In our communities are those who have never really heard the gospel. With easy access to churches, Bibles, Christian media, and other believers, these people could learn more about God if they desired. In other parts of our world, people live in cultures void of churches, Bibles, and Christian media. There is no one who could model what it looks like to love and follow Jesus. Peoples without access to the gospel are called “unreached.”
Family Activity
Teaching Time: 15 minutes
Materials: 10 pieces of string/yarn/ribbon, Bible, animated Bible story or movie, worship song CD, picture of a church, a mirror, 2 towels/small blankets
Setting Up: Attach a piece of string to each item. Place the five items on the floor and cover with a towel/blanket. Make sure that one end of each string extends beyond the edges of the towel. Place the second towel on the floor in a different area. Place the five remaining strings underneath, making sure that one end of each string extends beyond the towel’s edges.
Gather the family around the towel covering the five items. Here are some different ways that we can learn about God and His plans for us. Invite the children to pull on the strings to reveal all the items. Have the children point to each item as you describe it. Reading the Bible (point), watching Christian movies/TV shows (point), listening to praise songs (point), and going to church (point). Hold up the mirror. Mirrors reflect. One of the main ways we learn about God is by hanging out with other people who know Jesus, people who reflect what God is like by what they say and do. Move to sit around the second towel. Some people in the world do not have access to even one Bible, God’s revelation of Himself to us. Invite a child to pull on one string, revealing nothing on the other end. Unreached peoples have no movies or TV shows that depict what God does or how He relates to people. Pull on one string. Unreached peoples have never heard or sung a song of praise to the true, living God. Pull on one string. Unreached peoples live in places where it is impossible to attend a church where God’s word is taught—there aren’t any! Children do not go to Sunday school, AWANA, Vacation Bible School, or Christian camp. These programs do not exist. Pull on one string. The families, friends, teachers, and neighbors of unreached children are unreached, too. These boys and girls do not have anyone who reflects God in their culture and no one who can show them what it looks like to follow Jesus in daily life. Pull on one string. In our country, we have many ways of learning about God. Point at the five items. In other parts of the world, people have no way of learning about God. Point to the empty strings. These people are called “unreached.”
Discuss:
- What is the difference between someone who does not know Jesus in our community and someone who does not know Jesus in an unreached culture?
- Read Revelation 7:9. How can this future scene in heaven encourage our family to pray for unreached peoples?
Pray:
Think about the areas represented by the two towels. Sit on the towel that stands for the area in most need of workers who will go and tell the people about Jesus. Pray for God to send global workers into unreached cultures.
Love this! I’m going to use this activity to introduce the concept of UPG’s in a Mission Friends class tomorrow night!
GREAT RESOURCE…THANKS FOR SHARING