While we no longer have little children in our home, Arlene and I were still excited to be able to look at the Gospel Tracts and Evangelism Tools Sampler Pack from Let the Little Children Come. Over the years we have had many opportunities for both of our girls to be brought up in the church and encouraged in their faith by extra activities like Vacation Bible School and Awana.
We wanted to look over these child evangelism tools so we could make solid recommendations to those we know who regularly work with children's ministry, as well as have a few on hand to share with friends and family. One great benefit of getting the Sampler Pack is being able to look over each tool and evaluate how it might work with your event or ministry. For example, one of my favorite tracts in the Sampler Pack is The True Story of Christmas. It is one of three animated tracts included. For the animation to work, you slowly slide the enclosed plastic sheet from left to right over the image. To better understand it, watch this short YouTube video demonstration:
I particularly like the page where the angels are flying overhead heralding the birth of Christ.
There are two other animated tracts included: John 3:16, and Where's Everybody Going? These are both really cool, whether you are a child, or an adult. I can imagine using them one on one with a child, or using them to help teach a Sunday School lesson. Each of these child evangelism tracts ends with a short two-page spread explaining to the child how they can accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If you have children who are ready and wanting to share the Gospel with their friends in the neighborhood, these would make a great way to share the love of Christ. Then they could give the tract to their friend to take home and read through over and over again. Each of these animated tracts is available in packs of 10 for a reasonable price. If you are ordering for a larger event, like VBS or an after-school outreach, Let the Little Children Come offers volume discounts on orders of 11 packs (of ten each) or more.
This Sampler Pack also has two flipabout tracts. One of John 3:16, which includes words, the other is the Gospel Buttons FlipAbout and includes only pictures. This Gospel Buttons one would be great for sharing with children of any language, as the person sharing can use the pictures, along with their own words, to share the Gospel message with four key concepts. Fear not, the Let the Little Children Come website has a section for each tract that offers what to say with each step of the tract. It encourages adjusting the language to the age of the children you are sharing with. To see more about what to say with the Gospel Buttons FlipAbout, click here.
That leaves five more tools in the sampler pack: Two pop-up tracts, one about Easter, and the other about the Amazing House God has prepared for each of us in Heaven. Both of these also include a prayer to pray if the child is ready to accept Jesus' redemptive work on the cross. Also included are the Wordless Book and the Wordless Bracelet kit, and the medium sized Silicone Salvation Bracelet. If you have ever been around someone who loves to share their faith, especially through street evangelism you have probably seen one or more of these three before. They include the colors gold/ yellow, black, red, white, and green. These have been used successfully for years to share about God's plan, our sin, Christ's shed blood, our forgiveness and growth as Christians. The silicone bracelet also is available in 20 packs in small for younger children and large for adults. The silicone salvation bracelet comes individually packaged with a small card that explains what each color represents. On the website you can download and print this paper in Spanish if you are sharing with a multi-lingual audience.
How else might these child evangelism tools be used? The wordless bead bracelet kits could be assembled at summer camp, during Sunday School, VBS, backyard get-togethers, used on a mission trip, or given as gifts in a Christmas stocking or Birthday present. Since silicone bracelets have been a craze for children and teens for several years that does not show any signs of going away soon, they could be worn everyday, especially to school or sporting events. They are a small yet tangible reminder to the wearer that we should be sharing our faith everywhere we go. They can also be a conversation starter as tweens and teens often ask each other what their bracelets stand for or where they got them.
I would love to see more churches have these child evangelism tools on hand to pass out, not only to regular attendees, but to visiting children - especially the animated ones, as they can entertain and enrich the visit to church, plus they offer a take-home of the lesson of Jesus' love and forgiveness that each of us should be encountering every time we walk through the church doors. You could easily include these with that container of Christmas cookies you drop off at the neighbors' house every December, or add one to your Christmas cards or party favor bags for the holidays.
Children are won to Christ when their hearts are quickened by the Holy Spirit to believe the message of the Gospel. But first, they must hear the message. Be that person who loves the children enough to share the Gospel message with them. Live out Romans 10:14 - How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
See all of the child evangelism tools on the Let the Little Children Come website, or visit their FaceBook page.
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