It is with great joy to affirm that we have over 130 000 children participating in Judea Hope’s child development centers and Sunday school classes that are connected to the churches we have helped start. There is a vast need for children’s discipleship material in South Africa. Judea Hope would appreciate the funding of the printing and distribution of the Story of Jesus books and storyboards and providing this material to our crèche teachers and pastors at our crèches, churches and Sunday schools. We want to tell all these children about Jesus and their opportunity for eternal life through Him. To do that, our teachers and pastors need helpful materials written for children. There is a wonderful little “double book” that has proven successful with children in many countries. The first half is “The Jesus Story” that tells the children about Jesus, and the second half is “Jesus in Me” that tells them how Jesus lives in them once they believe in Him.
There are 4 classrooms per creche with an average of 25 children per class. Each classroom will receive 1 set of storyboards and 25 books each, there-upon reaching 100 children per creche. Judea Hope wishes to help the children become the children whom God intends them to be – attending to physical, social, emotional and intellectual needs at the same time and with the same concern as spiritual needs.
Fortunately, we have received start-up funding for 72 000 books for 2021. Our goal for 2022 is to reach 65 000 more children with these books. That will require $50 000 in designated donations. In future years, we hope to reach all our children.
The purpose of the project is to help children grow as disciples of Jesus Christ through education, training and story telling. Children need to know they are special to God and experience the delight of being in a relationship with God. The ideal is always that a child will observe, meet and be brought into a relationship with Christians in a local community who seek to share Jesus.