congregation to present a minute for mission during worship using materials from the week’s entry in the Children’s Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study.

The Bible encourages believers to “pray without ceasing.” This sounds like a tall order! Yet, prayer, like other spiritual disciplines—and disciplines of any kind—are often a matter of determined effort, habit, and sustained interest. Throughout the Children’s Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study we try to orient the prayers on each weekly spread to lift up one focus or another that is emphasized in the week’s mission stories. Throughout the year many different forms of prayer are introduced. When we recall that all prayer is sharing in community with God we may become more comfortable in praying with heart, hands, voices or in silence, touching objects or envisioning persons or places. The “Practice of Prayer” portions of the Children’s Mission Yearbook are just that—an opportunity each week for children to practice praying.

In no time you and your child may find yourselves “praying without ceasing.”

The Children’s Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study has become a wildly popular resource! It is adapted from the 114-year-old publication, the Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study. Like its “parent,” the Children’s Mission Yearbook is a personal devotional resource but geared toward third- through sixth-graders. Readers learn more about being Presbyterian and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s mission in the United States and internationally, and they are invited to engage in prayer for that mission. Material is adapted and collected using child-friendly language and child-appropriate stories of mission from across the church. Elements common to the Mission Yearbook include Scripture verses, prayers, special days and seasons, people in mission, photos, and maps. Unique elements in the Children’s Mission Yearbook include Word of the Week, Did You Know? interactive activities, and a Giving What You Have opportunity.

Deborah Haines is associate for Mission Interpretation and editor of both Mission Yearbooks. Contact her at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5170.