Children are always interested in food and can readily grasp the main ideas when it comes to hunger. Below we've included several examples of ways to involve children in a worship setting or in a classroom setting.
Helping People Feed Themselves
A Pinch of Salt
Enough to Go Around
Learning to Share
The Giving Chain
The Right Tools
What's a Ration?
Needed:
table and two chairs
loaf of bread
twine
strong scissors
Preparation: Set up a table and two chairs in the area where you will tell the children’s story. Place the loaf somewhere where the children can see it, but not on the table. Also beforehand, choose two volunteers from an older group (perhaps the youth) and enlist them for the activity. You may need them to help guide the children in discussion.
Ask the two volunteers to sit at the table and then tie their hands and arms so that they cannot reach anything on the table. You might choose to get the children to help tie them.
Then say to the group, “Justin and Caitlin are hungry. We want to see that they get something to eat. Now, is there any food for them here?” Hopefully, the children will see the loaf of bread and suggest that you give it to your volunteers. You may have to gently guide the discussion, or let "Justin" or "Caitlin" mention it. (Try to give the children plenty of opportunity to come up with the answers themselves.)
When the children are aware of the loaf and agree that it should be given to the two, ask one of the children to place the loaf on the table. Then say, “We have found something for you to eat, Justin and Caitlin. Now you may eat.” With any luck, someone will point out that they can’t eat because their hands are tied. You might instruct your volunteers to wait a moment and then say something to that effect, if the children don't suggest it. Then tear off a piece from the loaf and place some bread in the mouths of your volunteers. You might ask a couple of the children to do the same. (Make sure it's someone you know will be gentle.) “Is that better?” you might ask. “Have we done everything we can do to help them eat?” Again, hopefully, someone will suggest that they could feed themselves if you untied them. If no one thinks of this, get the scissors out and say, “What if we got them out of this twine? Then they would be able to feed themselves.” Then cut them loose.
As Justin and Caitlin proceed to feed themselves, briefly explain to the children that these two are like many of the world’s hungry people; they like to be able to feed themselves, and they know how. But many kinds of problems keep them from doing it. Maybe they don’t have enough money to buy seeds. Maybe they don’t have access to land to grow their own food, or to a market where they can sell it. Maybe they need a well to water their crops. Maybe they need a farm animal to help with plowing or to provide milk or eggs. Explain to the children that, just like with Justin and Caitlin, the best way to help hungry people is to help in such a way that they can help themselves. You might want to mention some of the ways your congregation already does this. You might suggest that the children give their own money to help someone in this way.
— written by Katie Cook, based on Thanksgiving resources published by The Sharing Way office of Canadian Baptist Ministries in Mississauga, Ontario. Included in
There was no one needy among them, on the website of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee.
http://www.crwrc.org/pages/crwrc.cfm Click here for a printer friendly PDF versionto topPossible props: salt shaker, recipe book, baking utensils such as a big bowl.
Ask the children if they like to help bake or cook. Do they use recipes? As you’re talking, use the props to highlight key points.
It’s important to use the right ingredients and the right amounts to have the recipe come out right. But some ingredients you need only a small amount of to make all the difference. For example, many recipes call for only a “pinch of salt.” (Demonstrate how much a pinch is.) Only a small bit but how bland and unsatisfactory without that pinch!
Jesus tells his disciples they are “salt,” meaning they are making a big difference in the world by loving others and sharing with one another. By their actions, they make the world a better place.
So, we are like salt — by our words and deeds we show God’s love and make the world come out right. And we must never think that because we are small or young that we cannot make a
difference or that we do not matter. Remember the “pinch of salt” — the small bit that brings out the flavour of the recipe and makes it so good. Maybe we cannot do it all, but with God’s help, little by little, bit-by-bit, the kingdom of God grows.
And, of course, we work together. One grain of salt doesn’t help much on its own but with other grains it can do what it is meant to do. So together as followers of Jesus, we can “flavour” the
world with love and joy and peace. Every penny we give to [your local relief and development agency] is important; every prayer we say for the people who need our help is important and
makes a difference for good in the world.
— The Rev. Iona MacLean, First Presbyterian Church, Pictou, Nova Scotia, in Change is Happening, published by the Presbyterian World Service & Development, www.presbyterian.ca/pwsd the development and relief agency of The Presbyterian Church in Canada and a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.Click here for a printer-friendly PDF version of A Pinch of Salt
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Object: Use small bag of individually wrapped smallcandies, such as “Kisses” or caramels.
This morning I have a treat for you. Here, I brought a bag of candy for you.
(Open the bag, and offer it to the first child.)Take as much as you want, there seems to be plenty.
(Give the first child a handful, and then offer the opened bag to the next child. Usually that child will try to take as much as the first one received. Continue to offer and if needed hand out the candy to the individual children in various large quantities, until there are only one or two pieces left and several more children. You may have to facilitate this to insure that at least two or more children receive none of the offered candy.)
Whoops! I must have made a mistake. I was sure that I had enough candy here for everyone to have plenty to snack on during the rest of the church service. What went wrong? (Invariably the children will point out that one child has a handful, and others have more than one piece
while some were left out.)
What should I do about that?”
(Provide time for the children to make suggestions.) I can’t make the others share with you. After all, I did give it to them! They might think that it is not their fault that some of you only got a little bit and others none. Maybe the ones without should have pushed their way to the front of the line. Or perhaps if they had gotten up here
with me when I first announced that it was time for the children’s sermon instead of taking so much time getting here then they would not have been left out. What if John or Louisa
(name two of the children who have the most) think that they deserve all they have because of something that they have done? They may even think that I must like them best because they have so much. They might even think that since I didn’t give much candy to some of you or any to others, then it is because I don’t like some of you or that I am punishing you for something you did. Do you think that’s the way I feel?
(Give them chance to respond.)You are right. That’s not the way I feel. You know something, there is still enough candy here for everyone to have several pieces each if you would all share. Let’s try that.
(Encourage the children to share. Most of the time they will work hard to make sure no one is left out and that there is a fairly even distribution. If there is any extra ask that they give that back to you for you to give someone else later who didn’t come to the front for the children’s sermon.)Did you know that there are hundreds of thousands of people in our world who have little or nothing to eat. Those of you who at first didn’t get any candy would have been sad that you didn’t get any, but you would not have gone to bed hungry today. But there are thousands of persons who are dying slowly today of starvation. The really sad part is that just as there was enough candy for all of you to have some, there is enough food in the world for everyone to have what they need to live. Like with our candy, some have more than they really need while even more people have nothing at all.
Throughout the Bible we can read about how God has asked those who love and want to honor God to do whatever they can do to help those persons who are poor, other reasons. One way that our church does that is by
(substitute your own adaptation here).The fact that we have plenty to eat is not because we are better people than those who have little or nothing. We may have more than others for any number of reasons. However, one of the reasons may be so that we can know the joy of sharing what we have with others. Can you name some other ways that you can share food with others?
(Allow time for responses.)Jesus knew the joy of giving to others and taught those who wanted to be his followers to learn that joy. He said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will
be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38 NIV)
—J. David Waugh (a pastor in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City). Published in Developing a Heart for the Hungry, published by Seeds of Hope Publishers. www.seedspublishers.org Used by permission.
Click here for a printer-friendly PDF version of Enough to Go Around
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This fun all-age talk looks sharing. The leader enacts three bad ways of sharing, then a good way.
Props required: • Small glass of ‘strawberry milkshake’ – or similar;• Empty glass and glass jug containing a small amount of orange juice;• One large and one small slice of cake, each on a small plate;• Bags of sweets.Leader: Today I want to explain what it means to share. And I thought the best way would be to show you what I mean with a demonstration. So can I have a volunteer? Who’d like to share this delicious strawberry milkshake with me?
[Choose a volunteer – let them come up to the front – get name.]Ok. So I’m going to share this delicious strawberry milkshake with [name]. First of all I’m going to drink my half. Then you can drink your half. Does that sound like a good idea? Ok, here goes.
[Drinks all of the milkshake. The volunteer is frustrated/perplexed. Leader notices this with comic surprise after finishing the milkshake.]What’s the matter? You look perplexed. Even a little angry!
[Coax the volunteer to explain they are upset because they didn’t get their half.]Oh. I’m sorry. You see the problem was: my half was at the bottom! So I had to drink it all to… Hmmm? That didn’t work. Why didn’t it work?
[Get answers from the children/congregation and reflect back so everyone is clear what sharing really means.]Ok. Let’s try again. Can I have another volunteer?
[Second volunteer comes forward – get name.]Ok. Here. You’ve got a glass tumbler and I’ve got a jug of orange juice. Now, these things are no good on their own! Your tumbler is empty – so that’s no good – and I can’t drink out of a jug – so why don’t we share? We can put these things together and then we can share. Does that sound like a good idea? Great! So if you let me have your tumbler…
[Leader pours juice (there’s only a small amount) into the glass, then drinks it all.]Mmmmm! That was delicious. I love sharing…
[Notices volunteer looks upset.] Ah! Don’t tell me! This hasn’t worked either, has it? Why is that?
[Get answers and reflect back so everyone is clear what sharing means.]Ok. Third time lucky. This time we’ll definitely get it right. Can I have a third volunteer. Does anyone like cake?!
[Third volunteer comes forward.]Right. Here are two slices of cake. One for you and one for me. That’s sharing!
[The leader makes a show of taking the massive slice – while the volunteer gets a tiny slice.]Great! So now we both got cake! This is sharing, isn’t it? Is this OK? You don’t look happy? What’s wrong? Oh. I see! I’ve got the big slice and you’ve got that tiny slice. You’ve hardly got anything and I’ve got loads.
[Talking to volunteer.] Let’s think about this. So if you had these two pieces of cake, which piece would you give me?
[If the volunteer says ‘I’d give you the big slice’ – you say, ‘Well, I have got the big slice’ – then messily eat the big slice.][If the volunteer says ‘I’d give you the little slice’ – you say, ‘So if you were me, you’d give you the little slice? Well, why are you complaining, you’ve got the little slice!’ Then messily eat the big slice.][After finishing cake.] Hang on! It’s gone wrong again, hasn’t it? Why is that?
[Get answers and reflect back so everyone is clear what sharing means.]Ok. Let’s try one final time. I’ve got a bag of sweets here. Now what’s the best way to share them out?
[Get answers and reflect back so everyone understands that the sweets should be shared equally. This time, the sweets are shared out evenly.]So, what have we learned today? We’ve learned how not to share – by keeping everything for yourself. And we’ve learned a good way of sharing – which means sharing something out with everyone? And which is the best way?
[Depending on the context, you can then expand on Paul’s message to the Corinthians about sharing – perhaps making the point that churches around the world should share their resources – leading on to a plug for donations to your local relief and development agency]— from USPG: Anglicans in World Mission. http://www.uspg.org.uk/ Used by permission.Click here for a printer-friendly PDF version of Learning to Share
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Theme: “Whoever serves me must follow me.” (John 12:26)
We want our children to understand that God calls each and every one of us to follow in the way of Jesus. “To follow” means to share who we are and what we have with other people. God gives each of us the ability and the heart to do important things that make a difference. We can learn to be open to Jesus’ leading so that we can follow and serve him faithfully!
You will need:
• Sheets of construction paper cut into strips
• A pair of scissors
• Tape
• Several markers
Step 1 Begin creating a giving chain — have children brainstorm (and adults too!) ways we can and do serve others. You could ask a question like this: “What can/do we do to serve others — as individuals, as a church, as Christians, as families, etc.?”
Step 2 As people brainstorm, invite older children/youth to write ideas down on strips of construction paper (one idea for each strip of paper). Write down 5 or 6 ideas. (You may want to have a few ideas tucked into the back of your mind to get the wheels turning.) After people have finished brainstorming, add one of your own ideas — an example of what our church is doing (perhaps through your local relief and development agency) to serve others.
Step 3 While talking with children about how God calls us to serve him by following in Jesus’ way, begin linking the chain together.
• Talk about how Jesus always reached out to other people — was always there to listen and share and help and be a friend.
• Talk about how God uses each and every one of us to show God’s love throughout the entire world. This chain is an example of how we can show love by following in the way of Jesus.
• These ideas that we’ve come up with here… these are only the beginning! God helps us discover many ways to serve and to be disciples. We just need to ask God.
Step 4 Give a blank strip of construction paper to each child and invite them to think and pray this week about a way they can serve God by serving someone. (Provide some ideas — sharing, showing love, etc.) Encourage children to bring their paper chain link back next week with their thoughts written on it. Explain that you will add to the chain during next week’s children’s focus.
Step 5 Pray together.
Step 6 Consider displaying your chain in the sanctuary.
The following week:Step 7 Make sure you have extra blank strips of construction paper available the following week. (Some people may forget their chain link, or will not have been present the previous Sunday.) Before worship begins, invite people to write something on a chain link. (You could even include links and instructions in the bulletin and have children collect them during children’s time and add them to the growing chain.)
Step 8 Celebrate how the chain has grown and in turn how amazing God is because we were helped to learn how to follow in Jesus’ way, by loving, caring and reaching out to others.
— The Rev. Jennifer Donnelly, Family and Youth Ministries, Armour Heights Church, Toronto., and published in Believe It! God’s Riches are Here, published by the Presbyterian World Service & Development, www.presbyterian.ca/pwsd the development and relief agency of The Presbyterian Church in Canada and a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.Click here for a printer-friendly PDF version of The Giving Chain
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(based on John 6:1-13, Feeding the 5000)
Objective:
The solution to hunger includes not only providing food but helping people get thetools they need to care for their own families.Props:
Bag with potato or other vegetable or fruit, hammer, book, spade or other gardeningtools or a package of seeds, coins etc.What’s your favorite food? Do you get hungry sometimes? What do you do when you’re hungry and want something to eat? What do you think would happen if you didn’t have any food at all to eat at your house?
Jesus told a story about a whole lot of people who got hungry. They were men and women and children who went to hear Jesus talk and they stayed and listened all day. In fact, they stayed so long that it began to get late and everyone was hungry. Jesus asked his disciples to feed everyone, but they didn’t know how to do it.
Then Andrew, one of the disciples, found a little boy who had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. This boy wanted to give his bread and fish to Jesus. Jesus took what the little boy offered and said a blessing on them. Then the disciples went through the crowd giving out the bread and fish and do you know what happened? Everybody had enough to eat with even some left over. Do you know how many people were fed? Over 5,000 had something to eat because this little boy shared his food.
Today there are millions of people in the world who don’t always get enough to eat. What could followers of Jesus do about that?
Look at the items in my bag. What do you see? Which ones of these could we use to feed someone?
(The most obvious response would be the potato.)Are there ways we could use the other things in the bag to help people get enough to eat?
(Some possible responses):
• We could give people seeds or tools so they could grow their own garden.• A book can represent helping people get a good education or learning new skills so they can get a better job and have the money they need to buy their food.• A hammer can represent projects like Habitat for Humanity that help people improve their living conditions. A hammer could also represent learning a new skill to get a job and have enough to buy what is needed.• Coins represent collecting money to donate to charities that feed and help in other ways hungry people.There are many ways to help people who don’t get enough food to eat. We can help them have good food right away. We can collect money for
(insert name of your local mission or relief and development agency).Everyone needs food to be healthy, to be able to learn and to be able to work. We can help people learn new skills so they can find jobs or get better ones. We can talk to our government leaders and find out what they are doing to help people take care of their families. Jesus said whenever we feed someone it is like we are feeding Jesus himself.
Prayer: Loving God, thank you for showing us that children’s gifts are important to Jesus and that when we share, Jesus can do miracles. Amen.
— from End Hunger USA’s National Hunger Awareness Day Resources.
http://www.endhunger.org/ Click here for a printer-friendly PDF version of The Right Tools.
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Objective: To get children talking about what it means to be grateful, and how God calls us to share our food by beginning with this object lesson.
Supplies Needed:
• A Ziploc bag containing 400 grams of uncooked rice and 50 grams of dry lentils, beans or peas.
• 50 ml of oil in a glass.
Show the children the bag of food and glass of oil, and ask them what they see. After they've described what they see, tell them that this amount and type of food represents a whole day's food aid ration for many children (and adults) around the world. Compare this to a typical day's food for the average Canadian. Have a supply of food on hand that demonstrates the amount and variety of food Canadians eat each day.
*If you are involved in a local Foodgrains Bank growing project or other fundraiser, share how your church is involved.
Adapted from Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.Click here for a printer-friendly PDF version of What's A Ration?
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