At only 12 years old, Ivens Ferreira has a missionary spirit, developed early on, and already gives Bible studies to his friends in the city of Remanso, Bahia. He tells how his family encouraged him and was fundamental to his interest in talking about Jesus. "I always saw my dad giving Bible studies, and I also wanted to participate with him. That's when I started to follow a study he was giving to a woman, and I thought it was really cool. After that, I invited a friend to study the Bible with me, and we are studying it to this day," he shared.
From games to Bible study, the Evangelismo Kids project is a training and motivation program that prepares children, like Ivens, for evangelistic mobilization. Through the improvement of gifts and immersion in missionary actions, the project gathered 455 children of different age groups in the cities of Juazeiro and Capim Grosso, in northern Bahia. The goal of the meeting was to show that being a missionary is not limited to age and these children have much to offer for the growth of the church.
"The Kids Evangelism project came to meet a need that children already had: they already like to preach, they already like to pray, they already like to praise, they already like to participate in all evangelism. So, it comes to meet these children who are eager to talk about the love of God," commented Eliane Lopes, area director for Bahia and Sergipe. She explains that the project's target is to disciple children interested in having an active role in the mission, leading them with the support and follow-up of their parents throughout the process. This is a way to involve and unite the family with the purpose of the mission, as reported by Roberto Muricy, father of one of the project's participants.
Discipling New Generations
Muricy shared his experience as an active member in the local church and the impact this initiative has had on his personal life. "We understand that, as missionaries, we need to disciple the new generations. And I understand, as a father, that I need to disciple my son so that he can reach other people as well. For my son to be a missionary, I also need to be one, and I need to teach," he said.
The participation of children in evangelism has been growing in recent years, with 324 children preachers currently in the region. This scenario is evidence that the advance of the church has benefited from the work of the little ones.
"Children are extremely talented. In their own simple and objective way, they preach the gospel with sincerity. They invite their classmates and talk about Jesus in the most practical way possible. We can learn a lot from the children because they are also a faithful part of preaching the gospel," Muricy concluded.
The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.