As the year comes to a close, it is fitting to praise God for His help and grace, to give thanks for His provision, and to look to Him to guide 2020. We marvel as we look back on 2019 to see all that God accomplished!
Prayer partners
We are grateful for the network of more than 2,000 partners who committed to join us in praying “Big, Bold, Biblical Prayers for the Next Generation” on a regular basis this year.
“Thank you for encouraging our church to pray more for our children,” Gayle Alexson wrote to us. Gayle purchased copies of Big, Bold Biblical Prayers for the Next Generation for her church last spring, and that booklet encouraged her church to start a new prayer ministry for their children. A group there continues to divide the names between them month by month and pray at least once a week in a focused (big, bold, biblical) way for their children of the month in their personal devotions.
To join the prayer effort, keep reading.
A new online home for Truth78
We were excited to launch a new web home for Truth78.org that is easier to navigate, features more free content, is accessible from mobile devices, and is more secure and reliable. The new site introduced:
- Updated vision and mission videos from David and Sally Michael explaining the Foundations for God-Centered Children’s Ministry and a newly expanded training section with articles, seminars, and plenary sessions to equip you for ministry and encourage your faith.
- An area for churches with in-depth information about our curriculum resources and ways to effectively partner with the parents in your church and an area for parents with resources to encourage you in family devotions, tools for helping your children engage with church services, helpful apps for families, and more.
- Translated resources in various languages downloadable for free.
New leadership
Truth78 announced new leadership to pursue a vision for the discipleship of the next generations, naming David Michael as Executive Director and Gary Brewer as Director of International Resource Development in September.
As full-time Executive Director, David now leads the ministry in advancing the Psalm 78 mandate to teach the next generations, “so that they should set their hope in God.” His primary concern is to help the North American Church be serious and effective in discipling the next generation and to help the Global Church with God-centered resources for children and youth.
Gary Brewer joined Truth78 after more than 35 years of missions-focused ministry. As Director of International Resource Development, Gary oversees all translation work and international printing and distribution contracts. He is also responsible for establishing international training programs that inspire a biblical vision of ministry to the next generations, as well as effective and practical implementation of children’s discipleship resources.
To read the news release, click here.
To read more about international developments, see: God's Provision Toward Meeting a Great Global Need.
Asombrados por Dios conference in Mexico
This past July, David and Sally joined with Latin American believers who share a zeal for the discipleship of the next generations. Speaking at the Asombrados por Dios (Astonished by God) conference at Horizonte Church in Querétaro, México, they ministered to online and local-participants from 22 different churches and 16 Latin American countries. Horizonte’s pastor, Kike Torres, opened the conference powerfully with “The Harvest is Large and Small: A Call to See the Task of Reaching and Equipping the Next Generation.” David and Sally delivered “A God-Centered Vision for the Faith of the Next Generation.”
On Saturday, Sally joined with Pastor Hector Santana, Truth78's primary voice for Latin America, to speak on raising a Bible-saturated generation and inspiring them to set their hope in God. Between sessions were opportunities to experience lively, God-centered worship and receive practical training through a variety of workshops. At the conclusion of the conference, more than 1,000 people from Horizonte gathered across four services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning for worship and David Michael's message, “For the Joy of the Next Generation” from Psalm 1.
Messages at Sing! conference
David and Sally Michael joined Keith Getty for a pre-conference panel at the Children's Leadership Forum as part of Getty Music’s Sing! Conference in Nashville, TN this August. During the main conference, the Michaels led the breakout seminar “A Vision for God-Centered Worship in the Next Generation.” Truth78 hosted a booth throughout the conference for the more than 8,000 attendees.
From Childhood You Have Known conference
Our greatest responsibility to the next generations, detailed in Psalm 78, is to make known to them the glorious realities of God's holy Word. Passing on the faith begins with biblical literacy. This was the focus of Truth78's From Childhood You Have Known conference in Louisville, KY, October 18-19, 2019. The conference brought together more than 320 people from 28 different states, representing 87 different churches, to think about and promote biblical literacy in the church. Speakers included R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Bruce Ware, Ryan Fullerton, and David and Sally Michael. In addition to the plenary messages, practical breakout seminars highlighted and helped implement biblical literacy in homes and churches.
Conference video, audio, and seminar handouts are available online.
New releases
We're grateful for God's provision in 2019 for developing new and revised children’s books, discipleship booklets for church and home, and updated curriculum.
The World Created, Fallen, Redeemed, and Restored: The Gospel Plan of God
Sally Michael wrote, and Truth 78 published, the illustrated children’s book, The World Created, Fallen, Redeemed, and Restored, so that children might know and embrace the life-transforming truths of the gospel. By using key Scriptures and child-friendly, compelling narrative, children will encounter the greatest realities in all the universe—and in their own lives.
Established in the Faith: A Discipleship Guide for Discerning and Affirming a Young Person's Faith
How can we discern if a young person is a true disciple of Jesus Christ? A child growing up in a Christian home and in the church can know all the right words to say and yet still be dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1) with a heart far from God (Isaiah 29:13). We developed this guide for parents and others in the church to help young people, ages 11 and older, who profess faith in Christ, to examine themselves to see whether they are “in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Fight the Good Fight: A Study for Children on Persevering in Faith
This newly revised Midweek Bible curriculum identifies various battlegrounds of temptation and equips children with strategies for fighting against sin. They are encouraged to fuel their faith in God by remembering that strength, help, and victory are assured in Christ. Children are challenged to memorize 50 Fighter Verses to help them in the battle.
Revised Helping Children Understand the Gospel
This newly updated booklet covers preparing the hearts of children to hear the gospel, discerning stages of spiritual growth, communicating the essential truths of the gospel, and presenting the gospel in an accurate and child-friendly manner. It also includes a 10-week family devotional.
Jesús: ¡Qué Gran Salvador! (Spanish Jesus, What a Savior)
Each lesson in the Spanish version of Jesus, What a Great Savior! is designed to present the material, including the Bible stories, in a way that proclaims the centrality of God's greatness and value. This particular curriculum achieves this by focusing on God's revelation of His Son, Jesus, as the only hope for desperate sinners-good news of the Gospel.
Coming in 2020
As we rejoice in God's guidance in 2019, we look in hope for His leading and provision for opportunities in the works for 2020.
7 Commitments for the Discipleship of the Next Generation
“Truth78 is zealous for the discipleship of the next generations.” These 10 words represent our recent effort to capture the essence of Truth78’s mission in a brief and memorable phrase. There are multiple convictions driving this zeal, which we plan to fully explain in a new book coming this spring. It will present the seven commitments that are essential for the discipleship of the next generation. As a preview, you can see David and Sally Michael introduce these commitments in their plenary address, "Zealous for the Discipleship of the Next Generations" at the From Childhood You Have Known conference.
Revised In the Beginning...Jesus Curriculum
We are revising In the Beginning...Jesus to complete the enhancement of all our elementary Sunday School curriculum. This chronological study of redemptive history will feature a format consistent with the rest of the elementary Sunday School curriculum, revised illustrations, and expanded lesson content. It will also provide more interactive application activities, and training tools.
More Than a Story Bible Resource for Children
We are preparing to release a new kind of Bible resource for children in the fall of 2020. More Than a Story will take children on a chronological journey through the Bible with a God-centered, gospel-focused, discipleship-oriented, theologically grounded perspective. This family-engaging book, written by Sally Michael and fully illustrated by Fred Apps, will include more than 150 chapters covering key stories, events, people, themes, and literary genres of the Bible. We are praying that More Than a Story will have global impact, advancing the cause of Christ and the discipleship of young people for generations to come.
Will you partner with Truth78 in declaring the glorious deeds of the Lord to the next generations?
Truth78 is a vision-oriented ministry for the next generations—that they may know, honor, and treasure God, setting their hope in Christ alone, so that they will live as faithful disciples for the glory of God.
Your support helps Truth78 share this vision for the next generation with pastors, parents, and other influencers, and then provide the resources and training to faithfully pursue that vision. Additionally, your support makes it possible to provide children with God-centered resources in their own language, and equip churches, schools, and families of limited means.
