A ground-breaking new resource for child evangelism called Bible Treasures has been released by Pacific Press®

Nampa, Idaho (April 28, 2004) -- A ground-breaking new resource for child evangelism called Bible Treasures has been released by Pacific Press®. Bible Treasures, developed by Aileen Andres Sox (editor of Our Little Friend and Primary Treasure), is a collection of ten different sharing magazines designed especially for children ages 6 to 10. Each magazine addresses a different core belief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church written at a child’s level. Sox says, “Bible Treasures are designed to acquaint children with our beliefs in a friendly and easy to understand format, and can be used to share with non-believers or to reinforce these important beliefs to children within our own churches. Bible Treasures is the only sharing material of its kind for children under 10 years of age.” Bible Treasures was especially designed as a tool for evangelists and pastors to use in evangelistic meetings as a handout to children. Bible Treasures ensures that the children are learning the same important truths at evangelistic meetings as their parents. And as parents read the magazines to their children, the message is reinforced for them as well. Sox says that Bible Treasures can also be used as part of a Bible curriculum or other any children’s program. Some pastors are even using Bible Treasures to prepare young children for baptism as other baptismal preparatory materials are geared for older children, says Stacey Bondurant, children’s ministry director for the Seventh-day Adventist Chesapeake Conference. According to Barna Research Group, one of the most effective uses of evangelism is targeting children's ministry. Their research has shown that the highest probability of a person accepting Jesus Christ as their savior for a lifetime relationship occurs before the age of 13. Research conducted by the Barna Research Group in 2001 revealed that 32% of adults accepted Jesus Christ as their savior between the ages of 5 and 13 years old while only 4% between ages 14 and 18 and 6% for people 19 years and older. In other words, attracting younger children (i.e. families with young children) to a church to learn about God’s love will have 5 to 8 times the impact of attracting the same number of older children or adults.

George Barna of the Barna Research Group states, "The research is very clear: if Jesus is not already part of their lives by the time they leave junior high school, the chances of them accepting Him as their Lord and savior is very slim (6%, to be exact). With children, it is just the opposite. Because of the challenges and insecurities they face in life, they are very open to being a part of a community of like-minded people who grow together. Children have a tremendous influence within their families and on the choices they make in all areas of life...The greatest evangelical window currently available is among young children."

Dale Galusha, vice president for ministries and sales at Pacific Press® says, “Evangelism is on the minds of Adventists regularly these days with initiatives like Sow 1 Billion and Go One Million. The General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has declared 2004 to be Year of World Evangelism. Conferences and churches are sending out Bible studies and outreach materials, and the responses are coming in. But what about the children? Shouldn’t we be evangelizing them too?”

To purchase Bible Treasures, visit your local Adventist Book Center® or call (800) 765-6955. Bible Treasures is also available online at AdventistBookCenter.com. Each magazine is available in packs of 25 for $9.95US and 100 for $34.95US. A sample set can be obtained from Pacific Press® by emailing nicbat@pacificpress.com.