Help the children realize distance by asking them how far they drive to church or to school. Help them imagine 800, using pennies to demonstrate. If you have 800 pennies, sort out the number of pennies that represent the number of miles a child comes to church. The remaining pennies represent how far NiC and MO have to travel to Gulfport. Brainstorm with the children about ways they can help. Can they give up an ice cream cone to get NiC and MO closer to Gulfport? Jesus loves them enough to sacrifice His life. What can they give up to help others?

In the weeks before the North Carolina Missions Offering and Week of Prayer, children are encouraged to make simple offering banks to collect their money for the North Carolina Missions Offering. Children love to give gifts to those they love, so the offering banks will help them remember this year’s theme as your church prepares for and promotes the 2007 North Carolina Missions Offering and Week of Prayer. Begin collecting craft supplies for the project six to eight weeks prior to the Week of Prayer, and then have the children assemble their banks a month prior to the offering. Several versions of the offering banks are listed.

Materials Needed:

• Shoeboxes or other small sturdy boxes with lids
• Solid-colored wrapping paper
• “Are You Listening” clip art
• Old maps
• Scissors
• Tape
• Construction paper
• Crayons
• Markers
• Stickers
• Glitter
• Glue
• Utility knife (for adult use only)

Instructions:

1. Collect enough boxes in advance for each child to make a bank.
2. Also, in advance, photocopy or download enough copies of the colorful “Are You Listening” graphics to decorate the banks.
3. Have the children tape the lids on the shoeboxes and then use the wrapping paper to wrap them like a gift. (Alternately, children can wrap their boxes in old maps to complement the NiC and MO “Get ‘em to Gulfport” disaster relief theme.)
4. Ask each child to write “My Missions Bank” on the bank and decorate it with clip art, crayons, markers, stickers, glitter, and glue. Or children can make the box look like NiC and MO’s pick-up truck by attaching paper circles on the sides to represent tires. (Be sure to add a hand-drawn North Carolina license plate on the back of the truck!)
5. After the banks are decorated, have an adult use the utility knife to cut a slit in the top of the box for the donations.
6. As you lead the activity, explain the North Carolina Missions Offering and some ways the money is used. Lead the children in a prayer for missions.
7. Allow the children to collect money in their banks for one month prior to the Week of Prayer. Designate a special Sunday for them to bring their banks to church.