Working on behalf of children is nothing new. They are the focus of Books for the Border and Beyond, as churches encourage and equip parents to read to their babies and toddlers. But what if children got in on the ministry side of the equation? What if children were taught to lead the way in their families and churches, learning to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful? (Titus 3:14)
We are taking every opportunity this summer to train children to be ambassadors for Christ through Books for the Border and Beyond. This week we are teaching Royal Ambassadors and Girls in Action at Camp Copass, Denton, to handle drills and hammers with safety and precision, as they learn to build bookcases for children who have none. We're teaching them that regarding families in poverty, only one in 300 has books at home--and that that statistic applies to almost one-fourth of Texas children.
We are helping the campers understand that there are many ways they can be a part of the solution--from sharing books from their own shelves or conducting a book drive, to asking their church leaders to invest in a Books for the Border and Beyond project. And, always, they can pray.
Next week we'll teach the same lesson to approximately 300 children at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans, and after that to 150 more Royal Ambassadors at Lakeview Baptist Assembly, Lonestar.
Forget those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. At Literacy Connexus, we will be all about the work of training up little disciplers . . . until the dog days come.
