May 11, 2007 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States …. [Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN]
God is like an … egg? The concept of the Trinity has stumped plenty of scholars and wrinkled the brow of many a Sabbath School teacher, so why would anyone try to explain how one God can be three to kids? Why not? is a question world Seventh-day Adventist Church Children's Ministry director Dr. Linda Koh is more likely to ask.
She and prolific Adventist children's author Charles Mills have written God Loves Me 28 Ways: Seventh-day Adventists Believe for Kids. Koh says the book is a “kids-eye view” of the church's core beliefs, from the Sabbath to the Second Coming. So far, a read-it-yourself book, activity book and resource book for parents and teachers is available. When complete, the five-book series will also include a music book with a sing-along CD.
The books, part of the Children's Ministry department's 'Tell a Child, Tell the World' mission, are meant to “nurture children in the faith, encourage them to develop a personal relationship with God and learn how to tell their friends about Jesus,” Koh says. “The fundamental beliefs don't have to be long and confusing,” she adds. “We have tried to find short, simple ways to help children understand Adventist beliefs.”
A quick flip through the book reveals one way is to use metaphors kids can relate to. Just as an egg wouldn't be an egg without a shell, egg white and yolk, the book explains, God would not be complete without the Father, Son and Holy Sprit.
Full of pictures of children, real-life stories and pared-down explanations of each Adventist belief, the books are connecting with kids, says Koh, who continues to get emails from 8 to 12-year-old fans of the series who tell her they're “learning a lot” by reading the books.
“It's very satisfying and rewarding to get feedback from children who use [these books] for worship and who are telling their friends about Jesus,” comments Koh.
Koh says the series is the first to present Adventist beliefs in a comprehensive way. Other books for children–such as Michael Asks Why, a reworking of Ellen G. White's classic The Great Controversy–while still pertinent, may present Adventist beliefs in a less inclusive, more “isolated” format, she says.
God Loves Me 28 Ways is published by Pacific Press Publishing Association. Koh says the books from the first printing are temporarily sold out. A second printing will soon be available in the United States at all Adventist Book Center locations. Visit the Children's Ministries Web site, www.childrensministries.gc.adventist.org for more information.
Copyright (c) 2007 by Adventist News Network.
