A children’s evangelism team comprised of Baptist Collegiate Ministry summer missionaries is traveling throughout the state to reach South Carolina children.
From left: Patrick Thompson, Amy Jackson, group supervisor Chad Stillwell, Amy Jewett and Ellen Stewart.The Kids Connexion team, also known as the children’s traveling evangelism team, consists of four students. Serving on the team are Patrick Thompson and Amy Jewett, North Greenville University; Amy Jackson, USC; and Ellen Stewart, Winthrop University.
These students are working with associations and churches to reach out to children through backyard Bible clubs, block parties, Vacation Bible Schools and evangelistic presentations. Their responsibilities are subject to change with each location they travel to at the discretion of the local supervisor, an employee at the local association or church where they are serving.
The team has various methods for evangelistic presentations depending on the event being organized. For block parties, team members may use a gospel balloon flower that is made from the colors on the salvation bracelets or, for larger groups, a large-scale EvangeCube with pictures that explain how to become a Christian.
For backyard Bible clubs, the team has a set time to share stories from the Bible with the children. The stories lead up to the crucifixion, which are then followed up with a presentation of the gospel.
During block parties and backyard Bible clubs, the children enjoy Bible stories, singing, making crafts, magic shows, face painting, balloon animals, and snow cones. The team members have been successful in reaching kids by just playing tag in the areas where they are ministering.
For VBS, the team usually serves as support staff for churches, using the LifeWay Christian Resources curricula “Game Day” and “Jungle Jaunt.”
These students each answered God’s call to serve him this summer by choosing a team that would allow them to see the need of the children in their state.
Amy Jackson, the church contact coordinator for the team, said, “There is such a need in our home state that we often do not realize. In some areas, we work with children who grew up in the church, and their church doesn’t have the funding or support to provide a lot of children’s activities like VBS. But in other situations, we have met children who do not know who Jesus even is.”
The team’s main goal is to reach children, plant seeds for them to follow Christ, and show them his love.
Ellen Stewart, the devotional life coordinator for the team, said they want to “tell as many kids as we can about the love of God and what Jesus has done for every person.”
So far, the team has had as many as 60 and as few as seven kids at an event. Team members started their ministry at the end of May and have traveled to Easley, Beaufort, Hunting Island, St. George, Summerville, Greenwood, and Abbeville. By the end of July, they will have been to Aiken, Florence and Laurens as well.
As the Connexion team has traveled the state, members have learned one important lesson: flexibility is key to ministry.
“Our plans often change, sometimes spur of the moment, and I’ve learned to roll with the punches,” said Stewart.
The team has also discovered that the greatest need in most of the churches being served is volunteers. Members said that many of these churches just need more adults to teach these children and more people to be willing to volunteer.
The team members said they have enjoyed their time serving together and traveling all over the state, meeting new people, and sharing Christ with children. “I love getting to work with different children every week,” said team member Amy Jewett. “They come from different walks of life and teach me just as much as I teach them.”