MessagesofLove_LoveTheChildren

Welcome to The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory Women's Ministries Website

Women’s Ministries Programs

Theme:

“Messages of Love”

Love the Children

Leslie R. Powell

Service – April 2008

Introduction

Who is taking care of the children? A large percentage of today’s children go to school without breakfast and come home to an empty house. In many homes both parents have to work just to make ends meet. The most dangerous time for children is between the hours of three and five in the afternoon. What kinds of children’s ministries does your corps (church) offer and how can your women’s group help?

Decorations

To set the mood, play children’s musical CDs or show one of the Veggie Tales videos. Decorate with children’s favorite cartoon or Veggie-Tales characters.

Program Ideas

♥ Invite a grade school teacher or principal to speak about the problems facing children today.

♥ Visit a school to find out how your group could become involved in service. As many school campuses are closed to the public, be sure and make prior arrangements for your visit.

♥ Take a walk around your corps neighborhood between the hours of three and five just to see what is happening and where there would be an opportunity for a ministry to children.

♥ Invite a children’s group to come and sing at your meeting.

Games

As this is a program about children, play children’s card or board games. Relay games are also fun and can take us back to our youth. Play a spoon relay that involves carrying an egg on a spoon without dropping it. Use this as an illustration: that as an egg is fragile

so are our children. Another relay that could be used is played by placing a dime between your knees, walking over to a pail and dropping the dime into it. Award everyone a prize,

emphasizing that everyone who prays and cares about children are winners.

Service Projects

♥ Collect school supplies—notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, highlighters,

binders and book bags. Identify children who need these supplies through the family service ministry of your corps or youth programs.

♥ Assemble hygiene kits for homeless children. Include bars of soap, comb, brush, wash cloth, towel, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrush and a small stuffed animal.

♥ Collect new or launder “next to new” clothes. Children in need of these clothes can be identified through the family service office or your corps youth programs. Provide each child with a few outfits.

♥ Provide healthy snacks for the corps youth programs.

♥ It has been proven that children who eat breakfast do better in school. Connect with a local school and find out if there is a way to contribute to a breakfast program. Perhaps your group can coordinate this type of program involving other women’s groups, service

clubs and churches in your area.

♥ Become involved with Moms In Touch International to learn how to pray for children and their schools. To learn more about this program check their website: www.Momsintouch.org.

Devotions

All My Children

The Sunday school chorus “Jesus Loves the Little Children” reminds us that children are important to the Lord and should also be to us. Luke 18:15–17 says, “People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have Him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’”

It is easy to imagine the disciples rebuking the mothers for interrupting the Master while He was talking. Even though some things change, others remain the same. The saying, “Children should be seen and not heard” is meant to teach children that they should not interrupt adults. Undisciplined children can be an annoying distraction. Perhaps this is what the disciples saw. However, Jesus saw something different. He saw an opportunity to remind the disciples, and future believers, that children are important and we should be like them, possessing sincere and pure hearts.

This story also reminds us that just as the mothers brought their children to the Lord to receive a blessing, we also need to bring our children before the Lord. There are children in our world who are homeless. Others are victims of poverty. Many are alone. These children have lost hope because of their life circumstances. God is a great God. But unless we tell the children of His love, how will they know? They need our prayers and practical help. We are to do what we can to protect them for they are the future. Let us pray that God will cause all people to value and protect children.

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus told His disciples that if they did not become as little children, they could not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Children are very trusting. They believe what you tell them. They think adults know everything just because they are grown up. God wants us to have a childlike faith in Him, believing and trusting without seeing. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do

not see.” It is difficult to fathom the sovereignty of God. We do not always understand all the details, but we must have faith and trust Him. God’s grace and provision can be evident in your life. He loves all His children. His grace is sufficient for you and me.