In Brazil, Event Encourages Children to Become Evangelists

While watching a DVD titled Adoradores [Worshipers] from the Seventh-day Adventist Novo Tempo TV network in Brazil, little Brayan Pereira said he found out what he wanted to be when he grows up: an Adventist pastor.

“I really enjoyed watching the preaching of Pastor Fernando Iglesias, and told my mother that I wanted to study to become a pastor,” Pereira recently shared. “She told me that as I wait to be old enough to go to college, I can start talking about Jesus and give Bible studies to people. And that’s what I began doing,” he said.

Now, at 12 years old, Pereira is already keen to give Bible studies and engage in the activities of his local church in Ecoporanga, Espírito Santo. “I like to talk about Jesus. He alone brings joy and salvation to people,” he said.

Like Pereira, more than 400 children who are also involved in missionary activities participated in the 2022 Kids Evangelism event on April 2, 2022. The event brought together children, parents, and Sabbath School teachers from all over the State of Espírito Santo to Guarapari, in the metropolitan region of Vitória.

“The goal of this program is to encourage and motivate Adventist children and teenagers to be missionaries,” Suzete Araújo, child and adolescent ministries director in three Brazilian states, said. “This event in Espírito Santo is serving as a pilot to implement a similar initiative in other states across the region.”

The program included lights, games, and music, organizers said. It was based on four pillars of teaching to children: missionary pairs, small groups, intercessory prayer, and child preaching. Each participant received a T-shirt and backpack with various resources that will help them become child evangelists.

Encouraging Them since Childhood

“This is the first time I’ve brought my children to an event like this,” Ana Paula, a children’s Sabbath School teacher at her local church in Cariacica, said. “I really want them to develop their gifts for a noble cause. Everything we learn here we will apply to our Sabbath School class at our church,” she added.

During the program, children attended a lecture on how to prepare a sermon. Soon after, they were challenged to create their own sermon and preach on the event stage. Eight-year-old Elisa Freitas was one of the participants who decided to put her embarrassment aside.

“When I walked up to the stage, I felt a little embarrassed,” she said. “But then it disappeared. I preached about the Samaritan woman. It is a story that teaches us that Jesus never leaves us nor forsakes us.”

At the end of the event, each child and youth received a Bible study guide and a baptismal gown so they can study the Bible with a friend and eventually invite him or her to accept Jesus and request baptism.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.