Missouri Missions Offering

Show Me Faithful: Sending, Sharing & Starting

By Sarah Jackson
Children’s Sunday School Director, Tenth Street Baptist Church, Trenton

Preparation

Make a large copy of pyramid sheet or draw a large copy on a piece of poster board. Copy the “From Me to Missouri Cards” onto card stock and then cut each card out.

Make enough copies of the postcard (both sides) for every child to have their own copy. You will also need to gather enough crayons or markers for the children to illustrate their postcards. You will need to have tape, glue, Velcro or tacks available to be able to attach the cards to the pyramid.

Bible Truth

II Corinthians 8:4 “They even asked & begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God’s people.”(Open your Bible to and read II Corinthians 8:4) It always makes us feel better when we give to and help others. The Missouri Missions Offering, or you may have heard it called MMO, takes up money every year in order to help others who live in Missouri.

Activity

Show the children the blown up pyramid image (this can be held up, attached to a wall or placed on an easel so that the children can see it). Discuss the child on the top of the pyramid and how that represents each child (Me). Point to and discuss each level of the pyramid (church, association, state/Missouri). Give them time to give an example of each (you may have to elaborate on their answers). Tell them that the MMO helps in many ways in each of the three levels: From ME to Missouri.

Pass the three cards out to three different children. Have them take turns reading the cards and deciding which level each card is representing. The students will then attach the card onto the pyramid in the correct section. Depending on how large you are able to make the pyramid, the card may have to be placed next to the correct section.

Pass out copies of the postcard and ask students to identify what a postcard is. Talk about the purposes of a postcard and read to them the right hand side; From: Me, To: Missouri. Talk about how we can be the one who sends and Missouri can be the one who gets. What can we do to help out other Missourians through the MMO? The front or picture side of the postcard displays part of the MMO theme: Sharing, Spending, and Starting. Use this image to discuss how they can help by praying for the Sending of missionaries, the Sharing of money, time and the gospel, and the Starting of churches and other mission opportunities and also how they can participate by giving to the MMO. The left-hand side of the postcard has been left open for the child to illustrate a way in which they can be apart of the MMO or about what they have learned about how the MMO helps other Missourians, just like them.

Prayer

Thank you, God, for loving us. Thank you for caring about us and the others that this offering will touch. Help us to share your love with others and to meet their needs. Amen

Materials to help you prepare the lesson

Print-ready originals (paper originals and computer files) of the materials listed in this lesson are available in the resources booklet in the promotion packet being mailed to each Missouri Baptist Church in late June 2011. Print-ready computer files also are available as downloads on this website. Click here to visit the Downloads page.