A New Justice Idea elephones can be a nuisance, often ringing at just the wrong time, but they can also bring wonderful surprises. Not long ago I received such a call from Kristin Lynch, Director of Christian Education at East Cobb UMC, Marietta, GA. What a delight to hear about this group of children, grades 2-5, involved in accountable discipleship. They meet during an evening when other activities are going on at the church, so they only have 45 minutes together, but they make every minute count. One of their innovations is to have an adult write down the prayer requests, then photocopy them during Justice Time, so the children have a copy of the requests to put in their journals and take home with them. They have also come up with an exciting new idea for a justice project collecting new and used books to distribute through a local school to children who don’t have access to books at home. This is an easy, high-impact justice project that can involve the entire congregation. It could be tied in with encouraging or starting a tutoring project.) Kristin forwarded additional information about literacy that I would be happy to send to anyone who is interested. Contact me in any of the ways listed at the end of the column. Below is a bulletin insert the East Cobb Sprouts used to promote their justice project. Resources Are Everywhere When I asked Kristin how she had learned about Sprouts, she said she had read about the Sprouts manual in a Discipleship Resources catalog. Both this catalog and Cokesbury’s catalog feature many books that can be useful for accountable discipleship and children’s ministries. I also find the Alternatives catalog that I wrote about in the Fall 1998 issue extremely useful. Leader in the Church School Today (available from Cokesbury) often has interesting and helpful articles. Where else do you find resources, ideas, or support? As we lead children in accountable discipleship, we need to be involved in continuing education, not only as leaders but as growing disciples as well. Participate in an adult discipleship group, be attentive to your own acts of devotion and worship, and help others by contacting me with any new resources/ideas you would like to pass on to other Sprouts groups. It would be an act of kindness to us all. If you are doing Sprouts at your church, please let us know. If you have ideas, suggestions, or questions about Sprouts, contact: Edie Harris 641 NE 6th Street Pompano Beach, FL 33060 phone (954) 942-7522 fax (954) 943-0406 e-mail sproutsedie@juno.com or Shirley Ramsey Dayspring United Methodist Church 1365 E. Elliot Rd. Tempe, AZ 85284 phone (602) 838-1446 e-mail sramsey@primenet.com Thoughts Upon God's Sovereignty | Covenant Discipleship Institute at Asbury Calling the Church to a Higher Order | Cultivating Sprouts Plant a Seed for Literacy | Called to be a Miracle How Goes Your Walk? Prayer | Back to Covenant Discipleship Quarterly Home Page