February 6-8, 2024, International Children’s Ministries conducted an International Institute of Children’s Ministry for the nation of Nepal. Two hundred participants were expected to attend; however, by the conclusion of the training, 280 had gathered, and 260 received certificates of full participation. The training event was held at the Kawasoti Vision Church in Kawasoti, Nepal. The event included three devotional sessions, 12 workshops, eight worship sessions, and a number of special music or dance presentations by participants. A small delegation from India joined.
The training team was impressed with the engagement of the participants, as well as their eagerness and readiness to learn. Through various activities, application sessions, and group presentations, the participants demonstrated a thorough understanding of the concepts and processes presented. The most challenging activity, the development of “A Discipleship Plan,” requires participants to work in groups and design a series of four lessons that address one of the twelve spiritual needs of children. The participants did an exceptional job, with several presenting their plans to the entire institute.
International Director Dr. Shaun McKinley commented, “I was personally impressed by the number of young leaders with us, as well as the number of men present for a children’s ministry training.”
Participants experienced two powerful prayer sessions during the Institute. One was following the session on ministry calling and was in response to an invitation to seek the Lord for His call on individuals’ lives. The second prayer time was spontaneous and arose following the lesson on leading children to experience the Holy Spirit.
We are grateful to Michelle Brooks-Young for coordinating fundraising activities through KidServe, as well as all those who contributed donations to make the training possible. Most of the $20,000.00 raised has been received with additional commitments from several ministries and states to surpass our goal. Extra funds are anticipated for this training and will be utilized to translate the Children’s Ministry Handbook and Trainer’s Notebook into Nepali. This will provide additional resources to the ministries in Nepal to advance children’s ministries.
Tentative plans have been made to return to Asia and conduct training in India in December.
