Kids Learn About Past, Present, Future
By Lora and Jason Campbell, One Mission Kids
More than 125 years ago, OMS cofounder Charles Cowman knelt over a map of the world, praying for people he had never met. His wife, Lettie, later agreed with this conviction:“ Everything vital in missionary work, whether at home or abroad, hinges upon prayer.”
Neither could have known that, more than a century later, a room full of children and adults would kneel with the same faith, proving that a commitment to prayer is still at the heart of missions.
That room was One Mission Kids’ Interactive Prayer Experience, part of OMS’ 125 th celebration event. Eight prayer stations, built to be touched, welcomed guests to take a trip through time.
Eight-year-old Leona loved experiencing the prayer journey. When she reached the mustard seed station, she lingered there longer than at any other. After carefully sealing the tiny seed inside a small glass bottle, she cupped it in her palm like something precious.“ Even though we aren’ t big in the world,” she said,“ small faith can do big things.”
Her six-year-old brother Sean added to the paper praise chain nearby and talked about a place he’ d just learned about that still needed missionaries.“ There are people there who don’ t pray to God,” he said. Their 10-year-old brother Donovan added,“ Our prayers are a way to help missionaries.”
A few tables away, a teenager named Teddy knelt at that same mustard seed station. Teddy volunteered to help run the kids’ program( held during all the program sessions).“ No matter how small, God still counts it,” he said, echoing what many learned that day.“ The whole program encouraged me to look forward to when I can go on a mission trip.”
Former OMS President Bob Fetherlin and his wife, Esther, watched the afternoon unfold with a unique perspective.“ Prayer,” Bob said,“ is the engine of missions, and yet it’ s often the piece most overlooked in our churches.” What he and Esther witnessed that afternoon was something they recognized as rare.
Standing in that room, we were encouraged to see the generations coming together to pray for the world, as they praised God for OMS’ past and present and asked for his help for the future.
Charles and Lettie once knelt in faith for a future they would never live to see. In 2026, generations knelt side by side with that same faith in a prayer experience designed to remember the spiritual legacy of OMS’ founders.
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