I share about the homeless, the poor, the needy and the abused children throughout the world but until it becomes personal, it is just another story. It became more apparent this past weekend that the kids we minister to each week in our childrens churches have very little experience or first hand knowledge of those who are in need, physically and spiritually.

So, how can I help them realize that they are the ones that can make a difference in the lives of other children that need their help? They must see through my eyes as I describe the conditions these children live in every day. It’s important that they  hear the deep concern in my voice as I talk about children that are spiritually dying. they must believe that they can make a difference when they choose to help and they need to know that I am not asking them to do something that I am not already doing myself. Being an example is the most powerful way to influence people. Jesus knew this better than anyone.

If we want to influence this generation we need to be the kind of example that will bring about change in the world around us. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1Cor. 11:1

Recently I’ve been adding a few gospel illusions to my services and both the kids and adults have responded well. They are great fun and amaze the viewers. To begin I’ve used relatively simple illusions and have even been making a few. Here is my latest creation. It’s used in conjunction with a dove pan as I taught about how God can take someone ordinary, add the EXTRA to make you EXTRAordinary.

I know that there may be people that question the use of Gospel Illusions so I visited www.kidology.org to see what they had to say. If you would like to read more about the use of Gospel Magic Tricks, which we like to call “object lessons with a surprise ending” then click HERE to check out these articles posted on the site.

Six straight weeks of kids camp, two United States missions trips and 126 souls later I’m humbled how God chose to use me this summer. As I sit down to share what God did in the lives of children over the past four months I continue to think, ‘what more can I do to reach the children that have yet to know Jesus?’ God opened the doors for me to minister to children throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. In the 3,700 miles I traveled, I led 126 children in first time decisions to follow Jesus.
The summer started in Appalachia where I partnered with Pastor TJ Wolfe from Warwick AG. We trained and prepared a team to go into Oak Hill West Virginia where we did street ministry and then held a three day evangelistic outreach for the children in that area. Over 26 children invited Jesus into their lives that week.
Next I headed to Dallas Pennsylvania where I spent a week at Camp Orchard Hill as the guest speaker. Using “Deeply Rooted” as the theme, I challenged the campers to evaluate their personal relationship with Jesus and to grow deeper in their faith. 76 children gave their hearts to Jesus and many others fell deeper in love with Him. When testimonies were shared one girl stood up and said, “Before coming to camp I really didn’t know Jesus and didn’t care but today I want everyone to know that I know Him and want to live for Him forever.” One of the boys stood and shared, “Now I know that Jesus will provide for me and I don’t need to worry about things.” The most touching was a girl that said, “I’ve learned that I can still have happiness even though my dad just died.” There are children here in the United States that are hurting and need the hope and love that only Jesus gives.
The summer was rounded off with five more weeks of kids camp and then I headed to Keyser WV with a team from 1st AG in Harrisonburg VA led by Trevor Whetzel. We had been invited to participate in a city wide outreach and minister to the children. All of our efforts were rewarded with 24 children making decisions to follow Jesus.
There are many more children to be reached. I want to continue to prepare people, train teams and minister to these children but we need your help. We’ve raised 28% of our budget. To remain on the mission field we’re asking you to invest in our ministry through a monthly Faith Promise. We are making an eternal difference in the lives of children, now you can help.
Click on our Donate page for instructions how you can partner with us. Please prayerfully consider investing in the lives of children through our ministry!