GREENFIELD — Looking at the craft her preschool-age son proudly held up, Allison Kinion saw a Styrofoam bowl with strips of felt.
Her son, however, saw a yurt and thought of the people in parts of Asia who live in round, tent-like dwellings.
Kinion thinks of that moment with her son, now a teenager, and remembers how engaged he was in what he had learned.
A group at Calvary Baptist Church hopes to cultivate a global sense of mission in youth by launching Children in Action. The children’s ministry offers age-grouped Christian training for babies through sixth-graders with a world missions focus and activities, games and crafts to reinforce what they’ve learned.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
This missions education program kicks off at 6 p.m. Oct. 7 at the church, 1450 W. Main St. in Greenfield.
Amy Ott, one of the leaders of the program, said the church wanted to offer something for children on Sunday evenings — when the church offers adult programming such as Bible study or a marriage class — and liked the global and service emphasis of Children in Action.
“We definitely hope that they will be more service-minded, just looking for ways to help others and reach out to others” as a result of participating, Ott said. “We want to continue to open up their eyes to the world around them and see ways that God’s at work around the world, not just here at home.”
Each month, children will learn about a missionary in a different part of the world. For several Sundays, they’ll examine the culture of that place, sampling food from that country and learning which holidays are celebrated there. They’ll be encouraged to memorize Bible verses and to pray for the missionaries whose stories they hear.
Participating in a monthly service project helps them earn Missions Expedition badges. Some of the service projects will tie in to the missionary discussed, while others will help causes closer to home.
For example, a free circus set for 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the church will feature free carnival food and more information about the program — along with an opportunity to gather personal care items for God’s Open Arms to distribute during its ministry to homeless people in Central Indiana.
“It will have that missions focus even from the beginning, which we love,” said Emily Nash, another organizer.
Children in Action is a program of the Women’s Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention. Kinion, director of women’s missions and ministry for the church in Indiana, has helped congregations launch CIA groups of various forms.
“A lot of times you’ll see churches trying to encourage the people of the church to be more missions-minded,” she said. “What we see (Children in Action) doing is … teaching kids while they’re young. They’re in such a unique stage of life where they’re really curious and eager to learn.
“It has the capacity to transform the mindset of the Church.”
Kinion — whose husband, the Rev. Roger Kinion, is pastor at Calvary Baptist — said she has heard again and again of full-time missionaries who grew up attending Children in Action or a similar SBC missions education program. She also notices children who grow up in the program becoming active in their congregations as adults.
“The program teaches kids that God can use them now and they don’t need to wait. They can make a difference even when they’re young,” she said. “Hopefully this will lead to a lifelong commitment to Christ and the mission of his church and to thinking outside of themselves.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
-A free family circus from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 30) will celebrate the launch of Children in Action and offer the opportunity to sign up. The circus takes place at Calvary Baptist Church, 1450 W. Main St., Greenfield.
It includes a fire-breather performance and free carnival food such as cotton candy, popcorn and snocones. A family worship time will feature some kid-friendly songs.
Those who go are asked to bring travel-size personal care items. Children will package items at the carnival for God’s Open Arms.
-Children in Action meets from 6 to 7 p.m. Sundays and begins Oct. 7.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
