Secret Children booklet - Open Doors

255minsif you onlyhave 5 mins...Show the Change their World film...or if you – or someone else – has been askedto lead prayers, use the following prayer:if you havehalf an hour......in your Bible study or prayer group, use the.time to tell people about the children of the.persecuted church and to pray for them..30mins4let’s pray...Loving God, our maker and healer –You know us and love us all: nothing is hidden from your sight.We pray for children around the worldwho are Christians or part of Christian families.beforehand...Print out the prayer cards from the DVD.Read the Secret Children booklet on the DVD.Familiarise yourself with the stories in the booklet before youmeet with your group. Each story features a child’s drawing.For children who are bullied in school –strengthen them and make them a light to their friends.For children whose parents are in prison –help them to cope as they wait tobe reunited.For children whose parentshave died – bring comfort andlove through church, family and friends.THINGS YOUCOULD DO...1. Photocopy and give out,to be placed in people’s Bibles2. Pin to notice board3. Use at house groupFor children who wander the streets with nowhere to go –lead them to shelter and a caring home.Gather together the following seven items on a tray torepresent the seven stories featured in the Secret Childrenbooklet: a picture of a bird, a Bible, a Barbie doll, a picture of aprison door, a football, a T-shirt with a clothes peg, an exercisebook and pen.what you need...Take the tray, the seven items and theprayer cards, to your group meeting.Play ‘Kim’s Game’. Tell people to shut their eyes, then take one itemaway from the tray. Ask: what’s missing? When someone answerscorrectly, bring the item back. Do this a few times. The last time, use theitem as a focus for telling the story and praying for the child.For children who have witnessed violence –heal the memories of the past and give them a future to look forward to.Lord, they are part of our family, and we are your servants.Help us to share the blessings we have with them –so that the secret of your grace and love is the story of their lives.isaiah 49:25“But the LORD has promised to fight on our side and torescue our children from those strong and violent enemies.”Give out the prayer cards. Read the story of the child relating to themissing item. Or read the longer version in the Secret Children booklet,and also the additional information on the facing page.Pray together, using the prayer from the appropriate prayer card.The rest of the group may wish to add their own prayers.If you have a bitmore time...1. Read Matthew chapter 2 in the Bible.2. Reflect on Herod’s persecution of Jesus.How did it affect Joseph, Maryand others?

8960minsif you onlyhave an hour...Why not use your Sunday service to focus on thechildren of the persecuted church? It could beon 6 November – the International Day of Prayer– or if that date is no good, then pick another!if you have90 mins...Why not hold a prayer meeting for the Secret Children?.It could be on 6 November – the International Day of.Prayer – or another date to suit you.90mins59DVD RESOURCEThe DVD includes an outline for an interactiveSecret (Family) Service with ideas and resources:SUGGESTED OUTLINE1. Welcome – and prayer2. Declare – the truth about God3. Sing – suggestions for worship4. Read and Listen – Exodus 1 & 2 or Matthew 25. Discover – Secret Children Treasure Hunt6. Watch – DVD – Change their World7. Make – a Prayer Picker8. Pray – for the Secret Children and others9. Respond – take away Secret Children leaflet10. Conclude – a final blessingFind the DVDat the back of thisbooklet, with all theresources you willneed.OTHER SERVICERESOURCES1. PowerPoint2. Prayer cards3. Sunday School lesson4. Tea service5. Secret Children films6. Colouring sheet with prayers7. Quiz sheetDVD RESOURCESChange their World (5 mins)Once Upon a Time (5 mins)OTHER RESOURCES1) Secret Children booklet2) Prayer Cards3) Secret (Family) Service4) Secret Prayer Meeting5) Audio prayer tracks6) PowerPoint7) Walk to the Water8) Great Big Tea Party9) Blackout06 NovINTERNATIONALDAY OF PRAYER...for the persecutedchurchCHILDRENTHE HIDDEN VICTIMS OF THE PERSECUTED CHURCHideasBe as creative as you like – just keep prayer at the centre.The Secret Children DVD features ideas andresources to help you put on a Secret Prayer Meeting:1) Ideas for prayer stations2) Ideas for action stations3) Prayer cards4) Audio prayer tracks*5) Short filmssuggestionsYou could also have prayer leaders at each of theprayer stations. These are people who can speakbriefly on the subject of their prayer station andguide the prayer time.Groups could gather at different starting points andthen you could direct their movement and time bygiving them a printed prayer guide and lettingpeople know when to move on – for exampleafter 7 minutes or longer.the SecretPrAyer meetInghere’S SOme IdeASfOr A PrAyer eventArrivalsPut up a Secret Children poster at the entrance point. Or makeit more striking with several of the posters, mixed with largeprint Bible verses or inspirational quotations.For inspiring Bible verses and quotes, go towww.opendoorsuk.org/pray/creative prayerArrange the venueAsk eight people beforehand to be responsible for settingup the Prayer Stations as described below.Set up the venue with the Prayer Stations – you could ‘hide’ them in differentcorners of the venue.Put up a poster for each station, and assemble the suggested items for display. You could add a map andflag for each country – use your imagination.Print out prayer cards from the DVD (or download at www.opendoorsuk.org/secretchildren). You couldgive everyone a set on arrival; you could print each one on A3 paper to create a Prayer Station poster; youcould have them available to pick up and use at each Prayer Station – and they could then be taken home.Offer people something to listen to by making your Prayer Station into a radio station! The DVD has eightaudio tracks, one for each country, highlighted at each Prayer Station. A technical person wi l be able toput the right track on an mp3 player with earphones available. An older person might use CD-players withheadphones!Leading the eventPrayer StationsStation 1: north KoreaPStation 2: IraqStation 3: PakistanStation 4: chinaStation 5: egyptStation 6: IndonesiaPrAyermeeTInGpage oneTo do list...Jong-cheol – disposableItems for display: Origami swa lows*, picture of KimJong-il, thin blanket.Suggestion: Hold a paper swa low in your hands asyou pray.*Instructions in the Sunday School session one resourceLeah – displacedItems for display: A tent, a fi led rucksack, a do l and achildren’s Bible, a map, a compass.Suggestion: Wear the rucksack while you pray.rika – vulnerableItems for display: Barbie colouring books,children’s books, children’s Bibles.Suggestion: Colour in a picture from a colouring book –or use our colouring sheet table mat – and pray.xiao ming – deprivedItems for display: Picture of a prison door, items ofChinese food, including prawn crackers or rice cakes.Suggestion: Break a cracker or cake. Pray for Xiao ming’sbroken relationship with his father to be restored.Amir – IsolatedItems for display: A print-out of enlarged sad and happyface emoticons, pictures of egyptian tourist sights andprinted out headlines about the political changes inegypt (search on the internet).Suggestion: Imagine you are Amir happy at home: pray.Then turn around and imagine you are Amir sad atschool: pray.yati – rejectedItems for display: T-shirt pegged to a washing line,sewing basket. You could also tip out some rubbish torepresent her scavenging when she was eight.Suggestion: Write a prayer and peg it out on thewashing line.Arrivals – poster on door,set of prayer cardsPrayer Stations – posters, prayercards, items for displayAction Stations – practical wayspeople can support theSecret ChildrenDepartures – things to take away,including response leafletsInvite people to be prayer leaders for each Prayer Station, to speak briefly and guide the prayer time. If youwant to direct people, you can delegate one person to coordinate the meeting. Groups could gather atdifferent starting points and then you could direct their movement and time by letting people know whento move on – for example, after 7 minutes or longer. You might like to produce a printed prayer guide for theevent.To bring each short prayer session to a conclusion you might play a short piece of music that a lows peopletime to move to the next station.Open Doors Registered Charity in england and Wales no. 1125684 © 2011the SecretPrAyer meetIngOpen Doors Registered Charity in england and Wales no. 1125684 © 2011Station 7: colombiaPedro – disadvantagedItems for display: Various simple schoolroom items,including an old exercise book and pen.Suggestion: Write a prayer in the exercise book.Station 8: nigeriagabar – devastatedItems for display: Footba l, shirt, boots. Run the Change theirWorld film on a sma l DVD player or laptop.Suggestion: Have a box of Lego blocks or building bricks(Jenga blocks) available. each person holds a block whilepraying for God’s protection on the children, then addstheir block to the wa l.Action StationsIn addition, you could have one or more Action Stationsfor people to visit after they’ve prayed, with things theycan do to consolidate their response.• Read and fi l in the Secret Children leaflet• Sign up to pray for the Secret Children from6 November to 24 December• Put a donation in a child’s piggy bank forOpen Doors’ ministry to children• Have a laptop (linked to a projector?)available for people to explorewww.opendoorsuk.org• Write to a persecuted Christian: details atwww.opendoorsuk.org/write• Sign a campaigning letter on behalf ofpersecuted Christians: details atwww.opendoorsuk.org/campaign• Read more about it: buy a copy of BrotherAndrew’s books God’s Smuggler or Secret Believers.DeparturesGive out Secret Children leaflets. Thank people forcoming. Invite them to your next event.next PAge >>chILdrenTHe hIdden vIctImS OF THe PeRSeCuTeD CHuRCHPrAyermeeTInGpage twopsalm 127:3“Children are a blessingand a gift from the LORD.”To bring each short prayer session to aconclusion you might play a short piece ofmusic that allows people time to move tothe next station.*These are taken from our bi-monthly prayerCD/cassette tape. Call 01993 885400 to have itsent to you; or download from our website.

threehoursif you havethree hours...Why not Walk to the Water? In northern Nigeria, somewomen and children have to walk five miles to fetchwater because there is no well in their village. And forChristians, going to a Muslim village can mean trouble.2some infoTwo years ago, Maryam Yakubu, a Christian woman living in UngwarGaladima, was mercilessly beaten by a Muslim youth when she went to fetchwater. Now, thanks to money raised from Walk to the Water events, there is anew borehole giving clean – and safe – water in her village.She can fetch water whenever she wants. The women in her village are reallyexcited about this. To them, it’s a blessing from God that wipes away their tears.Open Doors dug four new boreholes in 2010, providing easy accessto water for around 15,000 people. Local Christians, including 40young people, were given training in borehole maintenance andwater sanitation. Now they can maintain their boreholes bythemselves and keep them running for as long as possible.So why not get a grouptogether and Walk to the Water?Walk for fun…walk in prayer…walk with a purpose…Walk tothe Water2011WaterPlease photocopy this form if you are inviting more than 15 guests to your event.Please return this form (along with any additional photocopies) with a cheque/smade payable to Open Doors covering a l the donations received at your event.open doors can make your gift go further! If you are a UK tax payer, and have paid enough tax,we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate.To give permi sion please enter your fu l name and address and tick the Gift Aid box.Title: Name: Home address: Postcode: Amount:How far would you walk?Walk for fun…walk in prayer…walk with a purpose…. in support of persecutedChristians. Get yourwalking boots on – andmake a difference!Please return this form to: open doors uk and ireland, Po Box 6, Witney, oxon, oX29 6WG.Walk to the Water for the Secret Children– so they don’t have to!For posters, sponsor forms and other resources to helpyou organise your Walk to the Water, just look on theDVD, or go to: www.opendoorsuk.org/walkDetailsDate:Time:Place: ___Contact:Tel no:Email:Walk tothe Water2011£To get involved visit:www.opendoorsuk.org/walkOpen D ors Registered Charity in England and Wales No. 1125684 © 20 1WaterHow far would you walk?Walk for fun… walk in prayer… walk with a purpose…SA NG S CD 1Are youunder 21?WaterHow far would you walk?Walk for fun…walk in prayer…walk with a purpose…. . in support of persecuted Christians.Get your walking boots on –and make a difference!Gift AidDonationTo get involved visit:www.opendoorsuk.org/walkWalk tothe Water2011I Would like toreceive the latestnews from thepersecuted church“The way Open Doors carries out their mission isso wonderful and so encouraging. They ministerto you spiritual things and go ahead to give youphysical things. They don’t stop there, they alsoteach you how to use and maintain the thingsthey have done for you. Their goal is for us to beindependent and stand with no crutches. We arevery grateful to you.”Ishaya Ibrahim

49WalloWINSTruCTIONS2. Fold it in half again. Crease itand open it up again.Again fold in half.n the upper flap alongwn. Fold the flap behindin the same way.7weeks6sunDaySChOOlyutBOArDpage SiX3. Now fold the top corner down asshown by do ted line and a row.7. Now fold the wings upwards sothey spread out either side.Open Doors registered Charity in england and Wales No. 1125684 © 20 1Open D ors registered Charity in england and Wales No. 125684 © 20 15. rotate paper upwards90 degrees.if you haveseven weeks7 secret childrenWhy not introduce your Sunday School to theSecret Children, using our Kidzone Seven Secretsfor Children resource?Do you teach the children at your church?Are you looking for some fresh ideas for yourSunday School or midweek club?Our unique Kidzone Seven Secrets for Children resourcebrings alive the truth of what it means to follow Jesusaround the world today. And it’s all about children.Each week, for seven weeks, you can take yourchildren around the world – from Egypt to Indonesia,from Iraq to China – to hear the stories of the SecretChildren. Children who have lost homes, parents,even their lives, because they are Christians.introduction8. Throw your swalow up in the airand see it twirl to the ground.ChilDrenThe hiDDen viCtims OF The PerSeCuTeD ChurChStartin thishomedirectionthrough the defending line without getting tagged.If tagged, that player must freeze (or sit down) untilThere are lots of children around the worldunfrozen (tapped) by a team mate. Then they mustwho fo low Jesus. But for many of them, it’s areturn to their side.dangerous or a difficult thing to do. Over the nextfew weeks we’re going to find out about some ofIf a l offensive players are tagged, the game endsthem. We’re going to hear their true stories andand restarts until they capture the flag. The flag thenfind out what their lives are like. And we’re goingbecomes theirs and they must defend it from theto pray for them - and for children like them. eachopposite team. This takes team work, strategy, speedone lives in a different country around the world.and agility!The first one is North Korea.Questions...Can you find North Korea? Where is it near?(Note the borders with China and South Korea.)Many Christians try to escape from North Korea,because it is so dangerous to be a believer there.Game: Sam Pal Sunyou wi l need: flags of North and South Korea,dividing line, team bandssam pal sun is the name of the border betweenNorth and South Korea. It’s also the name of achase game for Korea, otherwise known as Crossthe line. The game is played with five or moreplayers on each team. each team wears colouredbands, say red and blue. One team has a flag,placed on the ground behind the defendingteam, which they need to keep the other teamfrom reaching. each defending team memberhas a ‘territory’ they must defend and can’tmove away from. The offensive team tries to getsunDay sChoolreSOurCe session 1seCret ChilDren 1:JONg-CheOl’S STOrYOpen Doors registered Charity in england and Wales No. 125684 © 20 1Story: The Story of theWandering Swallowsit was dark on the 10 lane motorway. the buswas fi led with foreign tourists. everybody wasexhausted. suddenly, the bus driver slammedon the brakes. in an instant, everyone was wideawake.There in front of the bus stood a girl – absolutely sti l.She might have been 9 years old, but it was hard tote l. There is often very little to eat in North Korea,so children look a lot sma ler than others their age.her face was dirty and she was dressed in rags. Shelooked lost and confused.The driver got out, gently pushed the little girl tothe side of the motorway, walked back to the busand got behind the wheel again. he exchanged sadlooks with the people in the bus, but no-one saidanything. Slowly, he put the bus back in gear anddrove off to the hotel.story Continues >>RESOURCESsunDaySChOOlpage twoSUNDAY SCHOOLSESSIONSSession 1 – Jong-Cheol fromNorth KoreaSession 2 – Leah from IraqSession 3 – Rika from PakistanSession 4 – XiaoMing from ChinaSession 5 – Amir from EgyptSession 6 – Yati from IndonesiaSession 7 – Pedro from ColombiaThey’re all hidden victims of the persecutedchurch. But they’ve got loads to teach us.Reading their stories will bring the Bible alive for thechildren in your church and broaden their understandingof the world around them. It will engage their hearts andminds – and give them a pressing need to pray. (It’ll do thesame for their parents, too!)The subject matter is challenging, but dealt with in animaginative way. Each session includes at least one game,story, Bible passage, prayer, craft or activity – and will getyour group involved in supporting the children of thepersecuted church.The Kidzone Seven Secrets for Children resourcecan be downloaded in full from:www.opendoorsuk.org/secretchildren.There’s a sample session on the DVD. Passit on to a Sunday School teacher near you!7 Stories.7 Children.7 Sundays.Sorted.introductionif you have49 days...Why not pray for the Secret Children for 49 days?.Start from the International Day.of Prayer on.6 November and keep going right.through to.Christmas Eve. 7 x 7. That’s 49 days. Perfect!.What better way to celebrate the birth of Jesus? While everyoneelse is spending masses on presents for the children, spend alittle time remembering the children who need your prayers.A special Secret Children prayer publication will be sent to everyone whoreceives the Open Doors magazine each month. You can sign up toreceive the prayer publication and/or the magazine using the SecretChildren leaflet, or phone 01993 885400.If you would prefer to receive your daily prayer request by email, youcan sign up online at www.opendoorsuk.org/secretchildrenSign up yourself. Encourage others to join you.feeling creativeOr if you’re feeling creative, why not downloadThe Key Thing and make your own set of miniprayer cards? Just punch a hole in the corner andattach them to something useful like a keyring,a pram, a dog lead or a handbag.Alternatively, put them in your pocket and use themas a reminder to pray each day. It’s a great activityto do with your youth group or home group.The Key Thing will be available to download from:www.opendoorsuk.org/secretchildrenOnce a day. Seven days a week.For seven weeks.49days

DVDresourcesYOUR SECRET CHILDREN DVDPut the disc in your DVD player and you will be presentedwith the choice of our two short films. Put the disc in yourcomputer, and you can see the two films... AND access a hostof additional resources*. Who could ask for more?resources on the DVD• Films Change their World (5 minutes); Once Upon a Time (5 minutes)• Secret Children A booklet giving the full background to the campaign• Secret (Family) Service A complete guide to an all-age service• PowerPoint A simple presentation adaptable to your situation• Prayer cards A set of eight – print A5 as prayer cards, larger as prayer posters• Audio prayer tracks One for each country featured on the prayer cards• Secret Prayer Meeting An organiser’s guide• Kidzone: Seven Secrets for Children A sample of the seven sessions• Walk to the Water Poster, sponsorship forms, organiser’s guide• Great Big Tea Party Invitations, posters, organiser’s guide• Colouring Sheet Table Mat Print off, copy... provide lots of crayons• Quiz Sheet Table Mat Print off, copy... then co-operation or competition?• Blackout A video, a sponsor form, a T-shirt order form.06 NovDVD RESOURCESINTERNATIONALDAY OF PRAYERChange their World (5 mins)Once Upon a Time (5 mins)OTHER RESOURCES1) Secret Children booklet2) Prayer Cards3) Secret (Family) Service4) Secret Prayer Meeting5) Audio prayer tracks6) PowerPoint7) Walk to the Water8) Great Big Tea Party9) Blackout...for the persecutedchurchCHILDRENTHE HIDDEN VICTIMS OF THE PERSECUTED CHURCHyourdvd*To access other resources1. Place DVD into CD/DVD drive on your computer 2. Clickon ‘START’ button in windows and click ‘MY COMPUTER’ 3.Right click CD/DVD drive and click ‘EXPLORE’ 4. Open ’SECRETCHILDREN DVD-ROM Contents’ folderCOULD YOU BE AN OPEN DOORS CHURCH REP?Children take time to grow up. Make sure the children ofthe persecuted church are not forgotten... become a point ofcontact for your church.Visit www.opendoorsuk.org/volunteer or phone 01993885400 to find out how easy it is to bring inspiring updatesto your church and share the privilege of partnering withpersecuted Christians. Let’s face it: if you are using this packin your church, you are more than halfway there!Open Doors UK and IrelandOpen Doors is an international ministry servingpersecuted Christians worldwide. It also aimsto inform and inspire the church here to serveChristians living under persecution.Open Doors supplies Bibles, leadership training,Scripture-based literacy programmes, livelihoodsupport and advocacy services. The children of thepersecuted church benefit directly, and through thesupport of their families and communities.