A letter from Chris McReynolds on the U.S.-Mexico border
October 15, 2009
Amistad Child and Parent Program
Friends,
A Bible class in Nuevo Laredo.
During a brief absence of mission teams this summer, God began revealing new work for Proyecto Amistad and its partners. Through prayer, Bible studies, and the voices of parents and church members from both sides of the United States-Mexico border, Proyecto Amistad discerned God’s call to minister more intentionally to children.
A vision evolved that was part transformational Christian education for children, part outreach to their parents, and part leadership development to make sure that the work continues to unfold. Proyecto Amistad is bringing together churches and individuals from Mexico and the United States to work together at local churches. The new “Amistad Child and Parent Program” is being developed to organize the work. Partners have already contributed to the start-up of programs at three churches in Noreste Presbytery in Mexico. The cornerstone of the program is Christian education for children.
In the context of “Club Amistad,” children are being nurtured and taught by local church members using AMO, a children’s program produced by Chrysalis International. (AMO, a registered trademark, is an acronym for "Feed My Lambs" in the Romance languages. For example, in Portuguese, "Apascenta Minhas Ovelhas," and Spanish, " Apacienta Mis Ovejas," and in addition "amo" also means "I love" in both these languages.) The goal is to provide children with transformational Christian education to help them fully develop as the people God created them to be. The clubs will meet at least two days each week. Support needed for the Clubs includes weekly operating expenses, training for teachers, school supplies, Bibles, and in some cases, actual construction of classrooms. Parents, who are primarily responsible for the Christian education of their children, will be engaged by the local participating church.
Singing popular Christian songs is part of the curriculum that we're using.
Parents have the “homework” of praying for and blessing their children with the help of AMO material. Also, local church members will integrate the families into the church for the purpose of realizing God’s plan for their lives. Relationships will be developed through home visits and other activities. Visiting mission teams will also help church members engage both parents and children. All this will require some leadership development in the local church in order to sustain the work.
By recruiting people gifted in the area of leadership development, the pastors and missionaries at the local churches will have help both the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Mexico and the PC(USA) as they develop leaders to sustain the work of the children’s program and growth of the church.
Proyecto Amistad wants to develop ways for churches and individuals on different sides of the border to join together to minister to children, families, and communities in desperate need of the light and life of Jesus Christ. You are an integral part in this work, and we invite your participation.
Chris McReynolds
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 275
