International (MNN)—No matter where in the world, every country dealing with war and conflict has a vulnerable population in common—children. When International Media Ministries (IMM) realized the high demand for video programming to help the younger generation in areas of conflict, they felt called to help fill the need.
“How do we minister to the next generation as they live through pretty intense stuff? One of the ways, I believe, is to give them the seeds of hope in Jesus Christ,” says Denise Godwin of IMM. “There’s an opportunity when people are young to shift their perspective, and there’s another opportunity to really minister to them in the area of hope.”
IMM partners with missionaries, national churches, and media outlets to produce a wide variety of media in almost 70 languages. While they have created children’s programs in the past, they are now working to develop and sustain a permanent department within their ministry that would be solely devoted to creating children’s resources.
“We really want this to be an ongoing ministry through media to children in different parts of the world, which means we need to sustain that with both people and funds,” says Godwin. “It’s a lot of work, and we are so excited to get to serve the next generation and help them know Jesus.”
IMM’s plan is to produce a 2-D and 3-D animated series of Bible-based stories, with 15-minute episodes that can be dubbed into multiple languages, helping to reach children through captivating storytelling, vibrant characters, and immersive narratives. Existing IMM children’s programs like Boulevard des Enfants and World of Jonathan Singh have had millions of views over three decades. The ministry currently has two children stories in production, one of which is Red—a story that helps teach kids they can have hope in challenging circumstances, even when they feel alone.
“So much tragedy is out there, but God redeems things,” says Godwin. “He redeems people, and he uses them.”
Pray on behalf of believers in regions of war and conflict, on behalf of IMM’s media partners, and that God would send IMM more animators and other mission-minded workers to help make this project a reality. You can learn more about the project at imm.edu/for-children.
Header photo courtesy of International Media Ministries.
