Explore mission intelligently

The Children’s Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study provides information about being a Presbyterian and how Presbyterians are involved with mission all around the world. More than that, the resource provides a way for children and their families to put their faith into action. Activities in the book are designed to help children of all ages connect with the mission stories in ways that reading alone can not accomplish.

Readers experience a cultural discovery connecting them to mission stories in the United States or around the world. Through games, recipes, puzzles and crafts they learn about their neighbors near and far. The dynamic and interactive nature of the activities model how church educators employ multiple intelligence theory in conveying stories of our faith.

• Visual/spatial learners think in pictures and have a need to create. Puzzle-building and solving, reading, writing, sketching, painting — just creating — give these learners ways to connect to the mission stories. An activity such as a simple paper-weaving craft embraces the basics of weaving and relates directly to a shawl weaving project occurring in India. This project teaches women a trade that brings them an income.
• Verbal/linguistic learners think in words rather than pictures. Many of the puzzles are geared toward these individuals, challenging them to add their ideas to the concepts in the stories. For example, a crossword puzzle provides a medium for them to explore and reinforce key concepts of a mission story.
• Logical/mathematical learners think conceptually in sequential and numerical patterns, making connections between pieces of information. Puzzles created for these students allow them to use their problem-solving skills to see how mission stories relate to them. Some crafts challenge them to recognize in a hands-on way how things are not always what they seem.
• Bodily/kinesthetic learners find recipes, games and crafts that invite them to engage all of their senses as they interact with the ingredients or materials, one another and the related mission stories.
• Interpersonal/Intrapersonal learners are challenged by the “What You Can Do,” “What You Can Give” suggestions found in each week’s page spread. They are encouraged to transform their learnings into actions shared in their communities. Even the prayers model a variety of actions beyond words that help students grow in what it means to “pray without ceasing.”

The information and activities featured in the Children’s Mission Yearbook strive to make our rich mission tradition appealing to boys and girls. Many activities remind us as adults, too, of things we did when we were young. They are timeless, appropriate for encouraging discipleship in various contexts any time of any year. The Children’s Mission Yearbook can tap into a wide variety of learning styles among children and youth as they learn to love and follow God with their whole being.

A Message from a Child in Mission

“I’m just a kid, what can I do?” That’s a question you have probably asked yourself before. One evening my parents took me to hear an “older” man at our church give a talk about mission work. That was for grown-ups. But I went to hear Mr. Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004). It turns out he wasn’t that old, and when he had finished talking, I was amazed at all the interesting mission work people were involved with!

I ended up going on a mission trip with Rick to the Mexican border. I learned that people in mission are moving in all directions. Later I went on another mission trip to the area, this time without my parents. I was amazed that I, a kid, was out in the world doing mission work. It has made a big difference in my life.

So it turns out that the answer to the question “What can I do?” is actually that you can do a lot. You just have to get involved with the things you care about, and then you can start to change the world. The Children’s Mission Yearbook tells about PC(USA)’s mission here in the United States and all around the world. So when you read the Children’s Mission Yearbook, remember that kids can make a difference, too!
—Ben Terpstra

Ben is an eighth-grader, attends First Presbyterian Church, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and enjoys playing soccer and studying martial arts.

Tell me more

For more information about the Children’s Mission Yearbook, please visit the Web site.