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Today I have a treat for you all. Bonnie from Write Bonnie Rose here with us to share a craft to help us teach our children how to pray for persecuted Christians all over the world. I am sure this craft idea will be a blessing not only to your children but to you as well.
How can you pray for someone if you don’t know his or her name? Christian persecution is on the rise all around the world. These men, women, and children need our prayers as individuals and as families. It’s the one thing they ask of us more than anything else. But how can we share these needs and requests with children without burdening them with more details and pain than their young spirits can bear?
There are many resources online for news of the persecuted Church, but one that I have found to be particularly good at sharing the stories sensitively is Kids of Courage, part of The Voice of the Martyrs. Kids of Courage shares stories, crafts, puzzles, and projects that are fun for kids to do and helps open their eyes to the needs of their brothers and sisters around the world.
But what about the stories of Christians who must remain nameless, either because of security or because of other reasons? How can we help children connect and identify with them? I read a story once of a woman in Nigeria who was martyred before her captors even learned her name. That’s what led me to create the Silhouette Prayer Card craft for kids. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Picture of your child
- Piece of white paper (cardstock works best)
- Piece of black construction paper
- White pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
Step One:
Choose a country whose Christians you would like to remember in prayer. Find a picture of the flag of that nation. You can find the flags of the nations at the World Factbook.
Step Two:
Copy and paste the flag you chose into a separate document. Size it as desired, and print it on a piece of white cardstock paper. I have found that app. 4.75” x 9.6” works well. Cut the flag out of the full sheet.
Step Three:
Using the picture of the child, have him/her cut out the outline of just the face and shoulders. Lay that cut out on a piece of black construction paper and trace the outline with a white pencil. Then cut out the silhouette. (Option: You may also want to simply ask the child to draw an outline of his/her face with the white pencil on the black paper.) For the size flag used above, a picture of approximately 3.6” x. 3.5” works well.
Step Four:
Glue the silhouette picture onto the cardstock image of the flag.
Step Five:
Hang the prayer card on a wall or on the refrigerator, use it as a bookmark in your Bible, or place it anywhere that will help you remember to pray. Ask God to help you remember to pray for everyone to learn more about Him and His love and to help you remember to pray for all the people who are suffering because they love Him.
If you’d like more resources for sharing the needs of the persecuted Church with your children, I invite you to check out my website, WriteBonnieRose.com. I hope the Silhouette Prayer Card is a blessing to you and your family!
[…] Persecuted Church Craft for Kids […]