Lessons that last: helping children encounter Jesus

The Life exhibition is helping churches build strong connections with primary schools by introducing children to Jesus through immersive and interactive experiences that spark lasting curiosity, says Martin Erwin.

For over 30 years as a church planter and church leader, I have been passionate about making Jesus known to all ages and all cultures across our local community. I’m sure you feel this too. A key part of our locality are primary schools.

Primary schools play a pivotal role in shaping the lives of children during their most formative years. The foundation of character, curiosity and values is laid down in these early days, making it crucial to equip young minds with messages that will guide them throughout their lives.

For many years I served as a local school governor, and took school assemblies, building bridges and making friends. Those roles are invaluable, but is there a way where we could see hundreds of primary school children visit us in the course of a week, and hear clearly what Christians believe about Jesus?

Sometimes just the right tool to open doors, make connections and share the gospel, can make all the difference. One such tool is the Counties Life exhibition.

For over 40 years Counties have provided great resources to help local churches share Jesus.

The Life exhibition is a thoughtfully crafted experience designed to introduce children to Jesus in a way that is accessible, interactive, and memorable. Aimed at Key Stage 2 (children aged eight to 11), more than 150,000 school children have now visited the Life exhibition in local churches across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

London City Mission (LCM), a key user of the resource, recently wrote of the impact it is having across the boroughs of London: “The Life exhibition is not just a one-off experience – it’s a chance for local believers to be seen, to be heard, and to build bridges between the church and the school gates. And to share who Jesus is.”

Charlie Macdonald, who leads LCM’s schools team says, “I remember a Muslim girl putting up her hand during the Q&A and asking, ‘Why did you choose to become a Christian?’ That was huge. She’d realised it was a choice. Not something you’re born into, but something you decide for yourself. And then she turned to another volunteer and asked, ‘Why did you become a Christian?’

She wanted to know our stories.

In another tent, a boy listened closely to the story of the paralysed man, where Jesus forgives his sins first and then heals him to prove he has authority. Charlie recalls, “The boy – again, from a Muslim background – said, ‘Well of course they were angry. Only God can forgive sins.’ And that’s exactly the point the story is making. You could see his mind ticking over.”

The Life exhibition is an interactive, immersive experience for primary school children – hosted in church buildings, led by local believers, and designed to communicate the gospel clearly, respectfully, and engagingly.

When a class arrives, they start with a video exploring what other children believe about Jesus.

Then they rotate through three interactive zones – one looking at prophecies pointing to Jesus, another unpacking his miracles, and another exploring his teaching through the parable of the Good Samaritan.

After that, they watch a film about Jesus’ death and resurrection, before finishing with a multiple-choice quiz in the ‘café tent’.

The Life exhibition provides a great way for Elim churches to be Good News to primary schools. To find out more visit www.countiesuk.org/lifeexpo or scan the QR code, below.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.