LIBERIA2017

FIVE MINUTE MISSION MOMENTS FOR VBS,SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHURCH

Update from 2016 Mexico IgleKids Project

The 2016 VBS project collected funds for the IgleKids Bible Club run by the Bethel E.C. Church of Mexico. Like many churches in the U.S., the E.C. Church of Mexico wants to teach the neighborhood children about Jesus through a Kids Club. They needed a safe place to hold the IgleKids Club, so last year the EC churches of America raised almost $10,000 to help enclose a porch where the kids could meet, and where they could train other adults to begin groups in their own churches. (Show picture of IgleKids.)

Because of YOUR gifts, the Mexican EC Church can continue to tell the children of Mexico about Jesus’ love for them !

Children in the IgleKids Club in Mexico

Visual 1: Children in the Iglekids Club in Mexico

2017 Mission Minded Kids VBS LessonsLIBERIA

Objectives for Liberia VBS Lessons:

1. To briefly review 2016 Mexico VBS Project 2. To learn basic facts about the country of Liberia3. To recognize the flag of Liberia4. To be introduced to Abraham Powell, Field Superintendent of the EC church of Liberia

(ECCOL)5. To understand the desperate physical and spiritual needs of the people & children of

Liberia6. To participate in raising funds to help the Liberian EC churches provide a Literacy

Program to teach those who cannot read how to read a Bible in the Bassa language.

Lesson Overview

Lesson 1: Review 2016 Mexico VBS Project Liberia: Basic facts about the country and flag Introduce the Liberian Project to raise funds for the Bassa Literacy ProgramLesson 2: Review Literacy Program

Learn what years of war and the recent Ebola Crisis has done to the people of Liberia, and why they need Jesus, and the help of local churches

Lesson 3: Review Literacy Program Introduce Rev. Abraham Powell & the EC Churches of Liberia (EECOL)

Learn the many ways the EC Churches in Liberia are helping the people spiritually, and physically to overcome the effects of war, disease and poverty.Lesson 4: Learn about why the Children in Liberia need to learn about Jesus’ Love

Learn about the Bassa Literacy Program of EECOLLesson 5: Liberia: Review

Foods of Liberia

Materials needed for the week: Power Point slide show either downloaded from GMC website or on disc; the included picture of the flag or a real flag of Liberia. Mount pictures and maps from all lessons on card stock paper for stability and set up equipment as needed to show power point pictures each day.

LESSON ONELIBERIA

If you attended VBS last year, you might remember that we were collecting money for a very special project. Does anyone remember what that project was? (Allow students to recall, or remind students about the Mexico IgleKids project.) (Show PowerPoint Visual 1: “IgleKids” and give the included update.)

This week we will be learning about another small country in a different part of the world. This country is on the West Coast of the continent of Africa, about 4,700 miles from where we live. (If you have a large world map, you can ask a child to point out where Africa is.) (Show Visual 2: map of the world with USA & Liberia highlighted) The name of this country is Liberia. It is only a little bigger than our state of Tennessee, and approximately 4 million people live there. (about 6.5 million in TN) There are many things to learn about this country of Liberia (Show Visual 3: map of Liberia). Even though there were already many different tribal groups living in this western region of Africa, in the year 1822 the United States helped to form this region into the country known as Liberia. The name “Liberia” comes from a Latin word that means: “Land of the Free”. After the slaves in America were freed, they were allowed to go back to this ‘free’ land in Africa. Let’s look at the Liberian Flag. (Show Visual 4: Flag.) It looks a little similar to the American Flag doesn’t it? This is to remind people that the United States was part of creating this land for freed slaves of America. The star stands for Freedom, and the blue square is to represent the mainland of Africa. The 11 Red and White Stripes stand for Courage and Morality.

Even though this Republic of Liberia should have been a wonderful, good place for people to live, it has not always been happy or safe. There have been many years of civil wars that have destroyed the land, the buildings, the homes and the lives of the people of Liberia. Today, this is one of the poorest countries in the world. English is the official language of Liberia, but there are over 30 different languages spoken in this little country. Because of the years of war many people in Liberia who are adults now, never had the chance to go to school. Almost half of the Liberian people over 15 years old cannot read or write in the language they speak.

This week we will be learning about what the Evangelical Congregational Church is doing in Liberia. Most of the people in our E.C. Churches speak the Bassa Language. A Bible has been printed in the Bassa language, but many Christians do not know how to read it. The word “Literacy” means to be able to read and write. Our E.C. Churches want to start a Bassa Language Literacy Program to teach Christians how to read the Bassa Language so they can read and study their Bibles. All the offerings we collect this week will be used to develop this Literacy Program.

Tomorrow we will learn more about Liberia and why they need to be able to read about Jesus. Remember to bring in your offerings for the Bassa Literacy Program in Liberia.

Visual 2: World Map

Visual 3: Liberia in Africa

Visual 4: Flag of Liberia

LESSON TWOLIBERIA

Do you remember which country we are learning about this week? (Liberia) (Show Visual 3: Map of Liberia) Does anyone remember what the word Liberia, actually means ? (The Land of the Free)

Can anyone raise their hand and tell me what the mission project is, that our VBS offering will go toward this week? (All the monies that are collected this week will go toward setting up a program to teach people how to read the language they speak.) English is the official language of Liberia, but do you remember what language most of the people in our EC Churches in Liberia speak? Bassa

Many of the people of Liberia are already Christians (about 85%) but since many of those people can’t read a Bible, it is difficult for Christians to learn and grow spiritually. In the past 25 years, there have been two Civil Wars that have left the people of Liberia poor and without hope. School and church buildings were destroyed in the wars, so many people who are teenagers and adults now never got the chance to attend school when they were younger. This means that about half of the population cannot read or write the language they speak. Do you remember what the word “Literacy” means? (the ability to read and write) It is important for our EC Churches to help the people in their surrounding communities through a “Literacy Program”.

You may also remember that a few years ago at VBS, we collected money to help build a camping ministry for the young people in Liberia. That was the year that the Ebola virus spread throughout the country of Liberia. Thousands of people got sick with Ebola and many died. The disease was so bad that the government didn’t allow anyone to travel from their home villages, and they were not allowed to gather together in large groups. The money that the American E.C. Churches raised had to be used to help our E.C. Churches in Liberia to minister to the many families in their congregations and their communities who were sick and unable to travel to get food or supplies. The Ebola Crisis was yet another very difficult time for Liberia.

As you can see, Liberia has had many problems that have kept the people poor and unable to get an education. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the government continues to struggle to maintain passable roads, provide enough food and jobs, and provide things like medical care and education for its citizens.

The Liberian people need to hear that God has not forgotten them. They need to be reminded that Jesus died to save them. They need to be able to read God’s Word, the Bible, so that it can be like a light to show them how to live their lives, even when life is difficult. Studying the Bible can help them learn how God wants them to treat their neighbors, and even the very people that have hurt them. They need to learn that God has a plan for their lives and that He will show them the way. Let’s read a verse from the Bible that can help the people of Liberia:

Psalm 119:105 Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me.

(Show Visual 5: Verse)

Visual 5: Verse

Your word is like a lamp that shows me the

way. It is like a light that

guides me.Psalm 119:105

Visual 5:Verse

LESSON THREELIBERIA

What country are we learning about in our Missions Lessons this week? (Liberia) (Show Visual 3: map of Liberia) Can someone raise their hand, and tell me what the offering monies that we are collecting are going for? (To begin a Literacy Program in Liberia so people can read God’s Word)

Right now, you are at Bible School in an Evangelical Congregational Church, or “EC Church.” Did you know that there are over 400 “EC” Churches in several countries around the world? The EC Church in Liberia is made up of 36 churches, and 3 new church plants meeting in villages around Liberia. The groups of people who meet for ‘church’ might have a building or maybe just gather under a shelter without walls, or a tree. (Show Visual 6: Churches) There are over 9000 Liberians that are part of the EC Church.

Abraham Powell is the man who is in charge of the EC Churches of Liberia. (Show Visual 7: Abraham Powell and his mother, Olive) This is a picture of Abraham and his mother, Olive Powell. Rev. Powell is using the 39 locations where EC Churches are established or growing to help the people in each surrounding area. The Bassa Literacy Program is one way to help the Liberian people. Each week, teachers will travel to each of the churches to hold classes for the people in that area. A teacher might travel part of the way in a vehicle and then have to cross a river in a canoe, and then on the other side of the river, the teacher might have to ride a motorbike another distance in order to get to the EC Church where they will teach reading lessons. In other areas, a teacher might have to travel by motorbike, cross over a log bridge on foot, and then walk a long distance on a trail to get to the EC Church. (Show Visual 8: Crossing a log bridge on foot) But the students will have to travel also. If they want to learn how to read and write, they will have to walk for several miles from a neighboring village, sometimes crossing rivers or carrying small children with them. Students might be men or women or teenagers who never got the chance to go to school. They are anxious to learn how to read and write because they want to be able to study the Bible and other books on their own and be able to write down information and messages to communicate with other people. Each student will get their very own Bible written in the Bassa Language. This will be the book they learn to read from first. For the first time in their lives, they will be able to read God’s Words to them in the language they speak. Think about how exciting that would be!

When we pray for Liberia, and the work that Abraham Powell and other church leaders are doing, we are participating in the ministry and mission of this very poor country. By giving our offering, we are asking God to use our gift in a way that will help others come to love and trust Him. Even though not all of us can travel to Liberia to do mission work among the people, by praying and giving our offering we ARE being missionaries to them. God can use all of us to accomplish His work in Liberia.

Please remember to bring your offering to help begin the Literacy Program in Liberia so that the people can read and study what God says for themselves. Let’s say our verse together that will help the Liberian people find their way. (Show Visual 5, and say Psalm 119:105 together)

Visual 6: Four EC Churches

LESSON FOUR

LIBERIAWelcome to day four of Vacation Bible School. Do you remember that we have been talking about Liberia? (Show Visual 3: map of Liberia) Our offering is beginning to grow. Do you remember what the monies that we are collecting are going for? (To start a Bassa Literacy Program in Liberia)

Today we are going to talk about the children and youth of Liberia. (Show Visual 9: Children in water) While some of these children may look just like us or friends that we know, most of them live with much less than we have. Many of them don’t have enough food to eat or clean water to drink. It is usually the kids’ job to go get the drinking water. They sometimes have to walk a long way to find water and then carry it back to their family. (Show Visual 10: Girl collecting water) They might also try to find food, or try to get a job so that they could buy some food or some clothing (Show Visual 11: Children selling dried fish)

Sometimes we think that it might be nice if we didn’t have to go to school. We don’t realize, however, how difficult life would be if we couldn’t get an education. Half of the teens and adults in Liberia never got a chance to go to school because of the wars and poverty in their country. To not be able to read or write keeps adults from getting a job that pays enough to support their families. Because they can barely buy or raise enough food to feed their family, they have no money left to send their children to school. When children don’t go to school, they have to find work that they can do to earn a little bit of money that would help to feed their family. (Show Visual 12: Girl washing clothing). Since they cannot learn how to read and write, they will grow up like their parents, unable to get a job that pays enough to support their family. And so the cycle repeats itself, keeping people poor, unable to educate their children and unable to get jobs that pay enough to support themselves.

Literacy means being able to read and write. Teaching people to read allows them to study and learn on their own, even if they have to work all day to get enough to eat. Through the Bassa Literacy Program, the EC churches in Liberia will be able to help adults and young people to break out of the cycle that keeps them poor and uneducated. A Bible has already been translated into the Bassa language. Teachers can use this Bible as a textbook and the EC church buildings for classrooms. Adults and young people who have never had the opportunity to go to school can learn how to read from the Bassa Bible. They will learn how to read the words that they speak, but they will also learn to read the Words that God wrote to them in their own language. They will be able to study on their own and continue to learn about Jesus, even when there is no church service. Because they can read the Bassa language, they can also read signs, directions and other information that will help their lives to be easier. And because they can read, they have a much better chance of getting a job that will support their family.

The money that we are collecting for offering this week, is going to help the young people who have never had a chance to go to school. Yesterday we learned about the EC Church in Liberia. The Bassa Literacy Program will allow the EC Churches of Liberia to help their people learn about Jesus on their own and enable them to

Visual 8: Crossing a log bridge on foot

support their families better. They will be able to provide a Bassa Language Bible to each student in the program so that they can continue to study and share the Good News of Jesus with their families and friends.

Let’s say the verse together that reminds the Liberian people that God’s Word is like a light for their lives.

(Show Visual 5 and say Psalm 119:105 together)

Visual 9: Children Playing

LESSON FIVELIBERIA

Welcome to our last day of Vacation Bible School. As you know we have been studying about Liberia. Raise your hand, if you know what continent Liberia is located on. (Africa) Raise your hand if you know the colors of the Liberian Flag. (Red, White and Blue) Raise your hand if you know what the word Liberia means. (Land of the Free) Can someone tell me what the official language of Liberia is? (English) You have learned a lot about Liberia this week! Do you remember what the word “Literacy” means? (Being able to read and write) And why is it important to teach young people and adults who have never gone to school how to read and write the words they speak? (So they can learn about Jesus on their own and get better jobs that will help to support their families.)

We have learned that many of the Liberian people are very poor and don’t have much to eat, but there are quite a few foods that can grow well in the soil of Liberia if the crops are not destroyed. Fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, bananas, okra, cassava, plantains, peppers, coconuts and many citrus fruits grow in this area of the world. (You may choose to have a few of these items available for the children to see or taste.) Since Liberia is on the Atlantic coast of Africa, fish is also plentiful along the coast. One of the favorite foods eaten at many meals is fufu. This is made by pounding and mashing a very starchy food (like Plantains, potatoes or

Visual 11: Children sell dried fish. Visual 12: Young girl washing clothes

cassava) and adding just a little water, until the food becomes a sticky dough. Each family member will pull off a piece of the fufu and dip it in a stew or soup before eating. (Show Visual 13: Fufu and Peanut Soup)

Farmers can also plant rice to eat and to sell. Cassava and Rice is one food that many Liberians like to eat, with everyone eating together out of the same large bowl. (Show Visual 14: Cassava Leaf and Rice Stew) Since cooking is done over an open wood fire, food is most often prepared outside, with many family members helping with the work of gathering the food, and preparing and cooking the meal. (Show visuals 15 and 16: Cooking in a typical outdoor Kitchen) One rather interesting fact about Liberian people is that they enjoy sweet, baked foods (like our desserts). This is different than almost any other area in Africa. This taste for things like gingerbread and spice cake comes from the freed African slaves that spent time in American homes and working in American kitchens in the 1800’s.

Our American bellies are filled every day with many different kinds of food that are easily available to us. It is hard for us to imagine having to eat just one meal a day, with food that is so different than what we eat here in America. We cannot imagine what it is like to be hungry and not have enough food available to fill us. I hope you will remember the faces of the Liberian people, and some of the information you have learned about this small country on the western coast of Africa. I hope that you will remember to pray for the adults and young people that live in such poverty in a land torn apart by many years of war. Remember to pray for Abraham Powell and the church leaders that are reaching out to help these hurting people. I am thankful that you have given so generously to help get the Bassa Literacy Program started! Your gifts and prayers will continue to help the mission work throughout the rural villages of Liberia!

Let’s say our verse for the Liberian people one more time together. (Show Visual 5 and say Psalm 119:105 together) Close in prayer for the Liberian people, the Liberian EC Churches, and Abraham Powell and the other leaders who are trying to help the people.

Visual 13: Fufu and Peanut Soup Visual 14: Cassava Leaf and Rice

Visual 15: A typical outdoor kitchen Visual 16: Family members cook together