You look at your participants during your training – eyes glaze over, heads nod with sleep. You wonder if anyone is listening… We all relate to this experience! Research shows that adults (as well as children) need experiential, “hands-on” activities to make learning meaningful.

Imagine every child in every community having the opportunity to know someone who can introduce them to Jesus and disciple them. This is the dream behind the 1for50 global training initiative. 1for50 seeks to multiply training to those local people who can share with children the life-changing love of Jesus.

1for50 and KidsHubs were both ‘birthed’ by people like you, gathering together at the Global Children’s Forum (GCF) to dream up what discipling children could look like in today’s world. And we can all be part of it. Follow these links to download tools to help you share this God-sized dream with others in the Body of Christ.

• Want to run your own KidsHub? Check out this How to Start a KidsHub guide.
• For those who are new to the incredible global training initiative called 1for50, you might find this brochure helpful in getting an overview of the vision and strategy of this project.
  1for50 Imagine Brochure
• This excellent video will help you to share the importance of children in the 4-14 Window.
  Introduction to the 4/14 Window Movement Video

The month of June was busy for KidsHub trainers. Trainings were run in India, Malaysia, Thailand and Nigeria.

Malaysia: 3 KidsHubs trainings were conducted in Malaysia. 60 leaders took part in the training run by the creative Children’s ministry leader Ramesh from Chennai, India. He also ran sessions for children in 5 different locations with a total of 300 children participating.

Chennai: Ramesh also trained 42 teachers from 4 churches at a 1-day training for leaders organized by the Church of South India in Chennai.

Thailand: Pearl Ganta from India facilitated KidsHubs workshops at the GCM EQUIP training conference in Thailand. There were 15 representatives from various organizations who participated in each KidsHub workshop. The participants were amazed at how relevant & interesting a KidsHub session was, stating it was anointed and fully involved the child.   KidsHubs has now been asked to conduct trainings in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland in India; Myanmar, Indonesia, Mongolia and South America.

Nigeria: 41 trainers from across Nigeria attended the KidsHubs Training of Trainers. Richard & Edwin from Uganda and Emmanuel and team from Liberia facilitated the training. One discouraged children’s leader who had given up teaching children due to challenges came to the training. Nosa one of the organisers of the training said the children’s leader was so encouraged, “she resolved that when she returns back home she will continue discipling the children due to the knowledge and the renewed zeal and motivation she had received.”

The 1for50 movement sees the possibility of sharing KidsHubs in their training of trainers across the globe. 1for50’s goal is to see a trained children’s ministry leader for every 50 children around the world. They believe KidsHubs is a great tool for their trainers to equip the children to reach out to their peers. 1for50 has a presence all over Asia, Africa and America. KidsHubs materials will be added on 1for50share.net and made available to a wider network of trainers.

Most middle class parents in Africa are concerned about the competition in schools, universities and social opportunities because of their huge population and limited resources. They make special efforts to give their children a good foundation in education. They send them to tuition and special classes even on weekends. The church has lost many of these children.

A ministry leader in Ghana who is also a software developer was inspired by the idea of KidsHubs i.e. mentoring using life skills and the Bible. He is developing this idea where teens can learn computer coding, do some sports, build values and become disciples. This model has the potential to become a bridge for the church to reach out to the parents and children.

We will continue to update you about various models across the globe that carries the DNA of KidsHubs. We are keen to hear from you about your discipleship programs.  Tell us your story here. If you have any resources that can be used by other KidsHubs please upload ideas and resources here. New resources for teens can be found at the link below BibleMAX Teens.

In April this year, 10 children and 10 Sunday school teachers took part in a KidsHubs training event. They learnt puppetry to tell the good news of Jesus and focused on a servant leadership strategy and heart values to use in their local KidsHubs group.

The group were involved in filming a KidsHubTV show. This episode was designed by the Sunday school teachers to reach out to children from all backgrounds and religions in their community. They filmed a range of segments with children doing a short drama about sharing, a Ubabalo soccer skills session, acrobatics and a children’s choir. Preschoolers involved in a Helping Hands project were also caught on video. Interviews with both parents and children were also filmed about health & hygiene, the importance of good behavior & an education as well child abuse.

The team in Morogoro, TZ hope to make 100 copies of their KidsHubTV DVD to distribute in their community. Their next project is to create short 3 minute segments to upload on YouTube and kidshubtv.com.

What about you? Could you film a short segment with children acting in a drama, teaching a song or interviewing each other? Sign up as a Producer (it’s free) on kidshubtv. Click on the ‘Menu’ top left of the homepage & get started!
For KidsHubs sessions on Puppetry click here.

KidsHubs Workshops in Thailand: 25 – 30 May
Pearl (KidsHubTV Director & trainer) is running KidsHubs workshops at GCM Equip & 1for50 Retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand. One workshop will be on how to make short videos using a mobile phone. Go Pearl!

World Weekend of Prayer for children: 6 – 7 June
Join with others around the globe to pray on behalf of the hurting children in our communities, and those in far-off places – that God would give them strength and carry them through their desperately tough times.
Go to www.worldweekendofprayer.com to find resources for download, plus activities for all ages, a video of children thanking God for being with them and a theological reflection. The Facebook page is www.facebook.com/WWPrayer

KidsHubs Training in West Africa: 19 – 21 June
KidsHubs & KidsHubTV training is coming to Nigeria. KidsHubs users & experienced ministry leaders from Uganda, Liberia, Togo & Nigeria will be leading this exciting training. Stay tuned for more details.

Regional KidsHubs Camp in Hedomé, Togo : 10 – 22 August
Eric and his team from Enfant Foot Développement are planning to run a camp for children from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Niger and Togo. Email [email protected] for more information.