Ready to Level Up in Your Children’s Missions Group?
So you’ve gotten started with Missions Journey: Kids. And you have a good understanding of how the curriculum works and are comfortable using the three coordinating curriculum pieces — Missions Journey: Kids Leader, Missions Journey: Kids Adventure, and Missions Journey: Kids Leader Kit — in your weekly meetings, what’s next? How do you as a leader take missions discipleship for your children to the next level?
Here are three “next steps” you can take to level up.
Special Projects
Add a special project to your year to give children something to get excited about. Consider a project focusing on one of these special Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) emphases: Christmas in August, Global Hunger Awareness, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, or Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
Talk to your children about what they’d like to do for one of these special events on the SBC Calendar, and then help them plan and engage in sharing God’s love through a project that supports the emphasis.
Badges and Patches
There are quite a few badges and patches children can earn on their own or with your group. You may incorporate vests or sashes if desired, or children can place their awards on backpacks or bags.
Projects are listed in the free, downloadable Badge/Patch catalogs:
Individual Achievement
Individual achievement is an opportunity for children to experience even more missions discipleship elements. Through individual achievement, children are engaged in learning what it means to be a member of GA, CA, or RA. They complete projects and earn badges and patches. These projects can be done individually, as a small group, or everyone can work on the same project at the same time.
GA Journey
GA Journey is a life-changing journey that helps broaden a girl’s missions awareness and involvement. To complete a full year of GA Journey, girls should complete activities in each section: I Am a GA, I Do Missions, I Give, I Help Missionaries, I Learn the Bible, I Pray, I Serve My Church, and I Tell About Jesus. GA Journey resources are available here.
RA Trek
RA Trek is designed as an optional plan to enhance boys’ regular missions experiences in RA. To complete a full year of RA Trek, boys complete activities in: My RA Identity, My Praying, My Doing and Telling, My Missions Learning, My Giving, My Faith, and My Church. RA Trek resources are available here.
Missions Expedition
Experiences in Missions Expedition help personalize missions concepts and strengthen the faith of boys and girls in CA. To complete a full year of Missions Expedition, kids accomplish activities in these areas: Grow, Pray, Give, Care, Do, Learn, and Keep. Each area contains activities for younger children, older children, or all age levels. Missions Expedition resources are available here.
Regardless of your next step, keeping the Great Commission at the center of your missions discipleship plans will ensure you are preparing the children in your group to live a life on mission for Christ. And that is worth it all!
“Then Jesus came to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.’”
—Matthew 28:18–20 (NIrV)
Heather Keller is the Girls in Action, Children in Action, and Acteens consultant at WMU.
