Children s Activity: Sharing Our Favorite Food

Children’s Activity: Sharing Our Favorite Food (an expanded version of the Children’s Sermon) Materials needed: Crayons and markers Construction pape...
Author: Everett Miles
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Children’s Activity: Sharing Our Favorite Food (an expanded version of the Children’s Sermon)

Materials needed: Crayons and markers Construction paper in different colors White paper Scissors Glue Table and chairs Globe or world map “What is your favorite food? What do you love to eat? Maybe it’s something your mom or dad or your grandparent makes, or maybe it’s something you like to order at a restaurant. Maybe it’s something you tried at a friend’s house, or at a church potluck supper. Share with us what your absolute favorite food is by drawing and coloring it or making it out of construction paper. When you’re finished making your favorite dish, please place it on the table where we’ll share a meal.”

to imagine that they are about to enjoy a meal together. Next, invite them to pass the different dishes. Did they make enough for everyone at the table? Or did they make enough only for themselves to eat? Invite them to share this favorite food with everyone at the table. “You have all made your favorite foods.

Allow the children to respond by creating artwork representing their favorite food. Give them ample time to make their dish. After each of them has created artwork of their favorite food, invite them to place it on the table. Each child should have his or her own place setting and seat. Once they have all “set the table” with their favorite food, invite them to sit at their place and share what they’ve contributed to “the meal.” Ask them

Because they’re your favorites, we’d all love to try them!” Pay attention to how the children respond. Do they readily pass their dish? Do they not

have enough? Are they unsure how to share it? Encourage them to pass their dishes to everyone at the table, with the goal of everyone partaking of all the dishes. Do they enjoy “tasting” each other’s favorite foods? Help them to imagine what each tastes like; have fun! Chances are, the children did not make enough for everyone, however, but only enough for themselves. Be prepared to discuss with them how it feels when there is not enough to go around and some people miss out. “How did it feel to try the other favorite foods? How did it feel to be left out?” If any of the children actually did make more than enough to share, use that dish as an illustration for what it means to share of your abundance. “How did it feel to share what you made?” Show either the globe or the world map to illustrate how big the world is and how many people do not have enough food to eat, despite there being enough in the world to feed

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everyone. “Everyone at our table had at least enough food for themselves, because they provided their own favorite food on the table. Imagine now coming to a table where there was very little food for you, your family, and your friends. Imagine how that would make you feel. On some days, there may not be food at all, or maybe food for only one meal a day. For many children in the world, including in the United States, and right here in our own community, there is not enough food to go around. They do not have enough to eat. Eating their favorite food is a rare treat. Many kids don’t even have a favorite food because they only have one or two foods to eat.” Help the children understand the concept of sharing so that everyone can have enough. When someone does not have enough, what might the kids do to change that? “One way that you can help other children have something to eat is to share what you

have. When someone else does not have enough, but you have what they need, how can you make sure that there is a fair share?” Pass out the One Great Hour of Sharing coin boxes. Explain to the children that the boxes are to collect offerings, and be clear about which Sunday to bring them back to church to share in the offering. Explain that

have enough food to eat. “When you can’t give food itself to people who need food, you can use money to offer food and help to those without enough. This is something each one of you can do, with any amount of money. As you collect money in your special offering boxes, you can explain to others how important it is to help every child have enough food to eat, and maybe, even one day, have enough that they can share their favorite food with someone else.” Last, invite the children to make more of their favorite foods to place on the table, celebrating that when they give to One Great Hour of Sharing, they help to set tables where there is enough food for all. Close with a table grace, thanking God for the opportunity and ability to share with others.

coins and bills will turn into food for someone who wouldn’t otherwise

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 2004 Church World Service

© 2004 Church World Service

Staying Healthy Healthy Staying www.buildavillage.org www.buildavillage.org

Coloring Page

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Youth Activity or Intergenerational Activity: Movie Night

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ind a space to create a cinema-like atmosphere— maybe go to someone’s house for this time together. Pop some popcorn; provide movie candy and soda pop. Youth and people of all ages usually love watching movies! There are many films and documentaries about issues to which One Great Hour of Sharing responds (poverty, suffering, injustice, displacement). The facilitator/youth group leader should preview the film before showing it to whatever audience is envisioned to be certain it is age and theme appropriate, and also to develop a series of questions for reflection after viewing the film. (Caution: These films were selected for a youth and older audience. Many of these films would not be appropriate for smaller children.)

Suggested questions: ``What is the main message of the film? ``What did you learn from this film? ``How does the film present poverty/displacement/ injustice/violence/suffering? ``What do the main characters have to teach us about dealing with human need and suffering? ``How can we relate the themes of the film to what we do through One Great Hour of Sharing? Discuss the theme of giving with the youth as one of the ways they can respond to human need and suffering, such as what they watched in the film. If so inclined, the movie night could also be a fundraiser for One Great Hour of Sharing; the youth could be encouraged to invite their friends or organize it for the entire congregation. Have fun! Recommended Films for Youth: (This is not an exhaustive list.) Blood Diamond (2006) Set during the Sierra Leone Civil War in 1999, the film shows a country torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and rebel forces. Born into Brothels (2004) Two documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in India and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city’s notorious red light district.

Dear Mandela (2012) When the South African government promises to “eradicate the slums” and begins to evict shack dwellers far outside the city, three friends who live in Durban’s vast shantytowns refuse to be moved. Dear Mandela follows their journey from their shacks to the highest court in the land as they invoke Nelson Mandela’s example and become leaders in a growing social movement. El Norte (1984) Fleeing from terrorists who kill their father and kidnap their mother, two Guatemalan teenagers head towards “El Norte,” meaning the U.S., where they hope to begin a new life free from fear and exploitation. After a journey with further terrors, they reach Los Angeles, get jobs and have a taste of the good life they have dreamed about before one becomes seriously ill and the other is deported as an illegal alien. Food, Inc. (2008) An unflattering look inside America’s corporate controlled food industry. Gandhi (1982) Superb portrait of India’s great political and spiritual leader comes to life in Ben Kingsley’s authoritative yet sensitive performance. Chronicles Gandhi’s life and times, especially his use of non-violence and hunger strikes to bring together the diverse peoples of India and unify them as a nation. God Grew Tired of Us (2006) Four refugee boys from Sudan embark on a journey to America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety. Girl Rising (2012) The movie tells the stories of nine girls from different parts of the world who face arranged marriages, child slavery, and other heartbreaking injustices. Despite these obstacles, the brave girls offer hope and inspiration. By getting an education, they’re able to break barriers and create change.

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Half the Sky (2012) A passionate call-to-arms, urging us not only to bear witness to the plight of the world’s women, but to help to transform their oppression into opportunity. The Harvest (2011) The story of the children who work 12-14 hour days in the fields without the protection of child labor laws. These children are not toiling in the fields in some far away land. They are working in America. Human Cargo (2004) A riveting thriller shot on location in Vancouver and South Africa, this movie is an unflinching look at the world of refugees in the post 9/11 world and of the people who sacrifice their lives to help or hinder them. In America (2002) An Irish immigrant family adjusts to life in the United States. In This World (2002) The story of two Afghan refugees’ journeys through Asia, in search of a better life in the West. This film functions like a documentary, but certain parts of the story were pre-determined, in order to provide safety to the crew that filmed it. Kinshasa Symphony (2010) This film shows how people living in one of the most chaotic cities in the world have managed to forge one of the most complex systems of human cooperation ever invented: a symphony orchestra. It is a film about the Congo, about the people of Kinshasa and about music. Lost Boys of Sudan (2003) This film follows two Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America. Orphaned as young boys in one of Africa’s cruelest civil wars, Peter Dut and Santino Chuor survived lion attacks and militia gunfire to reach a refugee camp in Kenya along with thousands of other children. From there, remarkably, they were chosen to come to America. Safe at last from physical danger and hunger, a world away from home, they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation of contemporary American suburbia. Lumumba (2000) The true story of the rise to power and brutal assassination of the formerly vilified and later redeemed leader of the independent Congo, Patrice Lumumba.

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The Motorcycle Diaries (2003) A young Ernesto “Che” Guevara is a 23-year-old medical student in 1952 traveling across South America on a motorcycle with his friend Alberto Granado. As they embark on their journey, both young men come of age and find their individual world views broadened as they see poverty, disrespect for human dignity and suffering in greater ways than they ever expected. Osama (2003) The story of a young Afghan girl who is forced to pose as a boy in order to get an education. Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008) A group of women, motivated by their faith, rise up to bring peace to Liberia and help bring to power the country’s first female head of state. Return to El Salvador (2010) Seventeen years ago, U.N. peace accords marked the end of a brutal civil war in El Salvador. This film is the compelling story of vibrant Salvadoran individuals and communities and the intricate geopolitical systems that have so profoundly impacted their lives, making this distant war relevant to a current American audience. Romero (1989) The life and work of Archbishop Oscar Romero who opposed, at great personal risk, the tyrannical repression in El Salvador. War Dance (2008) Three children living in a displacement camp in northern Uganda compete in their country’s national music and dance festival. Whale Rider (2002) A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. Which Way Home (2009) This film follows unaccompanied child migrants on their journey through Mexico as they try to reach the United States. These are stories of hope and courage, disappointment and sorrow. They are the children you never hear about; the invisible ones. (Plot summaries courtesy educationforjustice.org and imdb.com)

Dramatic Interpretation: “Hopes and Dreams”

Actors Required: Ben: a young person from the Global North (a so-called “developed” country) Katie: a young person from the Global North Joshua: a young person from the Global South (a so-called “developing” country) Maria: a young person from the Global South Host: a person of any age (Please note that the names of the actors could certainly be changed.)

Costumes: The young people wear their normal clothes. The Host dresses up. Props: Clipboard or computer tablet Pile of books Apron and/or spatula Hoe Child’s math book Wrench Travel guide book Baby doll People magazine Newspaper No Smoking sign Health magazine 50th birthday card Bowl of vegetables Bag of rice Shopping bag Protein shake or protein bar

The Host looks at the clipboard or computer tablet and gives props to the characters as the sketch unfolds. The characters should then hang onto the props to remind the audience who’s who. Host: Hello, everyone, and welcome to “Hopes and Dreams,” the show that offers you the keys to the future! The format is simple: contestants state their hopes and dreams, and I let them know what they’ve got in life to help them reach those dreams. Then it’s up to them to live the best life they can. Will they make the wisest choices? Will they make the most of what they’ve been given? The choice is theirs! Let me introduce our four fabulous contestants: Joshua, Maria, Ben, and Katie. Let’s start with you, Ben! Name one of your hopes for the future. Ben: Well, I guess my first aim is to graduate from high school and then go on to college—not sure what I’ll do, but my mom says education is very important. Host: Good one, Ben. Any of you others interested in education? All: (nods all around) Host: (looks at clipboard or computer tablet) Well, Ben, you’ve got the luck of the draw as it happens—a private education, parents who can support you through university, and it looks like you’ll probably graduate at the top of your class! (hands over a pile of books) Ben: Ooh, thank you! Host: Katie, not quite such good news for you, I’m afraid. You’ll have to work in a burger stand to support yourself to get your degree in engineering. (Hands over apron and/or spatula. Katie looks disappointed.) Ben: Ha! You’ll have to give up the nightlife!

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Host: Maria. Sorry, dear—where you live educating girls is not at all valued or important, so school’s out. But you’ll be able to help your grandmother on her acre of land! (hands over hoe) And Joshua, your country can’t afford to provide schools because they are still paying back massive debts to rich countries. Your mom has managed, somehow, to pay for you to go to primary school for a couple of years, but now it’s your younger brothers’ and sisters’ turn, so that’s it for you. (hands over a child’s math book) So, Joshua, why don’t you go next? Tell us one of your dreams. Joshua: I’d like to learn a trade—I want to be a mechanic. Host: Good to see you’re thinking about employment! Katie: But how’s he going to do that if he’s only been to primary school? Host: (looks at clipboard or computer tablet) Fortunately there’s a project in your town that will take you on as an apprentice, so you might just get your dream. (hands over wrench) Now for the rest of you. Katie? Katie: Don’t like the sound of work—I’d rather travel the world for a few years. Maria: But with your degree in engineering you could work in lots of different countries, doing very constructive things. Katie: (turns up her nose) Host: No? OK, well, enjoy your travels. (hands over travel book) Maria: I’d like to educate the women in my community in things like healthcare, how to read, how to stand up for themselves. Host: Hmm, a noble aim, but if you can’t read yourself, how are you going to do that? But don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of work to do—just not of the paid variety. (hands over a baby doll for her to hold) Ben: I think I’d love journalism—top journalists get paid tons of money!

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Joshua: Well, with your education and background, of course you’ll get what you want. Host: But you do have a choice of whether you work for People magazine, or highlight issues of injustice, violence, and oppression around the world. (hands over a copy of People and a newspaper) Katie, you’re next. Name one of your hopes. Katie: Well, I hope to stay really fit and healthy for a long time—I want to live until I’m 90! Host: (looks at clipboard or computer tablet) Yes, a good, long life is a hope for most people—but you need to cut back on your smoking if you want to live to an old age. (hands over a No Smoking sign) Ben—oh dear. Bad news. You’ll probably get a serious illness when you’re older. (hands over a health magazine; Ben looks horrified) Maria: Don’t worry, your doctor will probably detect it early and with the latest treatments you’ll be okay again in a couple of years. Host: Maria, very bad news for you as well. Your mom and dad were HIVpositive, so you are too. And your country can’t afford the latest medicine. Hmm, I haven’t got anything to give you. (moves on hurriedly) Joshua well—perhaps old age is a bit ambitious. Where you live, with the poor diet and the hard physical work, people don’t live to be that old. You’ll probably make it to your 50s. (hands over 50th birthday card) Katie: If you watch out for landmines! Host: Last one—Maria, what would you most like to happen? Maria: To be honest, right now, what I’d like most is a good meal. Host: (looks at clipboard or computer tablet) Yes, where would we be without food? Well, your grandmother joined a local cooperative where she got training in how to farm, as well as a loan of equipment. Now she’s selfsufficient, so you have enough to eat. (hands over bowl of vegetables) Continued on next page

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Joshua—not so lucky. An international oil company buried their waste illegally on land near where you live, so the fruit trees that people depended on aren’t producing any fruit. Food is scarce. (hands over a bag of rice) Katie... Joshua: Well, she’s all right, isn’t she? There are eight supermarkets within a ten-minute drive of where she lives. Host: (hands over shopping bag) Joshua: And Ben … Ben: (interrupts) No thanks—don’t talk about food. I’m on a diet. Host: Oh, OK then. (hands over a protein shake or protein bar) So, there you have it—similar hopes and dreams from all of you, but very different starting places. It would be great to come back in 20 years to find out how you did— oh (looks embarrassed), except you probably wouldn’t be here, Maria. And now to end our show, each of you gets a chance to say a few words. (steps back) Ben, Katie, Joshua, Maria: (young people look at each other, and at what they have been given, and step forward one by one to say their piece) Katie: Wow! I’m glad I wasn’t born where they were. But I wouldn’t mind visiting their countries—maybe go on a safari, get some good photos and a nice tan. It would look good on my resume—very adventurous! My life looks fine—although I didn’t like the lecture on smoking. I just want to have a good life, lots of money, lots of friends, lots of everything really.

Joshua: (looks at Katie) How can she be so selfish? Doesn’t she realize that the gas in the car she drives has come from my country, produced by the company that has polluted my land? I want to make my government do something about it, but it would help if people like her stood by people like me. Maria: This seems so unfair—everything seems stacked against me. But I want a good life too. Why shouldn’t I have an education, and healthcare like them? Well, I’m not just going to sit back and accept it. There must be other people who think like me. We’ll work together. Ben: You’re right, Maria, it’s not fair. I’ve never thought about this before. I’ve got serious choices to make, haven’t I? Host: You’re right, Ben, but then you’ve all got choices. Will you make the most of what you’ve been given or will you lead cozy, selfish lives? Will you work to see a fairer world? Will you commit to working for a world where there is enough for all? Will you give of your resources to ensure that we all achieve a fair balance? The choice, as they say, is yours. All: The choice is ours! And we can do something. We choose to do our part to achieve a fair balance in the world by giving to One Great Hour of Sharing. (looking to congregation/audience) What will you give to One Great Hour of Sharing? Join us in making the world a fairer place for all of us. (Adapted from Making Poverty History, Church World Service. Used with permission.)

“The outrage of hunger amidst plenty will never be solved by ‘experts’ somewhere. It will only be solved when people like you and me decide to act.” —FRANCES MOORE LAPPÉ

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Nearly 1.5 billion people live in extreme poverty, earning less than $1.25 a day. Give one unit or $1.25 today on behalf of those living in extreme poverty.

Almost half of the girls in the world’s poorest countries have no access to primary education. Give one unit for each year of formal schooling you have had.

Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Give one unit for every one of your family’s doctors.

Give three units for every person in your life who has taught you about generosity and the privilege of giving. Offer a special prayer of gratitude for them!

“Nothing left over to the one with the most; nothing lacking to the one with the least” (2 Cor 8:12-15). Give one unit for each time you have received help when you needed it most.

One in eight people go to sleep hungry in our world. Give two units for each meal and snack you ate today.

774 million adults, 64% of whom are women, still lack basic reading and writing skills. Give one unit for each book and notebook in your schoolbag or each book on your coffee table or nightstand.

Most Americans, approximately 51.4%, will live in poverty at some point before age 65. Help end poverty in the U.S. by giving two units today.

By the end of 2013, 51.2 million individuals worldwide had been forcibly displaced, the highest since World War II. Give two units for every time you can recall feeling welcomed in the past month.

Less than 1% of U.S. foreign aid is specifically targeted to women and girls. Give one unit for every sister, daughter, mother, stepmother, aunt, and grandmother in your life.

In the United States, 14.5% of households struggle to put food on the table. Give two units for each table in your house.

2.5 billion of the world’s people lack access to proper sanitation. Give one unit for every bathtub in your home.

Tuesday

Give one unit to provide daily bread to those who would otherwise not have a meal today.

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt 6:11).

Each year for the past decade, an average of 258 million people have lived through some kind of natural disaster, the equivalent of almost half of the world’s population. Give one unit for each sunny day so far this week.

“For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44). Give sacrificially today.

People living in extreme poverty often do not have access to clean drinking water. Give three units for each water faucet in your home.

Wednesday

Children below 18 years of age constituted 50% of the refugee population last year, the highest figure in a decade. Give one unit for everyone under 18 in your extended family.

Every day, 16,000 children die from hunger-related diseases. Give one unit for every aisle at your local grocery store or for every stand at your farmer’s market.

About half of all girls worldwide attend schools without toilets. The lack of privacy causes many girls to drop out when they reach puberty. Give one unit for every toilet in your house.

Approximately 75% of the world’s poor people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Give two units for every pet in your home or for every animal you love.

Thursday

Nearly 900,000 Canadians are assisted by food banks each month; 38% are children and youth and 11% are Aboriginal. Give one unit to address hunger in your community.

Of the 1.5 million internally displaced people in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake, nearly 1.2 million have left camps and relocated. Give two units for every time you have had to move into a new home.

Life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 46 years; Liberia, 62; India, 66; U.S.A., 79. Give one unit for each family member or church member aged 50 years or more.

23 out of every 1,000 children in Vietnam will die before their 5th birthday. Give one unit for every child in your class or Sunday School or, if you are an adult, one unit for each child in your life.

Friday

May the needs of the world be met by what you have to give. Give all you can today.

“…it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need” (2 Cor 8:13-14).

Blankets often provide refugees their only protection from weather, a way to carry their few remaining possessions, and allow for privacy in crowded refugee camps. Give one unit for every blanket or comforter your family has.

In Africa alone, people (mainly women and children) spend 40 billion hours every year walking for water. Give one unit for every staircase or step in your house, school, or workplace.

African youth are more likely to be underemployed and among the working poor than the general population. Give one unit for each chore you do or each job you have ever had.

Saturday

Sources: Bread for the World, Charity Water, Christian Aid, Church World Service, Food Banks Canada, International Labor Organization, U.S. Census Bureau, UNESCO, UNHCR, The New York Times, World Bank, World Food Program, World Health Organization

Monday

Sunday

Remember to take your coin box to church on the day when the One Great Hour of Sharing offering is received.

We challenge you to be as generous as you can be. We pray that this calendar is not merely a stewardship tool, but also a daily opportunity to educate and discuss how our faith, when acted upon, makes a difference in the world.

Each day suggests a donation of coins or bills. Your household can decide which unit is best for your situation each day.

The calendar below highlights some of the challenging situations your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing address when extending care to God’s people in North America and around the world.

Sharing Calendar 2015