The largest Christian mission agency to children in the world, Child Evangelism Fellowship, has released a new app designed to reach out to children.
According to a press release posted on Christian Newswire, the app is designed to be an interactive experience for children ages three and up. The app is entitled "God's Word: Hide It!"
"We know children are increasingly using mobile devices," CEF associate director Dave Howe said. "'God's Word: Hide it!' gives us the possibility of reaching thousands of children with the Gospel and be able to help them live godly lives."
Howe added that the app was created "as a tool to help children develop the habit of studying God's Word."
"We hope to coordinate this with our 5 Day clubs and Good News clubs," Howe said.
CEF stated in its press release that its new app would allow children to "read and listen to Bible verses, play interactive memorization games, color illustration pages about each verse, and sing along karaoke style to the verses set to music." The organization also noted that a parental portal is included in the app so parents could have "an active part in the child's learning within the application."
According to the organization's press release, CEF has plans to follow this app with two more apps, both aimed at younger children.
"'God's Word: Sing It!' Will center around CEF songs," Howe said, adding that app would teach children about God through the lyrics and the app's interactive elements.
The third app in the series, according to CEF, will be entitled "God's Word: Know It!" It will be designed to teach "longer Bible stories to kids through the app medium."
However, CEF mentioned that the app will only work on iPhones, iPads and iPods for now; it can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. The organization is currently working on an app designed for Android users.
While it may be the first time CEF has developed its own app, it has previously worked with other organizations before in app development. According to a news release posted on PRWeb, Faith Comes by Hearing teamed up with CEF to update its Bible.is KIDZ app.
"We continue to be amazed at how partnerships and digital technologies are opening so many doors for every person to be able to experience the life-giving truth offered in Scripture," FCBH vice president Troy Carl said.
FCBH thanked CEF for providing the illustrations used in the Bible.is KIDZ app. That organization noted that the Arabic version of its free app has become popular in the Middle East with help from a partnership with SAT-7.
"As the only Christian channel for Arab children, SAT-7 KIDS is a strategic partner with FCBH and the Bible.is [KIDZ] app is a wonderful tool to put in our viewer's hands," Rita Elmounayer, Executive Director for SAT-7's Arabic channels, said. "Especially since millions of these young viewers are not living in countries where they can just go out and buy a Bible."
