WMU: Making disciples of Jesus who live on mission....Hero deaeople Can elp Q E Q It 2 Q pencils 1 R...

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Sharing God’s love with others can be easy for elementary-age girls. Whether it’s delivering a handmade craft to a neighbor or sending notes of encouragement to homebound community members, missions discipleship groups teach girls how they can impact the world by kindly sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone they meet.

WMU: Making disciples of Jesus who live on mission.

Why MissionsDiscipleship Is Important for Girls“If trends continue for Gen Z, nine out of ten will grow up without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. [Missions discipleship for girls] is a great way to reach this group.” —Lori Herrington

Table of ContentsHow to Start Missions Discipleship . . . . 2Resources for Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Sample Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

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Girls in Action (GA) is a missions discipleship group for girls in grades 1–6.

The GA Motto is “Go Forward!” and Girls in Action do just that—they grow closer to God as they discover their part in His plan and practice what they learn through hands-on missions opportunities. GA leads girls to a lifelong commitment to Christ, His mission, and His church.

In GA, girls:• learn about missions,• pray for missions,• give to missions,• do missions, and• participate in the work of the church.

WMU: Making disciples of Jesus who live on mission.

How to start Girls in Action:

Start with prayer. Pray and ask God to provide additional leaders and excited families for this new group.

Select a meeting time and order resources.Work with your church staff or children’s workers to determine a meeting time and place for your new group. Order your materials:

GA Leader (one per leader)GA World (one per girl)GA Leader Kit (one per classroom)

Announce your meeting time.Use your church’s social media and weekly bulletins and your personal contacts to invite girls to be involved in Girls in Action. They are going to have a great time!

How to Start MissionsDiscipleship for Girls

We’re here to help!For questions about starting or leading a Girls in Action group, contact national WMU GA consultant Heather Keller at [email protected] or (205) 995-4816. Or, find links to state WMU websites at wmu.com/statecontacts.

Connect with us online! wmu.com/children wmu.com/GA facebook.com/GirlsinAction

https://www.wmustore.com/ga-leaderhttps://www.wmustore.com/ga-worldhttps://www.wmustore.com/ga-leader-kitmailto:hkeller%40wmu.org?subject=http://wmu.com/?q=simple-page/childrens-missionshttp://wmu.com/?q=simple-page/childrens-missionshttp://wmu.com/GAhttps://www.facebook.com/GirlsinActionhttp://www.wmu.com

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Resourcesfor Girls

Watch girls’ faith bloom as they learn what it means to live on mission. Through engaging Bible studies, missions projects, and activities, girls will have fun learning how the gospel is being shared in different ways around the world.

GA World

It’s a big world out there, and a subscription

to GA World will help girls meet the people

who need to know about Jesus’ love! Contains

richly-colored, fun activities and stories that

coordinate with each weekly session of

GA Leader.

Annual subscription (4 quarterly issues)Print: $16.99

GA Leader Kit

Energize every GA session with this handy kit packed with vibrant

posters. Every poster in the GA Leader Kit is designed to enhance

learning and give a fun visual aid to the stories you tell and the

activities girls complete in your GA meetings.

Annual subscription (4 quarterly issues)Print: $54.99

GA Leader

GA Leader will help you lead weekly sessions

filled with ideas, activities, and projects designed

to teach and encourage girls to share Jesus’

extraordinary love with the people around them.

Annual Subscription (4 quarterly issues)Print: $26.99 Digital: $24.99Digital/print bundle: $30.99

wmustore.com

http://www.wmu.comhttp://www.wmu.comhttp://www.wmustore.com/ga-leaderhttp://www.wmustore.com/ga-worldhttp://www.wmustore.com/ga-leader-kit

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■OPENING (10–15 MINUTES)Complete this activity with children as they arrive.

Copy the Leader1. Name the first girl to enter the room the

leader.2. As other girls enter, ask the leader to

stand in a hero pose. The other girls must copy her pose. Choose the girl who most closely mimicked the leader to be the new lead hero.

3. Continue playing until all girls have arrived.

4. After all girls have arrived, take attendance. Recognize any GAs with birthdays this week.

5. Say together the GA Motto, the GA Pledge, and the GA Lifestyle Verse.

For PrereadersIf you have a prereader who is hesitant to copy the leader, ask her to help you decide who was closest to perfectly copying the leader.

■ STORY (10–15 MINUTES)If you teach mixed ages, divide into younger and older groups for these activities. Or select the option that best fits your group.

YOUNGER (GRADES 1–3)

Footsteps■SUPPLIES■■ Item 1■■ Item 2■■ US map (optional)

1. Say: This month, we will learn about a Send Relief missionary who serves as the executive director of Baptist Friendship House, a Send Relief Ministry Center, in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you have a map, ask girls to identify where your church is and to find New Orleans. Show Item 1.

2. Say: New Orleans is a big city. It is known for jazz music, Cajun food, and festivals. New Orleans is also a city with a great number of people who don’t have enough to eat or a place to live. New Orleans has one of the highest crime rates in the US. Kay Bennett looks for these hurting people and tells them about Jesus.

3. Tell girls that Kay Bennett had good examples to follow when she was growing up. Her father was a farmer and carpenter. Her mother was a nurse. They taught her to share and to help others.

4. Turn to “Footsteps” (Item 2). Tell the story in your own words or have more skilled readers read it aloud.

Take a Step■SUPPLIES■■ Item 3

1. Ask girls to stand against a wall. Say: I am going to ask you some questions about what you just heard. If you know the answer, take one normal step forward. If you don’t, stay where you are. I will ask one girl to tell me the answer. If she can tell me the answer, she will take another normal step forward. You may use Item 3 if you need to, but some answers were in what I said.

2. Use the questions below:

• What is Kay Bennett’s job?• Where did Kay grow up?• What job did her mother do?• What job did her father do?• When Kay and her father walked in the

pasture, what did he tell her?• Who helped teach Kay to help others?

3. When you have completed the game, ask girls to name people who are teaching them to live like Jesus.

4. Thank God for the people who taught Kay Bennett to care for others and for the people who are teaching the GAs to follow Jesus.

OLDER (GRADES 4–6)

Becoming a Missionary■SUPPLIES■■ Item 1■■ Item 2■■ pens or pencils

1. Introduce Kay Bennett. Show Item 1. Say: Kay Bennett is the executive director of Baptist Friendship House, a Send Relief Ministry Center, in New Orleans, Louisiana. An executive director is the person responsible for making decisions and making sure the ministry runs as it is supposed to. New Orleans has a very high poverty rate and a high crime rate. There are many homeless people because the cost of housing is so high. God used Kay’s life and her experiences as a little girl to teach her how to care for people with such great needs.

2. Put girls in pairs or groups of three. Ask them to read “Becoming a Missionary” (Item 3). Ask them to put a star beside

Super Helpers: Baptist Friendship HouseOVERVIEWGAs will learn how Kay Bennett, a Send Relief missionary, learned to follow Jesus and help people in need.

BIBLE VERSE“The Lordord will keep you from every kind of harm. He will watch over your life. The Lordord will watch over your life no matter where you go, both now and forever” (Psalm 121:7–8).

Girls in Action Sample Session

BAPTIST FRIENDSHIP HOUSE

Each unit features a

missionary or missionary

family.

GA Leader

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each person or experience that helped Kay know that God wanted her to be a missionary.

3. After girls have finished, ask them to take turns sharing what they found out.

Make a Timeline■SUPPLIES■■ Item 3■■ freezer paper or butcher paper■■ markers■■ pictures of New Orleans (optional)

1. Rearrange the groups. Give each group a two-foot long piece of freezer paper and markers.

2. Challenge girls to use the information in “Becoming a Missionary” (Item 3) to create a timeline of Kay Bennett’s journey to becoming a missionary. There will be very few dates, but girls can estimate dates if they wish.

3. If you have pictures of New Orleans, encourage girls to draw similar scenes on their timelines.

4. Ask girls to share their timelines with each other.

5. Pray for Kay Bennett and the Baptist Friendship House.

Ask GAs to research the poverty and crime rates for your area. Arrange for them to interview two or three

people who work with people who are homeless and those who have experienced crime to find out how they help these populations. Help them brainstorm ways your church could help. Challenge girls to create a video to share with your WMU® group that describes the problems and ways your church could be involved.

■EXPERIENCE (15–20 MINUTES)

Complete one or both activities as a group.

Baptist Friendship House Calendar■SUPPLIES■■ Item 4■■ pens or pencils

1. Direct girls to “Calendar of Events” (Item 4). Help them complete the calendar by sharing the following events. Feel free to mix them up as you read out each event so they have to search for a place to put it on the page.

Tuesdays: Provide snack packs, hygiene kits, clothing, and showers for women who are homeless.

Tuesdays: Teach computer skills, job skills, education test preparation, and English as a second language classes.

Wednesdays: Serve breakfast. Host support groups. Teach life skills. Offer creative arts programs.

Thursdays: Teach Bible studies and education classes. Serve lunch. Provide clothing.

Weekly: Help law enforcement meet the needs of hurting people. Provide transportation as needed to clients.

February: Friendship Fest—a block party event for the community.

April: Health fair to offer free health exams.

July: Backpacks for children and families and a back-to-school party for the community.

October: Fall Fest is another block party event.

November: Thanksgiving meal for people who are homeless and the community.

December: Christmas party for everyone who regularly attends the weekly Bible studies.

Sometimes: Help people who are homeless move into housing and pick up donations.

Daily: Help everyone who comes to Baptist Friendship House. Help with any emergencies and life situations. Listen. Pray. Share Jesus.

2. Say: All of these events and projects are opportunities to show compassion to others. People who are hungry, thirsty, needing clothes, needing shelter, sick, leaving prison, and suffering can get the help they need. Jesus said in Matthew 25 that when you help others with these needs then you are helping Him. Kay Bennett says: “When someone comes through our doors in need, we have compassion on them by meeting the needs they have. They can see Jesus in us, and that builds a relationship for us to tell them about Jesus.”

JUST FOR PREREADERS■SUPPLIES■■ music or music player

1. Challenge girls to come up with creative dance moves that capture what Baptist Friendship House does on different days of the week. Monday and Friday can be inspired by the daily agenda. Tuesday,

LEADER TIPIf you are doing the missions project at the end of the month, begin announcing the need for travel-size hygiene products and easy-open snacks.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Activities are designed to

accommodate a variety of learning

styles.

GA Leader

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, and Thursday are more specific. Saturday and Sunday can be inspired by the weekly events. Think of moves like the sprinkler, dab, and mashed potato.

2. Once they have figured out their choreography, just add music. You may wish to make a video of girls putting all their moves together into a dance that celebrates the work of Baptist Friendship House.

No Matter Where You Go■SUPPLIES■■ Bibles

1. Give each girl or pair of girls a Bible. Help them look up Psalm 121:7–8.

2. Say: Answer these questions with the information you find in these Bible verses. Who will keep you from every kind of harm? Who watches over you no matter where you go? When will God watch over you?

3. Say the verses together twice.4. Ask girls to walk to a different part of

the room. Say: No matter where you are, God watches over you. Say the Bible verse again.

5. Repeat Step 4 twice.6. Ask a girl to repeat the verse from

memory.

JUST FOR PRETEENS■SUPPLIES■■ Bible■■ video recording equipment

1. Say: Kay Bennett depends on God’s protection and care for her. Read Psalm 121:7–8 together from the Bible.

2. Ask girls to record a message to Kay Bennett that uses Psalm 121:7–8 to encourage her.

3. Email the video to Kay at the address provided at the beginning of this unit.

CLOSING (10 MINUTES)Guide your group to participate in these activities together. Use the final activity as parents arrive.

Prayertime■SUPPLIES■■ Items 4, 5, and 6■■ tape■■ state missions offering information

1. Choose a new GA to tape a new missionary profile onto the boxes on “Psalm 121 Prayer” (Item 4) that say “you/your.”

2. Read aloud information for the missionaries on Item 5.

3. Read together “Psalm 121 Prayer” (Item 4), focused on the missionary. Pray for the missionary’s prayer requests.

4. Share information about your state missions offering. Use “State Missions Offering” (Item 6) to record your church’s state missions offering name and goal and post it next to the “Psalm 121 Prayer” poster. Pray for the offering.

Hero Idea—People I Can Help■SUPPLIES■■ Item 2■■ pencils

1. Read the “Hero Idea” (Item 2). If appropriate, point out that people who are featured in your state missions offering material also use their talents and skills to help others and share Jesus.

2. Take a few minutes to help girls identify their talents and skills. Ask girls to write them down.

3. Next to each talent or skill, encourage girls to write down the name of someone they could help with that talent or skill.

4. Continue until all children have been picked up.

JUST FOR PREREADERSEliminate the writing, and let girls talk through the activity.



Choose which activities will best meet the needs of

your group.

Ask questions to

help girls apply missions to their lives.

GA Leader

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Item 5Girls in Action Sample SessionBaptist Friendship House

Another way Baptist Friendship House cares for the people of New Orleans is by providing a free health fair. People who have no money to

visit a doctor on a regular basis can get help here at no cost!

One of the ways Baptist Friendship House helps people in need is by providing them with food to eat. They want to make sure people are

fed physically and spiritually.

New Orleans is home to delicious food! Have you ever tried a boiled crawfish?

Baptist Friendship House is here to help! There are many people in New Orleans who struggle because of extreme

poverty. The men and women at Baptist Friendship House want to help those in need.

The city of New Orleans has a long history. It was built at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and steamboats were used to move people and goods to

and from the city.

Pray for the work Baptist Friendship House is doing in New Orleans. Pray for the workers to be encouraged to continue doing what God has called them to do.









and from the city.










and from the city.










and from the city.


From the GA Leader Kit. To order the GA Leader Kit, visit: wmustore.com

Item 1

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Think about people who have helped you live the way Jesus wants you to live. Write their names in the footsteps.

HERO

IDEA

Make a list of talents you have and things you know how to do. Next to each one, write the name of one person you can help with that talent or skill.


*From GA World. To order GA World, visit: wmustore.com

FootstepsKay Bennett grew up on a farm. Her dad took her with him when he walked through the pastures.

Cows and horses live in the pastures. Holes made by animals that live underground can be hidden by brush or wild grass. Cacti grow in some pastures, too.

Mr. Bennett knew about all these pasture challenges. Whenever he took Kay through the pastures, he told her to

step where he stepped. Mr. Bennett had already seen the holes and cacti. When Kay followed her father’s footsteps, she was safe.

Kay said her parents cared for the sick. They told others about Jesus. They taught Kay to care for hurting people. They taught her to tell people about Jesus. Kay said her Sunday School teachers, GA® leaders, and Acteens® leaders helped her follow Jesus, too.

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Becoming a MissionaryKay Bennett is the executive director of Baptist

Friendship House in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is

also a Send Relief missionary. Kay learned how to

help people when she was a little girl. That helped

her know that she wanted to help people all her life.

Kay’s college degree included an internship.

Internships are a little like a class and a lot like a

job. Kay’s internship taught her to help people with

needs. Those needs were physical, like hunger

and clothing. Those needs were also emotional.

Sometimes people need a friend. One part of the

internship was hard for Kay: she could not meet

their spiritual needs.

She learned that New Orleans Baptist Theological

Seminary offered a master’s degree in counseling.

She met with a professor at the seminary to talk about

going to school there. After that meeting, Kay knew

God wanted her to get her master’s degree there.

Next, Kay was given a part-time job at Brantley

Baptist Center. Brantley Baptist Center was an

emergency shelter for people who were homeless

in New Orleans. The center could house 250 people

overnight. They also had a four-month program

for 36 people to live at the center and receive help.

Kay was able to share her faith and help people with

their physical needs. It was everything she had ever

wanted to do. She likes to tell people that she found

a home with the homeless.

After Kay graduated from seminary, she became

a full-time missionary. She worked full time at

Brantley Baptist Center. She worked there for a

total of ten years.

Kay became director of Baptist Friendship House in

1997. The ministry helps people who are homeless.

It also has job training, classes for people who didn’t

complete high school, and a crafts ministry.



Item 3

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Calendar of EventsCalendar of EventsCan you help Baptist Friendship House make a calendar of all the things they do? Just listen to the events your leader is sharing with you. Add them to your calendar. Use words or pictures to help you remember what it is that they do.

SEPTEMBER

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

SUN MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT

WEEKLY GOALS

UPCOMING EVENTS DAILY TO-DO LIST



Item 4

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Item 6

Girls in Action Sam

ple SessionBaptist Friendship H

ouse

“The LORD will keep [you]

from every kind of harm

. He will watch over [your] life. The LORD

will watch over [your] life no m

atter where [you] go, both now

and forever”(Psalm

121:7–8).


Item 5

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Missionaries of the Week

Parker Manuel

Place of Service: ColoradoPray for Parker to see new ways to love and serve the people of Colorado so that they will come to know Jesus.

Kaysie Nathman

Area of Service: European Peoples Pray for Kaysie to have the strength to keep going even when things get hard.

Bryan Jackson

Area of Service: East Asian PeoplesPray that Bryan knows he is not alone as he serves the people of East Asia.

nolan frederick

Place of Service: New MexicoPray that God will provide new partners in ministry for Nolan.

Ben Thornton

Place of Service: MainePray that Ben will rely on God for the strength to continue his ministry.

Judy Armacost

Area of Service: European PeoplesPray for Judy to be bold when sharing her faith.

Cole Deike

Place of Service: IowaPray that Cole will feel encouragement today to try new mission strategies that will bring people closer to God.

anna lovett

Area of Service: Southeast Asian Peoples Pray for Anna to have the help she needs to meet the needs of the people of Southeast Asia.



Item 6

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Item 7

Girls in Action Sam

ple SessionBaptist Friendship H

ouse


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