The Outreach Resources of the Year honors the past year’s best books that emphasize outreach-oriented ideas.
Last fall we invited publishers and authors to submit resources that released between Nov. 1, 2022, and Oct. 31, 2023. The Outreach magazine editorial team then placed the qualifying titles into 13 key categories for review by expert panelists in each field. After thoughtful consideration, they selected one or more entries as an Outreach Resource of the Year and spotlighted some titles as “Also Recommended.”
In this section you will discover valuable tools that belong on your bookshelf. You will reach for them time and again as they enhance your effectiveness in ministry through the years.
KIDS
Evaluated by Russell St. Bernard, an Outreach magazine contributing editor; director of ministry operations at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Calverton, Maryland; and founder of After the Music Stops LLC and Ministry Pivot.
RESOURCE OF THE YEAR
The King of Easter: Jesus Searches for All God’s Children written by Todd R. Hains, illustrated by Natasha Kennedy (Lexham Press)
This children’s book does a good job of showing children the point of the gospel message—that Jesus came to rescue us. The author takes young children through the stories of several notable people in the Bible, pointing out how Jesus saved them. This book keeps kids engaged with illustrations throughout that are colorful, diverse and great. Finally, key pages for parents as well as biblical highlights of characters featured in the book allow readers to study God’s Word more deeply.
ALSO RECOMMENDED
The Things God Made: Explore God’s Creation Through the Bible, Science and Art by Andy McGuire (Zonderkidz)
This book does a commendable job of explaining the creation of the world and the things of the world from a biblical point of view. McGuire also walks young readers through the science of creation and explains how it links back to God.
