The first thing visitors see when they enter the SIM International lobby is a sculpture of a veiled Tamajaq man. Renowned as “warriors of the desert,” the Tamajaq people follow Islam. But it was not always so. The cross appears in all their arts and crafts, subtle reminder of their Christian past in North Africa centuries ago. Now they are again learning about Christ’s love for them, and a few are responding.

Reasons for their collective loss of Christian faith are complex, but one factor is their inability to pass the faith on to succeeding generations. The Tamajaq, and hundreds of other groups like them, remind us to equip churches to evangelize and disciple their children and youth, so that never again will the group need to be re-evangelized.

In the Beginning

If young people don’t know their Creator, how can they follow Him? That’s why Margy Cowell, SIMer from South Africa, is equipping the churches in Mozambique to teach the book of Genesis to their children. She’s writing Bible lessons and songs based on the new Lomwe-language translation of Genesis (published recently by the team Stuart Foster leads). This translation forms the basis for teaching in several related dialects. And not only creation! One member of the youth group composed a song about Cain and Abel, a biblical account with up-to-date relevance. Margy is also developing local Sunday School teachers through both personal mentoring and training workshops.

Wodaabe Believers Declare their Faith

Fuzzy thinking in one generation leads to heresy in the next. As Sue Eckert was teaching her children in their home in Dakoro, Niger, she included the Nicene Creed in the curriculum. The Eckerts live in Niger in order to help develop a strong and reproducing church among a group of nomadic Fulani known as Wodaabe. “Wouldn’t it be great,” mused Sue and her husband Tim, “if all Wodaabe believers could declare their faith so concisely and confidently?” Tambaya*, a local church leader, translated the Creed into Fulfulde, the language of the Wodaabe people, and Sue printed it on cloth banners. Then she announced a new Bible Club for the children of the community.

At the first meeting the children received a notebook and pen, and Sue and Yakuba (another church leader) helped them write: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” Yakuba taught the Bible lesson from Genesis 1, and Sue led the children in songs, prayer, and Bible memory. Next lesson: “...and in His Son, Jesus Christ.” Please pray that as those children become the next generation of church leaders, they will be confident in their faith.

The church in Niger is opening new day schools to teach general education with a Christian worldview. SIM is partnering with this initiative, which involves annual training workshops for Christian teachers and eventually a Christian Teacher Training College. Project # 97422.

Fun to Teach!

Bolivian writers continue to produce new Sunday school materials for Spanish-speaking churches. They also lead workshops for teachers to help them use the lessons effectively. Hundreds of teachers from many different denominations have received this training. Arturo, a seminary graduate, is now writing his second study manual for teenagers. The first has been well received, and users report that it is “fun to teach.”

God’s Handprints

Children in thousands of churches throughout Nigeria experienced God last year in a new way through the “God’s Handprints in the Old Testament” Sunday school curriculum produced by Nigerian writers and SIMer Adena Wildman. This year they’ve moved on to “Building God’s Way,” studying Jesus’ life and the book of Acts. Rainy Roberson and Donna Maxfield from the United States provided strategic editing and art work for the curriculum during their short-term assignments in Nigeria. The Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) in Nigeria has had a Christian Education department for many decades. Alert to the overwhelming societal and cultural shifts that are impacting their children, they devote church resources to new and relevant study materials.

Pray

• that teachers of Christian education will be diligent in their preparation
• that more training workshops will be held, and more churches will participate

Go

Children and youth workers are needed everywhere. Check out the opportunities list

"We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord." Psalm 78:4.