What Is Girls in Action?

Girls in Action^® (GA^®) is a WMU^® missions organization for girls who are age 6-11 or in grades 1-6. GA can help girls in your church begin to develop spiritually towards a missions lifestyle as they learn what God is doing in the world and discover their place in God's plan.
     The purpose of GA is summed up in the GA Pledge, Motto, GA Scripture Verse, and GA Lifestyle Verse:

GA Pledge:
As a GA, I will do my best to live a missions lifestyle that honors God by
• Learning about missions
• Praying for missions
• Giving to missions
• Doing missions
• And participating in the work of the church.

GA Motto:
Go Forward!

GA Scripture Verse:
"Give thanks to the Lord. Worship him. Tell the nations what he has done. Announce how honored he is" (Isaiah 12:4 NIrV).

GA Lifestyle Verse:
"The Lord has shown you what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You must treat people fairly. You must love others faithfully. And you must be very careful to live the way your God wants you to" (Micah 6:8 NIrV).

How to Start a New GA Organization
1. Pray for God's guidance.
2. Review the Starter Packet. Visit www.wmu.com/start to download samples of the GA magazines Aware, Discovery, and GA World. Call 1-800-968-7301or visit www.wmustore.com to purchase the WMU How-To: Girls in Action.
3. Meet with your pastor and children's minister and tell them of your desire to start Girls in Action. Explain GA and the resources. Give them an estimated cost to start and maintain GA. Pray together about this decision.
4. If the pastor and children's minister are in agreement, go forward! Talk it up with parents and church leaders. Win their support for the new organization.
5. Call a WMU Customer Service Representative to order a copy of Aware for each leader, and Discovery (Grades 1-3) and/or GA World (Grades 4-6) for each girl, and other GA resources as needed.
6. Recruit potential leaders by visiting one-on-one. Share with potential leaders job descriptions (pages 6-7, WMU How-To: Girls in Action) and your expectations. Show them Aware. If possible, leave them a copy of WMU How-To: Girls in Action. Tell the potential leader that you will give her a week to pray and think about accepting the position. Follow up one week later.
7. Begin promoting Girls in Action six to eight weeks before it begins. Use the church's bulletin or newsletter and bulletin boards/posters.
8. Train leaders by using the conference outline in WMU How-To: Girls in Action. Also, contact your state WMU office for training (and camping) opportunities.
9. Start the first GA session with prayer. Keep girls busy the whole session learning about missions. Congratulations, and have a great first year!

Who Leads GA?
GA leader—Each GA group needs an adult leader who is responsible for planning, preparing for, and carrying out the work of the group.

GA assistant leader—One or more assistant leaders can help the leader conduct the work of the group.

GA coordinator—Where there are multiple GA groups, the coordinator leads the GA planning team and assists GA leadership in planning. (See other duties in WMU How-To: Girls in Action.)

GA planning team—The coordinator, leaders, and assistant leaders of all the GA groups form the planning team. (Cont. on back pg.) The coordinator leads the team in identifying objectives, setting goals, making plans, maintaining records, and conducting the work of the GA organization.

What About a Girls in Action Meeting?
Girls in Action groups usually meet for an hour once a week. Groups can meet at your church, in homes, or in any appropriate location.

What Happens in a GA Meeting?
Lots of missions learning experiences! These include many kinds of small-group and large-group activities. Activities vary to fit individual needs and learning styles of your girls.
     During the first half of each GA meeting, girls participate in one or more hands-on learning activities. Then they come together for a group time led by the leader or assistant leader. Group time may include games, mission stories, prayer, Bible learning, and other activities.
     For the fourth meeting of each month, girls may work on WorldVenturesTM, an individual achievement plan. If some girls choose not to do World-Ventures, alternate activities are available. The fifth session of a month (once a quarter) may be used for planning or doing a ministry project called a Live Action Project.

What Resources Do GA Leaders Need?
Aware is the quarterly curriculum guide for GA leaders. Every Aware contains a special newsletter called ExtrAware.

WMU How-To: Girls in Action explains everything a GA coordinator and leader needs to know about GA.

Discovery and GA World are the two colorful and interactive girls magazines that complement the curriculum in Aware. Discovery is for younger girls, and GA World is for older girls.

What Other Resources Are Available for GA?
Aware Resource Kit is a quarterly packet that includes posters, games, reproducible teaching aids, and more to accompany Aware.

Aware Picture Set is a quarterly collection of pictures that relate to units in Aware.

The WMU Year Book is an essential planning resource that gives a preview of the curriculum and special projects for the year plus a complete list of GA resources and information about other WMU ministries.

WorldVentures^TM is an optional individual achievement plan in which each girl participates at her own level. Each WorldVenture level includes activities and projects designed to help girls grow spiritually and in their understanding of missions. There are six levels of WorldVentures, one for each grade. Corresponding awards are available for each WorldVenture as well as a leaders guide and other resources.

"Change the World: Mission Songs for Children" CD is full of inspirational and fun mission songs that will enhance your ministry to girls. The CD includes the brand new GA Song, two versions of "We've a Story to Tell," and much more.

The GA Web site at www.gapassport.com is an interactive site that includes current mission stories, games, news from other GA groups, leader helps, and more. Also, visit the new www.gafanclub.com, GA Friends and Alumnae InterNational Club. This site is for women who have a love for GA and missions. The site features stories of GA Alumnae and leaders from around the world and offers links to ministry opportunities for women.

State and associational WMU offices offer various GA opportunities. Most states offer some kind of GA leader training or have consultants to assist churches with training. Some state and associational WMU offices offer various kinds of camping experiences for GAs during the summer. These camps may be weeklong, weekend, or a mother/daughter weekend camp. Also, some state and associational WMU/GA organizations host events to give girls opportunities to enjoy missions activities with girls from other churches. For more information on opportunities in your state, call your state WMU office or associational office.

Other children's materials, such as mission storybooks, reward badges, ministry project helps, and GA identity items are available. Check out the children's section in the WMU Catalog (included in this packet.)

Visit the Girls in Action Web site for more information.