Children's Outreach

Touching the Lives of Future Leaders!

One group of followers that surrounded Jesus when He walked on earth was CHILDREN. Where ever Jesus went, they followed. He always welcomed them with opened arms.

Children are often neglected when making disciples and raising-up leaders. We see them as Jesus sees them, people of great value. In following the footsteps of Jesus, our arms are also opened wide. Our outreaches demonstrate the love of Jesus as we play with them, teach them God's Word, dance and sing with them, and meet them where they are. We provide nourishment for their bodies, access to education and other tangible needs they may have. As a result, we are seeing children raised up as witnesses, and a blessing within their communities.

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Our children's fund that is specifically used for outreach to children within underdeveloped communities.

Who was Gloria Sutherland?

Gloria gave her life to the Lord Jesus Christ at 6yrs old. She loved Him with all her heart and lived for Him and His kingdom until she was called home in September, 2021.

When she was sixteen (16), she noticed that many children didn't go to Sunday School to hear about the wonderful Lord Jesus Christ. She wondered how she could get them to know about Him? That's when she started a children's ministry in her back yard. And because it was on Thursdays, she called it Thursday Class. Gloria loved to sing about the joy of the Lord. So there were lots of singing, having fun, praying and Bible lessons on Jesus' love. Many children also believed on the Lord Jesus and are serving Him today.

What is the Fund About?

This fund enables us to carry on Gloria's legacy. The fund helps us continue all aspects of the children's outreach, including providing access to education. Most importantly, it gets the Gospel to these young and impressionable hearts (Eccl 12:1).

Here are some facts about the children in Benin Republic.

Children are some of the most vulnerable people. In Benin, many children lack basic needs.
46% of the population of Benin are 14 years old and under.
Malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare and education, and lack of attention offer little hope for the development of children.
Education: Most only have a primary school education. Many children do not get a secondary school education. Many village children after primary school work on farms.
Gov’t spending on education in an illiterate society is only about 3% of GDP.
The conditions above make them susceptible to human trafficking.

Through the Gloria Sutherland Children's Fund, we assist over 300 children in spiritual, educational, health, and social development.

Two ongoing initiatives of the GSCF are Back to School and a Village Library. See more information below.

Gloria Sutherland
Children's Fund (GSCF)

Back to School

Children in the villages of the Benin Republic lack access to education. Benin's literacy rate is less than 40%. It is even lower among poor villagers, especially girls. Those that have some education only received a primary school education.

In our back-to-school distribution, we were able to help children go to school for the first time. Our college-level group increased 500% this year due to the children being allowed to advance from primary to secondary school.

We would love your help in sending all of these beautiful children to school. $75 will help a child receive the school supplies needed for the year. Thank you to those who responded last year. Denise received your blessing. Read a snapshot of her story.

Donate

Village Library

The people in the villages are learning to read and write and children are having access to an education. There is one vital component missing. BOOKS! Textbooks, reading books and other materials to help receive a better quality education.

The village library will provide a setting for children to have access to required textbooks, and provide and safe environment to learn and do their homework. The library will be on our Community Center site, which is about a two-minute walk from the village primary school. The library will serve over 300 children. The building will contain books, bookshelves, and storage for the benches and tables.

We are collecting used books from a few middle-class families in urban areas. We will need to also purchase books and build the library. Villagers have offered to help with some of the labor. We praise God for the collaborative work of the villagers, the Beninese people and outside donors. Will need about $5,000 to complete the project.