Inviting Children of All Ages

I don’t know how the topic came up, but I told someone at the office I had 100,000 craft sticks. When he asked why in the world one would own 100,000 craft sticks, I told him I got them because they were on clearance, and I work with children. I thought attempting a world record might be fun.

At WMU, we always encourage participation in the Cooperative Program, and we wanted to do something fun to promote its value. The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) missions and ministries.

We started thinking, planning, and dreaming.

We created a Cooperative Program lesson for children called Cooperative Program: How Southern Baptists Work Together (available for purchase at wmustore.com). Leaders can use this fun, interactive lesson on the Cooperative Program to teach the children how and why Southern Baptists work together to tell people everywhere about Jesus.

We also created the Craft Stick Houseboat and the Cooperative Program project that children’s leaders can use to show children how we can work together to accomplish goals we can’t accomplish alone.

We invited children across the United States to help us assemble a houseboat made of craft sticks. We provided a template to create individual craft stick platforms made of 20 craft sticks each. The project represents how the 47,000 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention work together through the Cooperative Program for the sake of reaching the world for Christ.

Children can earn a Cooperative Program “Working Together” badge/patch (available for purchase at wmustore.com) by participating.

Each group will make and send the platforms to WMU by November 1, 2024. 

We will assemble the houseboat on a borrowed fireworks pontoon platform and float the craft stick houseboat in November. (Please note: No missionaries will be living in the craft stick houseboat. It is only a representation of what we can do when we are working together!)

Why go to all this trouble? We want children to learn about the Cooperative Program and see what can happen when we work together. The Cooperative Program is bigger than all of us.

Why build a houseboat? The International Mission Board missionaries we will feature in November live on a houseboat in South America. We thought that would be an engaging connection to gain momentum as we roll into studying about the missionaries.

Why am I telling you about this? We want to invite you to join the fun. Please tell those working with children in your church about the activity. This would be an appealing missions pursuit for Vacation Bible School or a special children’s event. You can also invite youth and adults to participate as well. Your Women on Mission group would have a blast making the craft stick platforms.

October 6 is Cooperative Program Sunday. Start making plans now to promote that day in your church. Helpful resources can be found at sbc.net/cp. We really can do more together.

Father,

Thank You for this balanced Acts 1:8 funding mechanism put in place 99 years ago by visionary missions leaders. Help us do our part.

In Jesus’ name, amen.