FTD month
2026 RESOURCES
resources made for you
sermon guide
If you want to preach or teach into this topic during this month, use this resource for ideas to shape your sermon.
pledge card
Churches across the nation are taking part to raise awareness and care for families in the first thousand days. As your church joins in, congregants can pledge their commitment. Join in and let your voice be heard.
prayer guide
If you want to lead your congregation to pray,
this resource can be used to lead prayer meetings,
or send to congregants over a
5 day period.
devotion
You can grow your congregant’s theological understanding of how Jesus calls little children to himself. This is a 5-day devotional resource you can send to congregants.
posters
Putting up posters in your church can help remind people of your church’s commitment to helping parents bring their children to Jesus.
messages for parents
Send an encouraging message to parents. They are raising young lives, and this resource will help them feel seen by their church and be informed of some great ways to care for their children.
mother’s day guide
You can use Mother’s Day on 10 May to affirm and encourage mothers in their important role of caring for young children. This resource has a few ideas that you can adjust to work in your church context.
father’s day guide
Fatherhood is a big issue. We invite you to use Father’s Day on 21 June to raise awareness to create a supportive community for fathers. This resource has a few ideas that you can implement on that Sunday service.
baby celebrations and baby dedications guides
During this campaign, take a moment to celebrate the birth of new life. In your church practice you might have baby dedications. You can also explore hosting a baby shower or a baby celebration. These resources have ideas of how you can do these well.
how to run “The Church & Early Life”
You can host and run Sikunye’s ‘The Church & Early Life” workshop for your leadership team(s) – at a time and date that suits you. This resource guides you in how to do that for maximum impact.
key information about FTD
Many congregants won’t know about the importance of the First Thousand Days. This document has information that you can use in announcements, prayer meetings, sermons and many other ways.
presentation slides
When talking about the First Thousand Days, you can use these images in a powerpoint presentation. This can help you communicate the big idea of the campaign and what the church can do.
Our hope is that these resources will be valuable to you and offer an easy way to raise awareness about the importance of the first thousand days and the impact this has on a child’s trajectory. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to our team at info@sikunye.org.za – we’d love to help.
