Reaching the Children: Unique Idea
In 2004 Vina completed a pilot project for children, a video on the Biblical account of David and Goliath, presented in a format and style especially designed to appeal to young people. There are reportedly three million children in Guatemala between the ages of 4 and 14! Yet this age group is almost totally ignored by the church, especially in the rural areas. Children are expected to sit through church services that last anywhere from two to four hours, or are allowed to escape outdoors and play till the service is over. Considering that 50-55% of a person's worldview is formed before age 5, and 80% by age 12, these are important years in which to internalize biblical truths!
The production of the David and Goliath video using finger puppets (registered trademark of Deditos) was one attempt on Viña's part to help meet this need. Kaqchikels who understand their culture, wrote the script. The dialog was written for children, but has enough humor and cultural expressions to appeal to all ages. Each episode also includes an original song produced by musicians from the language group of the target audience. (Samples are included under the Trailers & Music heading.) Field-testing of the completed video resulted in a high level of interest and involvement in the story.
Because of the interest in this pilot project, it was decided to expand the concept into a series of complete Sunday School lessons. The stories selected for the Finger Puppet Series will be based on the Chronological Bible Story set being used and promoted by many missions. Stories are the means of changing people’s worldview. Many of us who grew up in Christian homes can trace our Bible knowledge back to the Bible stories our parents told us, or that we learned in Sunday School. Learning Bible Stories, and the life principles they teach, will form the basis of a Christian worldview that will have a major long-term impact on the church. This material will result in children and young people with a significant increase in Scripture internalization; the ability to apply Scripture to their daily lives and Scripture portions and songs committed to memory.
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