Evangelism, or witnessing to how Jesus is working in our world, is an active component in every part of Sprouts. Using the four "acts" in Sprouts (Acts of Kindness, Acts of Worship, Acts of Devotion, and Acts of Justice), let's look at ways we can challenge the Sprouts in our congregations to follow through with evangelism and witnessing.

Acts of Kindness: This is perhaps the easiest to put into practice. There are many kindnesses we can do for one another, both on a personal and a group level. For example, personally you can challenge your Sprouts to commit to seven kindnesses each week, one a day. They might help someone without being asked, offer friendship to someone who needs it, or help the community in which they live by cleaning a park. As a group, you can take time to do bigger projects together, such as feeding the homeless, playing games at a retirement home with the residents, or making a surprise gift for someone in your congregation or community. Acts of Kindness are ways we show that Jesus Christ is active through our love and care for others, even before we care for ourselves.

Acts of Worship: If we can get our Sprouts to understand the idea that to be a witness for Christ in the world we must be spiritually fed, then we are on the fast track to helping them develop a committed relationship with Christ. Coming to church and worshiping together is an important part of this. I am often asked, "If we do all the right things, then why do we have to get up and go to church?" I offer the following explanation: Pretend you are in a highwire act at the circus. You are 100 feet in the air and you have no net to catch you. You wouldn't go across the wire without your pole to help you balance. You wouldn't want to risk death. The pole offers you support and balance. Yes, you might make it across without it, but it would be very risky. Why then would you try to live your life without the support of fellow Christians? Worshiping together offers support and balance in a life and a world that is risky. Being a witness to Christ with one another through our attendance and participation in worship is important. This challenge is one that is met individually, but requires help from others, especially parents as they usually provide transportation. This is one that should be discussed and emphasized with parents.

Acts of Devotion: This is perhaps the hardest practice. It is easy to understand that praying, reading your Bible, listening for God's voice, and practicing the spiritual disciplines that Wesley discusses will bring you to a closer relationship with God, and that others will see that relationship in everything you do. However, it is hard to follow through and put this understanding into practice. This challenge can be met by some short daily Bible readings, sharing in prayer and concerns with one another, and tag time (i.e., time alone with God). It is amazing to see the transformation that these acts of devotion can create in Sprouts. It is important that Sprouts see that they can rely on God for strength in difficult times and that they see Christ at work in our world. When parents see that their children grasp the concept of living life as a Christian and know where to turn when they are troubled and scared, this is because they have nurtured their relationship with God through practicing acts of devotion.

Acts of Justice: Through acts of justice our Sprouts are presented opportunities to work for positive change in their world. They have the opportunity as a group to not only tell Christ's story but to become the hands and feet of Christ. Acts of justice proclaim who Christ is and what Christ has taught us in Scripture. When children practice acts of justice, they meet the challenge together. Sprouts have an opportunity to look at the world around them and put Christ's teachings into practice. At Hendersonville First United Methodist Church, we ask them what bothers them in their world. We get many responses. Some are global in nature, such as hunger. Some affect them directly, such as being judged. Once we decide on what we want to change, we discuss the issue in more depth and do some research. Then we decide as a group what and whom we want to target and how to get the job done. Last year we picked up on the Golden Rule and how "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" applied to each Sprout. This is where the topic of judging others came into play. The Sprouts wanted to target adults, youth, and children. They discussed how others often judged them. They created a series of advertisements showing people of all ages being judgmental. These ads will run on our local cable television channel to encourage others to not be judgmental.

We are often scared by the worlds "evangelism" and "witnessing." But as you can see, through very simple practices you and your Sprouts can share Christ and his good news for the world. Children have a great story to tell. Don't underestimate the power in their story. Encourage them through your Sprouts program and watch great things grow.

Cay Barton is the full-time Children's Minister at Hendersonville First United Methodist Church, Hendersonville, Tennessee. She has been on staff there for ten years and has been involved in the Sprouts program for seven years.