CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
T O D A Y ’S
jetés cire different
Teaching Missions To The Four-Year-Old
THE ATTITUDEI o f the Jewish people toward Christ is undergoing a radical change. In Israel, Europe, America w e find Jews w ho are anxious, eager to hear the gos pel and to read the N ew Testament. Often material help as well as spiritual food is desperately needed by Jews in Eu rope and Israel. The American Association for Jewish Evangelism is taking food, cloth ing and the gospel to thousands of needy Jews. Your prayerful help will enable us to reach more Jews for Christ. Learn more about this soul-saving and relief ministry by writing to: Dept. K /* Rev. A. B. Machlin, Field Secrefary THE AM ER ICAN ASSOC IAT ION FOR JEW ISH EVANGELISM , Inc. WINONA LAKE. INDIANA
by Mary Le Bar
Y es, we want to start young but you don’t mean we can teach missions to four and five-year-olds? What could mis sions mean to them?” Yes, missions at four and five but obviously not in adult terms. Let’s take the child’s eye view. What do we mean by missions in simplest terms? Is it not telling the good news about Jesus to those who have never heard? As soon as the natur ally self-centered little child begins to think of others, he can share and give; as soon as he loves Jesus, he can be led to share that knowl edge and love with others. But the leader must reckon with the child’s limitations. There is little point in explaining ever so carefully the location of Africa or India. It is wasted energy even to enumerate the days of travel re quired to reach a mission station. A child’s idea of space is limited. A nearby town where the child has gone in the family car may still maintain the long distance record for him. And though he may be able to count glibly to 100 , he may miss when counting 10 objects, re vealing that his understanding of numbers is still incomplete. Five or 5,000 miles are much the same to him. Therefore, we may as well begin our mission story by saying, “ Far, far away . . . After all, exact distance is not essential; our concern is with the human relation ships. Shall we go on to describe the children of Africa? But “ children of Africa” is so general! The small child does not think in generalities but in specifics. He needs to hear about the individual person, not the mass. Let us then pick one child in Africa who can make all the
children there real and alive for him. What shall we tell our American child about the child in Africa? Of his extreme destitution, his strange manner of life, his non-Christian environment? First, let us ask, “How do we want our child to feel toward the African child?” What he knows is not nearly so impor tant as how he feels. Is he con descending as he looks upon the unfortunate African? Does he be come proud in contrasting his way of life with that of the other child? Do we make him feel that his way of life is the norm by which all others are peculiar? We can avoid this lordly ap proach to missions by helping our children feel first of all the like nesses between the foreign child and themselves. They can under stand the facts of the other’s home, father and mother, play and play things, even though these are some what different. They can feel the bonds of likeness that make them and the foreign child “ of one flesh.” Then they are ready for the dif ferences. Those we should empha size are the spiritual opportunities, not the spiritual accomplishments, of our children. We have Sunday schools, teachers, Bibles, churches, but the other child has none of these. Our children can sing with feeling, “Far off ’cross the ocean Are children, I hear, Who never have heard About Jesus so dear. But we’ll bring our gifts So that someone may go To help other children Our Jesus to know.” CONTINUED
SONEaidCHORUS
I f f "CHOIR FAVORITES” SERIES j 96 pages of special arrange- ments for volunteer and rally I choirs in each book. P | Choir Favorites No. 1 I God So Loved the World I Hallelujah for the Cross ( At the Battle’s Front Choir Favorites No. 2 Balm in Gilead Just Keep On Praying Follow, I Will Follow Thee 53V' x each, 90c
“ GOSPEL CHOIR CLASSICS” SERIES I 32 pages of especially ar- ! ranged choir favorites, won derfully suitable for volun teer choirs, in each book. Gospel Choir Classics No. 1 Overshadowed Wonderful Peace
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OCTOBER 1956
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