Children Are Encouraged to Become Young Evangelists

It was while watching the DVD Adoradores, from the Novo Tempo label, that Brayan Pereira saw the birth of what he wants to be when he grows up: a pastor. “I really enjoyed seeing Pastor Fernando Iglesias preach, and I told my mother that I wanted to study to be a pastor. Then she said that until I was old enough to go to college, I could talk about Jesus and give people Bible studies. And that’s what I did,” he recalls.

At just 12 years old, Pereira already makes a point of giving Bible studies and getting involved in the activities of his church in Ecoporanga, north of Espírito Santo. “I like to talk about Jesus. He alone brings joy and salvation to people,” he declares.

Like Pereira, another 400 children, who are also involved in the church's missionary activities, participated on Sabbath, April 2, in Evangelismo Kids 2022. The event, held in Guarapari (Metropolitan Vitoria), brought together children, parents, and Sabbath School teachers from all over Espírito Santo.

“The purpose of this program is to encourage and motivate Adventist Church children and teenagers to be missionaries. This [Sabbath's] event here in Espírito Santo is serving as a pilot for us to also implement the same program in other states of the Brazilian Southeast region”, explains Professor Suzete Araújo, director of the Children and Youth Ministries for Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, and Minas Gerais.

With lots of lights, games, and songs, the program was based on four pillars of teaching children: missionary duos, small groups, intercessory prayer, and preaching. Each participant received a t-shirt and a backpack with various materials that will help them develop as young evangelists.

Encouragement from Childhood

“This is the first time I bring [sic] my kids to an event like this. I really want them to develop their gifts for a worthy cause. Everything we learn here, we will reproduce in our Sabbath School class at the church,” says Ana Paula, who is a teacher in the children's department at her local church in Cariacica.

During the program, the children attended a lecture on how to prepare a sermon and were soon challenged to create their own sermon and preach on the program's stage. Eliza Freitas, age 8, from Marataízes, was one of the participants who put shame aside. “When I went up, I was a little embarrassed, but then it disappeared. I preached about the Samaritan woman who teaches us that Jesus never abandons us."

At the end of the event, each child and youth received a Bible study guide and a baptismal gown to study the Bible with a friend and lead them to baptism.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s news site