A nurse working
on the Amazon river,
00:00:12.94\00:00:15.54
a teenager on fire for mission,
sidewalk Sabbath School,
00:00:15.58\00:00:19.71
all this and much
more coming up next.
00:00:19.75\00:00:21.68
Just before he
went up to heaven,
00:00:26.22\00:00:28.82
Jesus gave us gave a command.
00:00:28.86\00:00:31.69
He gave us a mission,
00:00:31.73\00:00:33.06
Jesus said go, go
on to all the world,
00:00:34.40\00:00:39.20
telling them of his love,
00:00:39.23\00:00:41.87
this is our mission,
this is our global mission.
00:00:41.90\00:00:45.81
Hello, and
welcome to the program.
00:00:51.81\00:00:53.35
Coming to today
from the breathtakingly
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beautiful city of Vancouver.
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One of the most
interesting areas in this city
00:00:58.72\00:01:01.52
is the historic
Gastown district.
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And back in the 1970s
when they're renovating
00:01:04.83\00:01:07.30
and involved in urban
renew, there was a stem vent
00:01:07.33\00:01:10.83
that was causing
a lot of problem.
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And so to fix the problem,
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they built this
amazing steam powered clock.
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And what was once a problem
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has now become a
tourist attraction.
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And as we look at the challenge
of mission of the cities,
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we need to also be looking
00:01:26.18\00:01:27.58
at creative
ways to fix problems,
00:01:27.62\00:01:30.82
creative ways to
meet people's needs.
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And on today's program
we'll talking to young pastor
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involved in what he
calls Sidewalk Sabbath School,
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taking Sabbath
School, to the streets.
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On today's program,
we'll also meet a nurse
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working on the Amazon River.
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But first up, lets
meet a young man, Matias.
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who is involved in
mission in a very practical way.
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Matias suarez is nine years old.
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Form a young age,
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he was challenged
by his church family
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to bring people to Christ.
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Although too young for
most church activities,
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he decided to engage in mission.
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"What I like the most
is to work in the church.
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I have a habit
of visiting people.
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I ask them why they
are not coming to church?
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Or when a person
is not yet baptized,
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I'll visit to
invite him to church,
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then, we end our
visit with a warm goodbye.
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And I move on to another house.
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In a single day I can
visit about three people."
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At the young age of nine,
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Matias has given bible studies
to families and individuals,
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and he has brought many
to the baptismal waters.
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But he longs for more.
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"I am in charge of
the children's department,
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audio, visuals, and
personal ministries.
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And when I grow up,
I want to be a pastor.
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By greatest desire is
that God comes very soon
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before I become a pastor.
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But if He doesn't come
soon, I want to study theology
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and lead more people to heaven
through pastoral ministry."
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Today Matias is 15 years old
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and he's attending
an Adventist high School
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in preparation
for pastoral ministry.
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At FAMA, he gets a
quality Christian education
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and the opportunity to
preach during special events
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and at daily worship
meetings to dormitory students.
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When Matias arrived at FAMA,
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he looked for individuals
to study the bible with
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so he could continue to
follow Jesus' invitation
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to mission through
one-on-one bible study.
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Matias' family
taught him by example
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that there is no age
limit to fulfill the mission
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Jesus gave us.
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"When I was a new born,
my parents were baptized
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in the Adventist church.
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Then, they would
always take me to church.
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And on Saturday
afternoons, it was our custom
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for me and my
brothers to follow our parents
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to give bible's study
and visit new members.
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From this, the
desire grew within
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to start my own bible studies.
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In the books of
Ellen White, it's clear
00:04:04.14\00:04:06.61
that the angels of God
would like the opportunity
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we have been given.
00:04:09.88\00:04:11.58
Jesus decided to trust
us with the gospel work.
00:04:11.61\00:04:16.55
The angels in heaven
asked God for the commission
00:04:16.58\00:04:19.52
to preach the
gospel to the world.
00:04:19.55\00:04:21.76
But God said, 'This is
a work for my children.
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I am giving this to them.'
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And I ask you, what
have we done to show God
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that we are worthy of this gift?
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So I am convinced
that God called me,
00:04:34.67\00:04:37.31
and the only way I
can show Him gratitude
00:04:37.34\00:04:40.24
is by preaching the gospel.
00:04:40.28\00:04:42.44
If God said, go
to all the world,
00:04:42.48\00:04:45.98
we need to go
into all the world.
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Although, there
are a lot of places
00:04:48.82\00:04:51.19
where the gospel is not allowed,
00:04:51.22\00:04:53.32
Jesus affirms us that
even if we die for him,
00:04:53.36\00:04:57.13
one day we will live Him.
00:04:57.16\00:04:59.53
And if you are
faithful until death,
00:04:59.56\00:05:01.86
He will give you
the crown of life.
00:05:01.90\00:05:05.10
Everything
Jesus told to instruct
00:05:05.13\00:05:07.00
the disciples on the sign
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of His coming are
already happening in our days.
00:05:08.40\00:05:11.77
But sometimes we ask ourselves,
00:05:11.81\00:05:14.64
so what's really
missing for Jesus to come?
00:05:14.68\00:05:17.65
The only thing missing is
the preaching of the gospel
00:05:17.68\00:05:20.72
throughout the whole world."
00:05:20.75\00:05:22.42
My guest is,
Pastor Walter Rogers,
00:05:27.86\00:05:29.96
who is here to talk
about an intriguing ministry
00:05:29.99\00:05:32.36
called Sidewalk Sabbath School.
00:05:32.39\00:05:34.76
Thanks, Walter.
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What a
wonderful, I love the name,
00:05:36.16\00:05:37.57
tell us about the ministry.
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Well, I'll just give
like a three sentences
00:05:39.83\00:05:41.17
of history, right.
00:05:41.20\00:05:42.54
Sure.
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Basically, the Lord called me,
00:05:43.94\00:05:45.27
for last six years to
minister in Benton harbor,
00:05:45.31\00:05:46.88
it's a low income
community in Michigan.
00:05:46.91\00:05:49.78
And we started
bringing children to church
00:05:49.81\00:05:52.71
to learn about Jesus,
we got all these buses
00:05:52.75\00:05:54.88
and it let a lot of expenses
and a lot of distraction
00:05:54.92\00:05:58.72
for mission, a lot of
time and a lot of money.
00:05:58.75\00:06:01.72
Most probably the time stress.
00:06:01.76\00:06:03.99
And then long story
short, God called us and said,
00:06:04.03\00:06:06.39
instead of
bringing the kids to church,
00:06:06.43\00:06:08.03
'cause we're reaching
many more children than adults,
00:06:08.06\00:06:10.53
to then switch and
bring church to the children.
00:06:10.57\00:06:14.30
And that changed my
life, it was so much easier,
00:06:14.34\00:06:17.24
it was so much cheaper,
that most noticeable benefit
00:06:17.27\00:06:21.18
was instead of spending
all this time on infrastructure
00:06:21.21\00:06:23.91
of a busing system, we
were able to spend that time
00:06:23.95\00:06:26.92
mentoring young leaders
from the local community.
00:06:26.95\00:06:30.19
And by the time, I
left this last summer,
00:06:30.22\00:06:33.19
we had a team
from the inner city
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that were the leaders.
00:06:37.26\00:06:38.59
It wasn't outsiders
like me leading the ministry.
00:06:38.63\00:06:41.36
And the young people,
they say it's very empowering
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in a low income area.
00:06:43.93\00:06:45.50
And so, yes, super
excited, it's very doable.
00:06:45.53\00:06:48.97
Our pastors brothers are
doing it all over the world,
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they're doing
it in garbage dumps
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in Manila, the Philippines,
00:06:52.31\00:06:54.01
they're doing it in Romania
with the gypsy population,
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they are doing it at
several places in Africa.
00:06:56.34\00:06:59.35
And it's very practical,
00:06:59.38\00:07:01.28
very doable for a lot
less cost and a lot less stress
00:07:01.32\00:07:05.62
than bringing
children to church.
00:07:05.65\00:07:07.09
When their parents aren't ready,
00:07:07.12\00:07:08.66
you bring church to the children
00:07:08.69\00:07:10.26
and then through that ministry,
you minister the whole family,
00:07:10.29\00:07:12.39
and then eventually you bring
the entire family to church.
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I just love that.
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I mean, it's not just practical
and doable, it's biblical.
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I mean, because so
often we thinking about
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how to attract people to church,
00:07:22.24\00:07:24.11
how do we bring them in
a, which is all very good
00:07:24.14\00:07:26.57
but the commission is
actually to go, right?
00:07:26.61\00:07:28.98
And so you're taking it
to the context of these kids.
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Yes, and it's, it is
just as many, many benefit's.
00:07:32.65\00:07:35.98
First of all, you are allowed
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so that parents will
come over and listen.
00:07:37.39\00:07:38.72
And remember, it works best
in a high population density
00:07:38.75\00:07:42.46
and low incomes 'cause
people want something good
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for the kids, any culture.
00:07:44.83\00:07:46.56
And so then they're
much more open to the gospels
00:07:46.59\00:07:48.70
as long as you doing something
"positive for the children."
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Right.
00:07:51.17\00:07:52.50
But then 'cause you're there
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the parents that
won't come to church
00:07:53.90\00:07:55.24
will come out on their
porch and listen to you.
00:07:55.27\00:07:57.07
And we don't mess
around, we play with the kids,
00:07:57.11\00:07:59.84
but every thing we are doing
00:07:59.87\00:08:01.21
is Christ
centered, gospel, biblical.
00:08:01.24\00:08:03.45
We're always teaching
truth in a fun relevant way,
00:08:03.48\00:08:06.35
in a simple way the
children can understand,
00:08:06.38\00:08:08.12
which of course, if
children can understand,
00:08:08.15\00:08:09.85
adults can understand.
00:08:09.88\00:08:11.22
So there're many
of those benefit's.
00:08:11.25\00:08:13.12
And again, one of
the biggest things
00:08:13.15\00:08:14.49
is you're saving
the time and money
00:08:14.52\00:08:16.49
that you can then
put in to discipleship.
00:08:16.52\00:08:18.49
Now describe for me,
00:08:18.53\00:08:20.93
a typical Sabbath
school in the Sidewalk.
00:08:20.96\00:08:23.30
What sort of things do you do,
00:08:23.33\00:08:24.67
how long does it
take, that sort of thing?
00:08:24.70\00:08:26.67
Oh, first of all the method
that Lord has let me to use
00:08:26.70\00:08:29.94
is instead of doing like
a VBS Vacation Bible School
00:08:29.97\00:08:31.54
really intense of one week,
00:08:31.57\00:08:32.91
we'll go for several weeks
and we'll go same programs.
00:08:32.94\00:08:36.11
Let's say we're
doing the Ten Commands,
00:08:36.14\00:08:37.48
and command number
one have "No other God,
00:08:37.51\00:08:39.01
"we'll do that one
program at several sites,
00:08:39.05\00:08:42.05
two to three sites per day.
00:08:42.08\00:08:43.42
So we prepare it,
let's say, Monday, Tuesday.
00:08:43.45\00:08:46.25
And then Wednesday we go
to the site one, two, three,
00:08:46.29\00:08:48.52
then we do the same
program at site four, five, six,
00:08:48.56\00:08:51.23
the next day, same program
at site seven, eight, nine,
00:08:51.26\00:08:54.76
et cetera, and
then the next week,
00:08:54.80\00:08:57.17
you come back and
do program number two,
00:08:57.20\00:09:00.50
at those nine
sites sequentially.
00:09:00.54\00:09:02.07
So you're having a
more of the long term
00:09:02.10\00:09:05.64
relationship going on
with the little bit each week
00:09:05.67\00:09:08.71
but over the long term.
00:09:08.74\00:09:10.25
What the program looks like,
when I go to a site, we'll go,
00:09:10.28\00:09:14.65
literally going to
highways and byways,
00:09:14.68\00:09:16.45
compelling to come in, my
house may be full, a filled.
00:09:16.48\00:09:19.59
And so we actually go
low with the little fliers,
00:09:19.62\00:09:21.99
a little piece of
paper, can be very small,
00:09:22.02\00:09:23.43
can be a business card,
00:09:23.46\00:09:24.83
and I'll say some
fun stuff for kids.
00:09:24.86\00:09:26.33
You talk to kids you say,
"Oh, we're going to play games,
00:09:26.36\00:09:28.33
give you some
prizes, that's over hear."
00:09:28.36\00:09:30.20
And they'll come for that,
they'll come for the bread,
00:09:30.23\00:09:32.43
the loaves, and then Jesus
gives them the word of God.
00:09:32.47\00:09:35.34
And then with the parents,
00:09:35.37\00:09:36.71
you always have a
word of teach them
00:09:36.74\00:09:38.07
to respect their parents,
00:09:38.11\00:09:39.44
we're going to teach
them to stay in school,
00:09:39.47\00:09:40.81
stay off to drugs, right?
00:09:40.84\00:09:42.18
So you have both of
those on your little invite,
00:09:42.21\00:09:43.55
but it's a piece of
paper that you give.
00:09:43.58\00:09:45.61
So you do that,
you build relationship,
00:09:45.65\00:09:47.28
you play on the swing set,
00:09:47.32\00:09:48.78
you kick a soccer
ball around them, whatever.
00:09:48.82\00:09:50.45
So it's a more relax,
more simple relational
00:09:50.49\00:09:53.29
and an invite.
00:09:53.32\00:09:54.66
Then you can't do
the program after that,
00:09:54.69\00:09:56.02
you come back to the
program the next day.
00:09:56.06\00:09:57.63
There's various ways to do,
00:09:57.66\00:09:59.16
I have done
different styles that way,
00:09:59.19\00:10:01.00
but then there's a
visit before the program.
00:10:01.03\00:10:03.73
Then the program is out on
the same day or the next day,
00:10:03.77\00:10:06.43
and that's where you like
just go and do a quick invite,
00:10:06.47\00:10:08.84
"Hey, everybody,
kids program over there."
00:10:08.87\00:10:10.41
So the kids come in.
00:10:10.44\00:10:11.77
As they come in, we're
throwing a Frisbee around,
00:10:11.81\00:10:13.17
something simple, play
game like Guess That Number,
00:10:13.21\00:10:15.64
I got a number in my head,
what do you think what it is?
00:10:15.68\00:10:17.85
I then say, come in.
00:10:17.88\00:10:19.21
Then of course, we have prayer
and then we start the program.
00:10:19.25\00:10:21.52
It's about one
hour of biblical power.
00:10:21.55\00:10:24.42
And I don't mince my words.
00:10:24.45\00:10:25.79
I trying to do Mark
Finley for children.
00:10:25.82\00:10:27.66
We don't entertain
them, it's not cotton candy.
00:10:27.69\00:10:30.16
And so, with that we
start off with some games
00:10:30.19\00:10:33.80
that reinforce the lesson
like, we're doing creation,
00:10:33.83\00:10:35.66
we'll doing Adam making
contest out of play-doll
00:10:35.70\00:10:38.53
or an Eve making
contest out of wire, right?
00:10:38.57\00:10:41.17
So it's the
biblical story, but it's fun.
00:10:41.20\00:10:43.07
It's about 80 percent
fun, 20 percent learning.
00:10:43.10\00:10:45.54
We get the wiggles out,
trying get the kids moving
00:10:45.57\00:10:47.71
so they can listen later on.
00:10:47.74\00:10:50.65
Then we'll teach them one theme,
00:10:50.68\00:10:52.21
let's say it's creation,
00:10:52.25\00:10:53.58
we'll teach it with
seven different ways.
00:10:53.62\00:10:54.95
We'll introduce it with a
little visual prop, right?
00:10:54.98\00:10:58.69
Let's say iPhone, or
whatever you're saying.
00:10:58.72\00:11:01.12
Someone made this iPhone, right.
00:11:01.16\00:11:03.09
And then we'll
go to bible verse,
00:11:03.12\00:11:05.43
"In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth,
00:11:05.46\00:11:07.36
"then we'll have
a game with that,
00:11:07.40\00:11:08.73
like a Wheel of
Fortune game types thing.
00:11:08.76\00:11:10.50
And then we'll go into
more three object lessons,
00:11:10.53\00:11:13.87
sometimes two, sometimes five,
00:11:13.90\00:11:15.37
but multiple visual
concrete object lessons
00:11:15.40\00:11:18.21
that reinforce
the creation theme
00:11:18.24\00:11:20.34
that in the beginning God
made the heavens and the earth,
00:11:20.38\00:11:22.54
then we'll end with the story.
00:11:22.58\00:11:24.68
My favorite two is we
either do pilgrim's progress,
00:11:24.71\00:11:27.68
which I am currently
doing here in British Colombia,
00:11:27.72\00:11:29.82
or it's kind of my Mona
Lisa of children's ministry,
00:11:29.85\00:11:33.59
is doing to continuing
stories through the bible,
00:11:33.62\00:11:36.32
kind of a conflict of the ages.
00:11:36.36\00:11:38.13
And so we'll do Adam
and Eve in the creation
00:11:38.16\00:11:40.60
and they will end
with Eve was warned
00:11:40.63\00:11:43.10
and she saw the tree,
what would she gotta do?
00:11:43.13\00:11:45.93
She got closer
and closer to the tree
00:11:45.97\00:11:48.84
of knowledge of good and evil,
00:11:48.87\00:11:50.31
and she
remembered what God said,
00:11:50.34\00:11:52.14
then all of a sudden
there was talking snake.
00:11:52.17\00:11:55.81
And the snake
said, you won't die
00:11:55.84\00:11:57.85
if you eat this fruit.
00:11:57.88\00:11:59.25
Eve start to reach out her hand,
00:11:59.28\00:12:01.88
and we'll continue
the story next week.
00:12:01.92\00:12:05.05
That's wonderful.
00:12:05.09\00:12:06.42
For people who want to find out
more information on that thing,
00:12:06.45\00:12:08.86
I would like to
start one of these up
00:12:08.89\00:12:10.23
in my community.
00:12:10.26\00:12:11.69
Where can I
start, how can I start?
00:12:11.73\00:12:15.83
First all there's a lot
of training is available,
00:12:15.86\00:12:17.87
you can Google
Sidewalk Sunday School,
00:12:17.90\00:12:20.47
there are several videos of
that from protestant friends.
00:12:20.50\00:12:22.40
You can contact with me.
00:12:22.44\00:12:24.21
My Email you can reach me
00:12:24.24\00:12:25.57
at sidewalksabbathschool
@gmail.com.
00:12:25.61\00:12:27.94
Wonderful.
00:12:27.98\00:12:29.31
And I am at older group
Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:12:29.34\00:12:31.31
Fantastic.
00:12:31.35\00:12:32.68
Thank you so much,
for sharing with us today.
00:12:32.71\00:12:34.12
God bless you. Very welcome.
00:12:34.15\00:12:35.48
And we'll be back,
right after this break.
00:12:35.52\00:12:37.09