Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC, is a great example of a church that fully engaged their Vacation Bible School participants for ZOE.
Every day, the children and staff watched a Mission Moment video created by Zoe Empowers telling the story of a different child. The kids really connected with seeing children like Grace and Vincent and wanted to watch the videos over again!
The staff created an “orphan walk” through a stairwell that the children went through after watching each video. They covered the walls with
- Pictures showing what children look like at the very beginning of the Zoe Empowers three-year empowerment program,
- More information about how Zoe Empowers helps children help themselves
- Four posters of children further along in the Zoe Empowers program.
The children learned that orphans living in poverty often do not have access to toys and sometimes must make their own soccer balls from trash. As a group, the children made soccer balls from plastic bags, newspaper, and string in recreation one day and then played with them.
The staff also led a science lesson about farming and how Zoe Empowers teaches children to grow their own food. Everyone planted their own lettuce seeds to take home and watch grow.
The first day, children received ZOE offering boxes. Then, each day a different mission activity card was sent home. These cards included small fundraising activities, such as counting up the sports balls in their home and donating a nickel for each ball.
ESUMC’s mission offering goal was a combined $1,055 to provide Zoe Empowers children Gifts that Help: seeds, school supplies, farming tools, Bibles, business grants, etc. VBS kids loved helping other children and blew the goal away with an offering total over $1,430.
The fifth graders at ESUMC then held a Blessing Bakery sale in honor of Davis and his friends from Kenya who started the Blessing Bakery after being in ZOE. They cooked and sold $400 in baked goods for ZOE. They worked really hard and everyone enjoyed lots of delicious treats.
This church is an excellent example of how to use many of the free Zoe Empowers resources, along with some personal creativity, to provide an engaging experience for children that supports the most vulnerable children on earth!
Want to learn how to create your own Zoe Empowers fundraiser?
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