IN THIS ISSUE:

• CHILDREN: Our Harvest Field
• Clothed in His Righteousness: a New Illustration for Kids' EE Christ Unit
• Request for Your Testimonies and Ideas
• Vivian Cate … on Staff with Kids' EE … Thank You, Lord!
• Radically Changed BY Him and FOR Him
• "The Big Trip" … Kids' EE Musical Drama
• Kids' EE Teacher/Trainer Clinics for 2005
• Kids' EE Key Objectives
• Kids' EE Prayer Requests
• Stay in Touch for These Updates

By Marcia Ardis, Kids' EE Director for North America

Today's children …

Who are they?

What do they believe?

Who and what is influencing their lives?

Do they know that they were created in God's image?

Are they learning how to seek HIS purpose for their lives?

When I think about today's children, I think of stress, over-exposure, living among broken family relationships. I see children who are afraid, angry, depressed – the influences of society pressing down on them.

But I know God's Word: Children are very special to Him … created in His image … to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Our responsibility as adults in the Christian community is to bring the spiritual truth of Jesus to today's children.

In the United States alone, there are over 40 million children who do not know the Good News of Jesus Christ as Savior. Over 70% of children in North America do not go to church. This is our harvest field.

Of those who know Jesus, few have been discipled to be witnesses for Him. These are His potential workers.

I pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers, both adults and children, into the harvest field. I pray that our children will be among those with beautiful feet. "As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace." Romans 10:15

Join us in Kids' EE, as we ground children in Jesus and teach them to share Jesus with others!

In addition to "The Record Book of Sin" illustration used in the Christ Section of the Kids' EE Gospel presentation, Shawn Howell, Children's Pastor at Emmaus Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, uses this illustration to visualize how we are "Clothed in His Righteousness."

Scripture:

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." Isaiah 1:18

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come." 2 Cor. 5:17

"… and the Lord laid on Him the iniquity (sin) of us all." Isaiah 53:6

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Materials Needed:

Pair of white gloves, both on your right hand

Dirt or dark glove on left hand

Lesson:

Explain to the children that "This hand (right hand with both white gloves, one on top of other) represents God. The whiteness reminds us that God is holy, pure and free of sin.

My other hand represents man…reminds me of myself, of you and everyone! Apart from Jesus, we are dirty, covered with sin. The Bible says, "All have sinned …" (Romans 3:23) and our sin separates us from God.

Show two hands separated.

We know God loves us ("God" hand facing "man" hand). He loves us with an everlasting love. But the Bible says about God, "His eyes are too pure to look upon evil; He cannot tolerate wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13). Turn "God" hand away from "man" hand.

This is why God sent Jesus to us. Jesus is God. He came from Heaven to earth. He lived a perfect life that we cannot live. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

So, you see, when you ask Jesus into your life as your Savior, He takes away your sins. The Bible says, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow."

Jesus forgives us … and He cleanses us (Put "man" hand under top glove of "God" hand and remove top glove so that each hand now has one glove.)

(Hold hands up so they are close to each other). Now when God looks at us, He sees us as white, as pure, cleansed from our sins. He sees us in HIS image.

(Clasp two hands together.) This is what Jesus has done for us! Jesus has provided forgiveness and cleansing so that we can have a special relationship with God, our Father … now and forever.

We can't solve our sin problem without Jesus. But we CAN ask Jesus to solve our problem. By trusting in Jesus, we are clothed in His righteousness.

Take-Home Truth:

White gloves or socks

Follow-Up:

Do we still sin? Yes. But the Bible tells us "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) So when we know that we have done something wrong (a thought, a word, an action), go to Jesus and ask for His forgiveness. He forgives!

Applying this Illustration: by Marcia Ardis

Soon after learning this illustration, I was visiting in a home with my adult EE team on OJT night. We shared the Gospel and the husband and wife both prayed to receive Christ. Noticing a laundry basket setting next to me on the floor, I quickly found 2 white socks and shared this illustration, explaining how God sees them as His "…new creation; the old is gone, the new has come." 2 Cor. 5:17

Recently, during Junior Church, I felt led to share this illustration with the children. With no white gloves in sight, I asked for 2 volunteers to take off their socks! After a little resistance and lots of laughs, I received a pair of white socks (to represent God) and a pair of dark socks (representing "man"). The kids were glued to this illustration, including the ones with the bare feet!

We want to hear from you! What is happening in your Kids' EE ministry? Are there new ideas that you are using to expand the understanding of the Kids' EE concepts and units? Tell us about your OJT (witnessing) experiences.

Send us your ideas!

In 1990, the Lord called Bob and me into full time family ministry.  Our journey was then jumpstarted when the Lord gave us two sons!  By 1997 we'd founded Shepherd's Staff Ministries, "an ecumenical family ministry, called to teach men, women, and children to dedicate their lives to Christ, to live by the power of the Holy Spirit according to His commandments, and to go into the world and serve so that others may know Him."  Because of our children, I was soon asked to lead children's ministry for Aldersgate Renewal Ministries.  At the conferences, I immediately sensed a burning need to present the message of salvation and teachings about the Holy Spirit to children. 

Years later, while attending a Children's Pastor's Conference, I learned about Kids' EE and was soon on my way to Florida for the April 2001 Kids' EE training!  My assigned partner for the week was Dr. Nickolay Revtov, now Evangelism Explosion VP for Eurasia!  God used Dr. Revtov to empower me, and I left Florida believing that if Dr. Revtov could take Kids' EE back to all of Eurasia, surely I could be bold enough to dream big, too! From that point on, I used the Kids' EE presentation when I led a "Revival for Kids' of all Ages" in North Carolina (11 children committed their lives to Christ), in Paraguay, and when doing children's ministry during Life in the Spirit Seminars (LISS) throughout the U.S.  Feeling a need for curriculum that could be used for children during the adult LISS weekends, I began writing  Touching Children's Spirits (taking children from Father, our Creator, to Jesus, our Savior, and to the Holy Spirit).  Kids' EE was clearly the best way to present the message of salvation during these LISS weekends.  More children prayed and asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.  

Finally in January 2004, I attended the teacher training portion of Kids' EE, certifying me to teach week-long Kids' EE clinics.  During that week, while standing on a beach, the Lord spoke to me.... "It's time to move on."  After months of prayer, I resigned from my nursing job, stepped down from 8 years of coordinating ARM's children's ministry, and turned over all other ministry responsibilities.  In June, I assisted Marcia in teaching a Kids' EE clinic in Ohio. But, when she talked to me about working with Kids' EE, I turned down the invitation because of family responsibilities.  (We teach our sons at home, live with my 91 year old mother-in-law, have a special needs son, and my husband is Executive Director of a new men's ministry!) But, like the seed that has to die before it can bring forth life, God has now opened the door for me to work with Kids' EE North America!  I look forward to meeting the many people who are on the front lines of Kids' EE!  May we all be like David in Psalm 40:10. "I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation."

Jim Cook, Brownsburg, IN, attended our Kids' EE clinic in Fresno CA in April 2004. We can only imagine the faces of those who will meet Jim someday in Heaven, saying "I heard about Jesus through …" someone Jim trained in Kids' EE.

Jim's testimony follows:

This summer I had the opportunity to train about 30 missionary kids from all over the world.  The Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) has their annual Missionary Enrichment (M.E.) Conference each summer in July.  During that time, they asked my wife and me to teach their MK's.  We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to teach kids to share their faith - literally, around the world.

In October, I traveled to Slovenia where I trained 16 kids in Kids' EE.  These kids were from Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.  This great group of kids hopes to share their faith with neighbors, classmates, friends, and relatives. 

Also, in my own church, nearly 70 kids completed Kids' EE on December 12. Thanks for your prayers and support!

Radically changed by Him and for Him,
Jim Cook

Our Kids' EE Musical will be available SOON on VHS/DVD.  We thank our Lord for the team of adults and children at Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville TN, who created and produced "The Big Trip."

We have 5 more Kids' EE clinics throughout the USA in 2005. Praise God! At a Kids' EE Teacher/Trainer Clinic you will receive training that demonstrates the "FUNdamentals" of Kids' EE . You will gain a thorough understanding of how to implement this ministry and train kids to share the Gospel. All materials, housing and meals are provided.

Our clinics are not simply a workshop … They are a life-changing experience! Visit our website for more information www.kidsee.org

KIDS' EE CLINICS
For additional clinic information,
visit our website at www.kidsee.org

Clarify the Gospel for children at a time in their lives when they are asking questions about what faith in Jesus means.

Win children to saving faith in Jesus at a time when they are most receptive to receiving Him as Savior.

Train children to become witnesses for Jesus Christ at a time when they are establishing habits for a lifetime.

Please join us in prayer for:

• Children worldwide … to hear the Gospel message

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