Forgotten Voices International demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ by equipping local churches in southern Africa to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children orphaned by AIDS in their communities. Kids Serving Kids of Forgotten Voices International is the outreach of the organization that is committed to equipping parents, kids and families to know, love, give and serve kids whose voices are forgotten throughout their communities, southern Africa and the world. Kids Serving Kids connects parents with resources, materials and opportunities to empower, inspire and serve side-by-side with their kids to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to children throughout the world. This material contained in this booklet is one such resource. It is intended to be a launching point for further discussion, creativity and spiritual growth. We pray that it blesses and inspires you and your family. As you use and build upon ideas contained in this resource, please contact us to tell us about your experience. With your permission we will share your story to inspire and encourage other children and their families. Blessings, Kathy Goss Kids Serving Kids Coordinator kgoss@forgottenvoices.org
www.forgottenvoices.org
What is Tithing?
What is Tithing? De ute r o n
o my
ok ou overlo y d n a ld our fie 24:19 - 21 lien, the sting in y e v r a h e for the a r a it u e o v y a e n bless “Whe get it. L God may o t r u k o c y a b D from he LOR do not go so that t the olives , t a sheaf, w a o e b id w u o hen y eave s and the hands. W d time. L n r o u fatherles c o e y s f a o . When the work branches the widow over the you in all d o n g a t s o s n es rle s, do er the vin he fathe v t o , o n your tree g e li t a o the the rd, do n ains for less and ur vineya r o e y h t what rem in a f s e e ap lien th st the gr for the a s in a you harve m e r ave what widow." again. Le
Tithing means giving part of your money to God. Everything that we have comes from God, and we are merely stewards of these things, including monetary blessings. In the verse above from the book of Deuteronomy, God lays a plan of tithing to help orphans and widows, called gleaning. Gleaning is the process of collecting crops left behind by the reapers of the harvest. God commanded harvesters to only pick the crops from their fields, vines or trees, one time. Then the landowner could invite widows, orphans or foreigners into the fields to harvest the remaining crops to keep for themselves. Gleaning was God’s provision for orphans and widows in Jewish society. Today’s farms are commercially owned and operated, and most of us do not grow our own food, so gleaning is not part of our culture. However, God’s command is still true today. In today’s world, we can give with our money AND our time. We are fortunate to live in an age where we can send our resources not only to our local community, but also to widows and orphans all over our own country, or to faraway places like Zimbabwe and Zambia. Although the method has changed, God’s desire is still for us to care for widows, orphans, and those in need in our community.
NEWSLETTER TITLE
So What Can You Do?
l a n o s Per Tithe
CHARACTER QUALITIES
Giving Generosity Kindness Faithfulness FinancialResponsibility
Tithing means giving a portion of your income to God. It is very important to teach your child to tithe at a young age. The Bible says that if you raise a child in the way he (or she) should go, then later on in life he (or she) will not depart from it. One of the best ways to teach is by example. Many children love to emulate their parents and ask for a coin or dollar of their own to put in the offering basket. You can build upon this by explaining the percentage you give and why you do it. Parents often give their children an allowance each week. To teach financial responsibility and good stewardship from a young age, an effective method is to have your child divide their allowance into different categories with three separate containers ....SPEND, SAVE, and DONATE. Christian financial counselors suggest allocating 10% to SAVE, 10% to DONATE and then allowing your child to choose how he (or she) divides the rest between the three containers. “In our family, we have four containers. SPEND, SAVE, DONATE, and one for our favorite charity, Forgotten Voices. My children give the money in their DONATE containers to our church. Each week they choose an amount to put in their Forgotten Voices container. We also collect loose change and put this in the Forgotten Voices container.� ~A Forgotten Voices supporter
There are many ways to teach your child responsible money management and good stewardship over the gifts God gave he (or she). Whichever way you choose, helping your children to form these habits at a young age can have lasting impacts on the choices they make for the rest of their lives. This link will take you to a Forgotten Voices International tithing box that can be decorated. You and your child can print out the box and decorate it together, and your tithe to Forgotten Voices can be put in the box www.forgottenvoices.org/resources/ downloads. Look for the Thanksgiving Cube Kids Version 1 & 2.
Teachable Moment This is an opportunity to teach your children about God’s biblical command to tithe, as well as responsible financial management. Phone: 555-555-5555 Fax: 555-555-5555 Through this activity, children can learn from first-hand experience E-mail: someone@example.com the Scriptural principles of using their allowance/money for more than just their own personal use and pleasure (toys, video games, movies). Children can learn that through donation, they have the ability to positively impact the lives of others. There are many scriptures in the Bible that discuss tithing and donating our resources to provide for those in need. Reading these scriptures with your children can encourage and remind them of the lasting importance God places on a generous heart. One such passage is 1 Timothy 6:17-19: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
GO O T S WAY
ER
TH FUR
Invite your child’s friends to make Forgotten Voices boxes, and give regularly to Forgotten Voices.
Do more weekly chores or chores for relatives to earn additional allowance money to donate to Forgotten Voices.
Your child can invite their Sunday School class to make a Forgotten Voices container for the class to bring in loose change from home. The more often a child does something, the less he (or she) forgets about it. If you foster an attitude of giving at a young age, your child will carry that attitude into young adulthood and beyond.
NEWSLETTER TITLE
So What Can You Do?
Personal Fundraising You can take tithing a step farther by having a one-time sale or on-going campaign to benefit Forgotten Voices. Some ideas are in the box to the right. Encourage your child to briefly write about his or her experience and then email your story to Forgotten Voices. We will post it on our website so that other children and parents may be encouraged by your efforts. Forgotten Voices staff may even be able to help to provide resources. Here is a story about a young girl who was so moved by a Forgotten Voices presentation she heard at Vacation Bible School that she asked her parents if she could have a lemonade stand and bake sale. Her family has now turned this into an annual event.
Bake sale
le Garage sa
le Candy sa
e stand Lemonad Car wash e ee to com Or feel fr our own up with y ea! creative id
At a 2010 Vacation Bible School, 6 year old Eliana watched a video about a child’s life in Zimbabwe and learned about the ministry of Forgotten Voices International. The speaker said that God could use anyone to show His love to kids in southern Africa. She asked her parents for help running a lemonade stand fundraiser. The project grew as Eliana’s family was joined by several others to host a lemonade stand and bake sale in the center of town. As a result of Eliana’s compassion and initiative, over $400 was raised to help children orphaned by AIDS through the ministry of Forgotten Voices International. Equally valuable was the way Eliana saw first-hand how her actions could directly show God’s love to kids in need. Her second bake sale raised over $800. This year Eliana held her 3rd annual bake sale and she raised over $1900!
ent
Mom e l b a Teach
Often it is not a lack of their children’s ideas that keep parents from taking action, but rather the additional Phone: 555-555-5555 burden this places on the parents’ to-do list. Children have big dreams, big ideas, Fax: 555-555-5555 E-mail: someone@example.com and big visions without time or resource constraints. Parents are left with the task of trying to turn big dreams into reality and this can often seem overwhelming, daunting or too difficult to accomplish. Parents are also challenged with trying to pick and choose which activities are worthwhile to pursue, while not overburdening themselves or their children. In the midst of trying to find the right balance, it is important to include activities that encourage children to respond to the call of God on their hearts. Working with your child on a God-inspired idea/ project can be instrumental to their spiritual development, as well as an invaluable experience for parents. Conducting a fundraising event to benefit Forgotten Voices International, whether small or large, is one such opportunity. Seeing the excitement and passion evoked in children as they respond to God’s call and learn that they too can have a role in caring for widows, orphans and the poor, makes the activity immeasurably worthy of your time and effort. In addition to knitting Biblical commands into the hearts and lives of your children, these events also provide the opportunity to teach your children about leadership, organization, and management. Teach your children how to plan, advertise and organize the sale. During the sale, children can learn or reinforce the principles of counting money and making change.
WAYS TO GO FURTHER
CHARACTER QUALITIES
Leadership
Children can invite friends in their neighborhood, church, small group or school to help.
Kids could also inspire their friends to start their own sale, or all work together to organize one larger fundraising activity.
Financial Responsibility Organization Giving Generosity
NEWSLETTER TITLE
So What Can You Do? Fasting is a spiritual discipline that God desires for us to integrate into our lives and the lives of our children. Often we think of fasting as going without eating for a certain period of time. Abstaining from food is only one type of fasting. Fasting can also be giving up something valuable to us, such as entertainment, a material possession, a habit or an activity. God calls us to fast because when we give up something valuable to us, we learn to depend more on God and loosen our grip on things that might mean more to us than God does. These items or activities might consume our lives to such an extent that they dull our hearts from hearing God’s voice. When we temporarily set these aside, we have the opportunity to rely on God to satisfy our “cravings” and “hunger” and in the process refocus our hearts and minds on him. Encouraging our children to temporarily sacrifice their desires helps them appreciate and be grateful for the abundance they have, while at the same time helps them identify with children around the world who face this challenge every day of their lives. Incorporating periodic fasting into our lives and the lives of our children will reap many spiritual and character rewards.
FASTING Suggestions for Fasting:
Giving up one meal. Explain that many children around the world are not able to have 3 meals a day.
Giving up sugary foods, desserts, chocolate, soda or a favorite food for a period of time.
Rather than going out to eat one night, eat at home instead and donate the money to Forgotten Voices.
Fast video game time, television time, or watching movies. Replace some of the time with completing a service project that helps a neighbor, church or community.
Give up playing with a favorite toy for a period of time. Save loose change, do extra chores or have a fundraiser to purchase a similar toy for a child in your community who does not have as much.
Instead of asking for birthday presents, request donations to Forgotten Voices International.
CHAR
Teachable Moment Engaging with your children in a fast offers the opportunity to teach them the spiritual importance of fasting. The Bible is full of examples of people whom God asked or who felt led to fast and pray. Read a Bible story about fasting with your children and discuss the purpose and impact of the fasting. One such example you can choose is found in the Old Testament in the book of Esther. Esther was the Queen of Persia and also a Jew at a time when the King issued a decree to kill all of the Jews. Esther asked her fellow Jews to fast and pray so that she might find favor with the King. Their fasting and prayers worked. Esther was able to approach the King and beseech him to save the Jews. God changed the heart of the King, and the Jews were saved. Fasting and prayer helped the Jews focus their attention on God, rather than on the circumstances they were facing, and to depend on him to save them. Similar to the Jews in the story, fasting refocuses our hearts and minds on God rather than on our desires. It is a way to trust that God will meet any need we may have. Fasting will also help your children experience, on a small scale, how most children around the world live on a daily basis. In our culture of abundance and excess, providing opportunities for your children to sacrificially fast and rely on God can create in them a heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving.
ACTER
QUAL
Obedie nce
ITIES
Prayer Giving Genero
sity
Compas
sion
WAYS TO GO FURTHER
Each week children can give up some television time or video game time and participate regularly in service opportunities. The 10-together program is one great example. Go to www.tentogether.org to learn more and sign up!
Children could regularly assist the local food bank either by volunteering or donating food. Many food banks publish a list of “greatly needed” items. Children could go shopping for the items on the list or each week could add a few of these to the regular grocery shopping list.
Children could ask for and collect donations from their Sunday school class, school class or neighborhood to give to the food bank.
NEWSLETTER TITLE
So What Can You Do? Children learn more by the example of our actions than our words. Throughout the scriptures, God calls us to live out our faith both in word and in deed. James 1:22 states, we are to “Be not merely hearers of the word, but doers as well.” Working together on a tithing project provides an opportunity for your family to live out the words of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a tangible way. It also demonstrates first-hand to your children the importance and priority you place on reaching out to those in need.
S T C E J O R P E FAMILY WID de: g projects inclu in th ti y il m fa r d/or a meal. n Some ideas fo a ts if g h it w m the as and blessing m st ri h C r fo y il a fam ir Adopting redients for the g in m e th g in iv dg Thanksgiving an r fo y il m ady prepared. fa e a lr g a n l a ti e p o m d e A th em eal or taking th or Thanksgiving m them one time g n ti is ss a d n a y mil ns with a local fa o ti c e n n o c g n ti Crea year. throughout the or food bank. n e h c it k p u so l loca as a family at a r e ing th e g to g in rv and correspond Se d il h c n io is V d orl ternational or W In n io ss a p m o C a Adopting of with them. If you are unsure . e m o h g in rs u an ple annually visiting referrals of peo ir m fo se h , rc ly u h th c n r o u m sk yo Weekly, art, you could a st to w o h r o , o where to g ursing home. n a in ve li w o n end and who used to att
RTHER U F O G O WAYS T family a s a r e n-Togeth e T r o f p nu Sig er.org h t e g o t n t www.te ect a par j o r p e c i ily serv m a f a e k onthly m n e Ma v e r early o of your y routine.
CHAR
ACTER
QUAL
GIVING GENERO
ITIES
SITY
COMPA
SSION
KINDNE
SS
Teachable Moment Use this activity to teach your children about God’s desire for us to respond compassionately and passionately to provide for those in need. In Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus clearly explains this principle. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Jesus commands his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and care for the sick. Jesus tells us that when we help the poor, it is just like we are helping Him. Explain to your children that when we help to provide for the needs of others, not only are we pleasing God and those we have helped, but also filling ourselves with joy, peace and contentment at living out the words of Christ.