Project Connect Booklets for Children

Project Connect is a booklet ministry of Lutheran Hour Ministries that uses a display (rotating booklet stand) of pocket-sized, topical booklets to promote outreach. It gives congregations a tangible, take-home resource of Christ-centered value they can offer to visitors, members, or others in their community.

In addition to the topical booklets for adults, LHM has produced several topical booklets for children. These children’s booklets are ideal to use for Vacation Bible School, fairs and festivals, classrooms, holidays, outreach, and more! Give one to a neighbor or friend. Anyone can use these fun and colorful booklets to discuss prayer, how to share their faith, and more—each in a way kids will understand and remember. To learn more about Project Connect booklets for children, visit lhm.org/kids/books.

Breely Schiltz purchased a total of 300 booklets, 25 copies of 12 titles, to share with her mother’s Bible study group. “There were about 12 moms in my Bible study,” says Schiltz. “Once I got the booklets, I sorted them all out so each mom would get one of every title, and I put them into little bags. Then I handed them out at Bible study and also gave them to my sisters and cousins. I had a few left over that I kept at home to give out whenever the opportunity arose. When a man was installing my dishwasher, we got to talking about our children and the Lord, so I gave him a bag. I met a mom at a park who ended up being a friend who invited me to join a mom’s group at her church, and I shared a bag with her, too. Now I only have one bag left! I think these are great gifts and a wonderful way to introduce children to the Gospel. I have an almost four-year-old and a two-and-a-half-yearold, and they both enjoy reading the booklets. I love that I can teach them about God in simple ways they can understand. I’m also a sucker for any books that rhyme, and every single booklet does. That is so impressive to me!”

Garet Ellis is the pastor of Christ Community Lutheran Church and Leesburg Open Arms, a Christian child development center in Leesburg, Virginia. “I love giving out the booklets,” says Ellis. “In the past few years, I have given them out at community festivals, in tour bags for prospective students and families of our school, one each day of the week during National Lutheran Schools Week, at the beginning of the school year, during certain chapel lessons, during the holidays, at my daughter’s school when I was the mystery reader, and at our free resource shelf in our narthex and school entry. I predominantly use the Do You Know Who Jesus Is? and The Bible Tells Me So, but I have used pretty much all of them over the last few years. The children love receiving the booklets, and it makes the story of Jesus really easy to engage with for parents who might have left the faith and are slowly making their way back.”

Donnie Stubblefield works with Casas por Cristo, connecting churches in the United States with pastors and churches in Latin America. Casas por Cristo’s mission is to open doors with local pastors and churches so they can share the love of Jesus as we build and serve. “While our goal is to build homes, building relationships and disciples is actually job number one,” says Stubblefield. “The booklets from LHM have blessed many young niños and niñas with the joy of Jesus. I strongly encourage the teams that I recruit to be ready with a ‘backpack VBS,’ so when the kiddos show up, you can have time for sharing. The teams will bring bubbles, soccer balls, and coloring books, but by far, the best is watching mission workers sit in the shade with a child on their lap, reading the LHM booklets together in Spanish. And the kiddos love keeping the booklets and reading them to each other. We have gone through a few hundred booklets, and LHM has always sent several versions, which have all been received enthusiastically. It is such a blessing to add this extra gift of the Gospel to the team experience of being Jesus with skin on for the children of Latin America.” see next page

Spiritual Growth Resources … continued from previous page

Lutheran Hour Ministries has produced several award-winning holiday specials, which air each year on stations across the U.S. and Canada. These Easter and Christmas specials in English and Spanish offer an opportunity for children to hear the Gospel in an interactive way. Visit our broadcast guide at lhm.org/guide in the weeks leading up to Easter and Christmas to see where these shows are airing in your area.

Other Ways Our Resources are Being Used

St. Paul Lutheran Church in Waco, Texas, has built a relationship with Lutherans Doing Life Together, a registered student organization with Baylor University. After joining St. Paul in August, Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Brian Hesse led the first Bible study for the group for the fall 2022 semester. When deciding what Bible study to use, Hesse knew he could look to LHM. “I have relied on LHM as my backup partner for many years to produce good materials for my congregation,” says Hesse. Hesse has known about LHM and our resources for more than 30 years. He taught LHM studies for years, including many Bible studies for men’s groups. “I’ve used all the LHM Bible studies at some point in my ministry.”

The students started asking questions based on the conversations they have in their Baylor Bible classes. This campus ministry group provides an opportunity for questions and responses. “First, I listened to the needs of the students. I knew that LHM has a variety of resources available to choose from. Then I was able to match the Bible study to fit the needs of the students.”

Hesse’s advice for anyone looking to incorporate LHM’s resources into their programs is “don’t be afraid to go off script. I didn’t always stick to the study guide word for word. We looked into what the study meant in our lives, the application to today, and the challenges we face. Then we turned the study guide into relational conversations that allowed us to dig deeper into the Scripture. I wanted to keep it relational.”

“It is great to have this program established, and we need to keep it going on campus,” says Hesse. “Our members love the students. We have a great relationship with the students. They sing in our choir and help out with events. Our church is their home away from home.”

Amazing Grace Early Learning Center in Oxford, Florida, gave a copy of The Spiritually Vibrant Home to each of their 17 VPK graduates as a congratulatory gift to encourage these children and their families to instill and nurture Christian faith in their households. Lois Schaefer, a member of Amazing Grace Lutheran Church and a long-time supporter of LHM, shared more about this educational program for children. “Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten is an educational program that prepares four-year-olds for success in kindergarten and beyond,” says Schaefer. “Geared toward ages one through four, the Amazing Grace Early Learning Center has just expanded into its new building addition, doubling the number of children they can accommodate. Its Christcentered curriculum is focused on research-based best practices for early childhood learning and development. Since its opening in 2018, members have provided high-quality family devotion wooden boxes containing family devotion resources, CDs for the children to teach their parents/ guardians the songs they learn during the day, children’s booklets from LHM, and LHM Project Connect booklets, such as Learning to Pray. This is an extremely creative resource for promoting deep spiritual development, including intentional spiritual conversations and delightfully exciting new family rituals.” u