Across Illinois | More than 1,100 children and grown-up volunteers braved chilly temperatures and the threat of snow Saturday, March 11, to serve through a variety of hands-on missions projects on Children’s Ministry Day.
The annual Illinois expression of a national initiative created by Woman’s Missionary Union has expanded to multiple sites over the years. The 2017 projects were held in 15 locations across the state.
Tammy Syers, a leader from First Baptist Church, Carrier Mills, noted how well the kids showed love to the communities they served on Children’s Ministry Day. “They worked very hard and should all sleep well tonight,” she posted on Facebook. “It was a blessing to see the kids asking for jobs to do even after working and serving for hours.”
Throughout the day, group leaders posted news and photos on the official Children’s Ministry Day Facebook page. Their updates provided a play-by-play of the day-long missions emphasis, and after the fact, serve as “praise reports” from a day where kids learned first-hand what it means to be a missionary.
In Casey, site coordinator Lindsay McDonald woke up to excited children—her own. “It sure makes a momma’s heart happy when your 6-year-old son wakes up and the first thing he says is ‘What time is Children’s Ministry Day?’ He is so excited to go and serve!”
At Lakeland Baptist Church in Carbondale, Brandon McNeely shared with the young missionaries about how to minister to people in Jesus’ name. He focused on Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
In Sterling and at the other Children’s Ministry Day sites, several churches worked together to accomplish their projects. Emmanuel Baptist, Sterling, posted their thanks for the cooperation: “Thank you to the churches who traveled and joined us. We are so blessed to get to know everyone from Grace Fellowship in Amboy, Calvary Morris, and Cristo es Rey. Thank you for a great day.”
Sharon Carty of Emmanuel Baptist, Carlinville, summarized the day this way: “The children had a great time and truly served as they worked so hard in each of their mission projects. God blessed us in so many ways today as we had the privilege to serve others. Love all those kids and adults too.”
Go to IBSA.org/kids for more upcoming missions opportunities for children and families.