Footprints in Faith
K.I.D. GOES ABROAD TO THE PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA, AND FIJI
The K.I.D. ministry hosted discipleship training for two divisions, Southern Asia-Pacific and South Pacific, this summer.
Kathy Goddard, Director of Training and Curriculum Development for K.I.D., went to Manila, Philippines, July 26- 28, for a second time to host a train the trainer event. In 2008, supporters like you funded a trip to manila for discipleship training and goddard led out a K.I.D. university training event. This second trip was made after the churches had the opportunity of going through an entire cycle of the Footprints curriculum. This train the trainer event was the last step to allow churches to lead the K.I.d. ministry in other parts of the country.
On July 30 – Aug.2, Goddard flew out to singapore to lead out a K.I.D. university event for the southern Asia – Pacific Division. Close to 90 attendees crammed into a small conference room to listen in and learn about the K.I.D. vision. Church teams from almost every country in the division were represented.
Pastor Don MacLafferty, founder and Executive Director of K.I.D., hosted a train the trainer event in Australia, Aug. 10-11, and another in Fiji, Aug. 13-16. participants grasped onto the K.I.D. vision, Pastor MacLafferty recalls. they were extremely passionate to lead out the ministry, so passionate that they already have K.I.D. University events lined up.
Discipleship training is going around the world. More and more children are making lifetime decisions for christ and you are helping to make this possible.
K.I.D. PLANT IN BENTON HARBOR, MI
The K.I.D. Ministry Center hosted its 2nd K.I.D. plant event in Benton Harbor, Michigan, June 10-11.
As part of the pre-session for the seeds conference, which is a four-day conference for church planters, K.I.D. held a two-day intensive discipleship training seminar at the first congregational church, the facility where the Harbor of Hope Seventh-day Adventist church meets.
Along with Harbor of Hope, five other church plants were trained on how to utilize discipleship principles in their church groups. the training session truly made a difference to all the attendees. “This is the best training on intergenerational and Biblical principles on discipleship of children that I have ever attended. The training is Biblical, practical, and life-changing,” said Rick Christman, one of the leaders of the Simple Church Group in Tampa, Florida. “These concepts will be foundational in taking the gospel to the entire world,” said Pastor Royce Odiyar from the Restoration Project in Vancouver, Canada.
K.I.D. plant is designed to help church plant sites incorporate discipleship principles as part of their church experience. Attendees are equipped on how to use the K.I.D. discipleship curriculum and build an intergenerational worship plan.
SOUTHWESTERN UNION SCHOOLS EXPERIENCE TRANSFORMATION AT K.I.D. SCHOOL
School administrators, teachers, and home school parents all piled into the auditorium of southwestern Adventist university’s mabee center, June 29 – July 1, for the K.I.D. school discipleship training seminar. this training turned out to be the largest K.I.D. school yet with almost 200 attendees. The training was led by Pastor Don MacLafferty, founder and executive director of K.I.D., Kathy Goddard, director of training and curriculum development for K.I.D., Murray Cooper, principal of A.W. Spalding Elementary in Collegedale, TN, and Canute Birch, a classroom chaplain at A.W. Spalding Elementary.
The auditorium was in complete silence as attendees listened intently and learned how they could introduce discipleship principles within their classrooms. Patty Osborne, teacher at Sandia View Elementary School in Corrales, New Mexico, attended the seminar and this was her experience:
Our staff was excited when we heard about the Kids In Discipleship workshop being offered by the Southwestern Union. We had already recognized a need to make a life in Jesus more real to our students. We were doing fine teaching them factual knowledge about the Bible, what Adventists believe, and the “expectations” of being a Christian; however, we were concerned that a true love for Jesus and a desire to please Him was missing. So when this opportunity arose it seemed God had sent it for our school. Initially, we were frustrated because we realized there was no “magic formula” for impacting the hearts of our students. Gradually, throughout the seminar we realized that the “answer” was going to come from within us. Instead of instructing our students about the Bible, we needed to share our daily struggles and triumphs from our personal devotions with God. We committed ourselves to making TAG time, Time Alone with God, something that is encouraged and modeled in every classroom. We created an interactive bulletin board with ideas of different ways to do devotions, how the Bible can actually help students with their problems, and sharing opportunities for what God is doing in our lives.
After returning home from the training, we committed ourselves to making Jesus real in the lives of each of our students. We have already implemented some of these strategies offered in the seminar. The result—our students are becoming excited about getting more involved with God. We also started a daily praise and worship time with the entire school at the beginning of each day. Students from PreK-8th grade are involved with leading out in praise groups, sharing “God-sightings,” and prayer time.
CAMP COUNSELORS BECOME SPIRITUAL MENTORS
K.I.D. is now providing a new opportunity to teach young adults how to facilitate discipleship principles to younger generations at summer camps. two camps chose to have all their counselors go through discipleship training this summer: Ccamp Kulaqua in Orlando, Florida and Nosoca Pines Ranch, in Liberty Hill, South Carolina. Pastor Don MacLafferty, founder and executive director of K.I.D., led the discipleship training at Camp Kulaqua, May 26-27, and James Reynaert, Spiritual Commitment Director and Boys’ Camp Director for Nosoca Pines Ranch, led the training there, June 6. The two trained camp counselors to inspire true discipleship principles when interacting with their campers.
“The reason we are losing kids is because we don’t disciple them,” said reynaert in discussing his commitment to leading this training.
Counselors learned how to build discipleship principles into their daily activities and become positive spiritual mentors to their campers. At Camp Kulaqua, the college-aged counselors spent an entire saturday night building action plans to incorporate discipleship principles in their daily activities with campers.
“This program not only gave me the resources to share christ with kids, it also gave me ways to strengthen my personal relationship with God,” said Anna Grissom, counselor at nosoca pines ranch.
This opportunity has now opened the doors for young adults and future leaders of the church to become true models of discipleship starting at a young age.
To find out how your camp site can become involved and have discipleship to Jesus Christ brought to your campers please contact the K.I.D. Center at (423) 893-3266.
