John 6:1-14 The boy with the loaves and fish. Jesus uses his small offering to feed thousands of people.

Stone Soup-Villagers who had a poor harvest hoard their food for themselves and refuse hospitality to a soldier traveling home. He gets them to offer what they have by telling them he has a magic stone that makes delicious soup-with just a few things added. The village learns that by sharing they can feed themselves and a stranger, and have a joyous time in the process. This story is included in William R. White's Stories for the Journey, (Augsburg Publishing House, 1988), and various versions may be found in the children's section of your local library or bookstore. Also, the Week of Compassion video "Dare to Share" (c. 1996) is based on the Stone Soup story.

There are story suggestions in the children's educational materials that may be used as a children's story in conjunction with the seed paper.

Children's Activities/Sunday Church School Class Suggestions

The following ideas are offered as suggestions for focusing on the Week of Compassion offering with a Sunday School class. They are designed for use with children and youth of various ages. There may be more material here than you can use in one class session; please choose and adapt the suggestions that are most appropriate for your class. You may need to adapt the seed paper activities depending on the number of children/young people in your class and the amount of seed paper you have.

1) The following discussion is designed for use with children at an elementary school level.

Have the children list all the ways in which they need and use water. Write the list on a chalk board or newsprint. (drinking, washing our selves, washing our clothes, cleaning dishes and floors, watering plants and gardens. The children will probably come up with more.)

Ask what would happen if they didn't have any clean, safe water? (They might get sick, be dirty and smelly, couldn't cook, couldn't grow food, couldn't clean anything)

Talk about how some people don't have water. It's hard for us to believe that because we simply turn the faucet on, and we have all the water we need. But some people don't have any faucets. They don't have any water in their house, or even near their house. They must carry water a long way in heavy buckets and jars. Sometimes the water isn't very clean. The people have to be careful how they use it and not waste a drop. This is the way it is for millions of people in Latin America, Africa and Asia. (If you have a world map, help the children find these continents.)

Tell them that one of the ways that their Week of Compassion offering helps people is by providing clean water. It helps villages dig wells, irrigate, collect rain water and purify dirty or contaminated water.

Note: You can adapt this discussion for use with junior and senior highs by asking them to imagine what their lives would be like if they had no running water in their homes or schools and if they had to walk a long distance to carry water. How would their lives be different? What would they miss the most? (Flush toilets? Showers in the morning?) What would they have to give up if they had to spend an hour or two every day fetching water? As in the discussion with children above, point out that this is the reality for millions of people in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

2) (This Bible Study/discussion is intended for elementary school aged children.) Read, or have a child read, Isaiah 55:1 "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." (NRSV)

Tell how God gives us water and everything else that we need. God invites everyone to come and drink and eat. We are God's disciples, and God wants us to build a world where everyone has water, food, a place to live and a way to earn a living and take care of themselves and their families. Our One Great Hour of Sharing offering is one way to do that.

Read Isaiah 58:11 "The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail." (NRSV)

Talk about how God makes us like a garden or a spring of water. What do gardens and springs do? They give food for people to eat and water for them to drink. As God's disciples, we are like gardens and springs of water. We help give people what they need to live.

3) (This Bible study is designed for older children and youth.) For older children and youth, give each of them one or more of the following verses to find. Then let them read the verses out loud, one at a time, and discuss as a group what that verse tells us about water-how it is used, how it is needed; or what it tells us about God and how God cares for people; or what it tells us about us, what is God asking us to do or be?

Genesis 18:1-4 (Offering water is a sign of welcome and hospitality.)

Genesis 26:18-22 (Water is so important that people even quarrel and fight over it.)

Exodus 15:22-25a (People not only have to have water. They need to have clean, drinkable water.)

Deuteronomy 8:6-10 (God promised his covenant people that they will have abundant water.)

Psalm 63:1 (Our souls need God just like our bodies need water.)

Psalm 65:9-10 (Water is a gift from God that nourishes the earth and everything that grows.)

Isaiah 32:1-2 (Righteous and just rulers are like nourishing streams in the desert. They don't oppress people but help them to live full lives.)

Isaiah 58:11 (God makes us like a watered garden or spring of water.)

Jeremiah 2:13 (Turning away from God is like turning away from living water.)

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (God's people are like trees planted by water; they thrive and bear fruit.)

Matthew 25:34-40 (Giving food and water to those who hunger and thirst is how God's people enter God's kingdom.)

John 4:7-15 (God's spirit is like living water for us.)

Revelation 21:6 (Water and the living water of God's spirit are gifts to all who thirst.)

Revelation 22:1-2 ( The river of the water of life flows from God and waters the tree of life, which brings healing to the nations.)

4) (This activity is intended for classes of all ages.) Have the children/youth write commitment statements based on Isaiah 58:11 or Matthew 25:34-36. They can do this by finishing the following sentences:

As God's watered garden, I will . . .

God has made me like a spring of water, and I will . . .

To reach out to "the least of these," I will . . .

For example:

"As God's watered garden, I will share what I have so other people may have food."

Ask them to share their commitment statements, but don't force them. Some may feel as if it is personal and private. If the statements are general, help the children think of specific ways that they can follow through, such as: give to Week of Compassion, give food to local food banks, try not to waste water and food.

5) Help the children cut the seed paper into different shapes of things that grow (trees, vegetables). (For teens, suggest that they cut or tear their seed paper into a shape of something that grows and nourishes our bodies, or a shape that symbolizes their own faith or spiritual growth.) As the children are doing this, discuss: How seeds grow into trees that give us wood and shade and fruit and help clean the air we breathe. Seeds grow into vegetables that we eat. Seeds can't grow without water. We wouldn't have any of these things without water. You could also talk about how seeds are planted within us. God has given each of us gifts. What are they? How do we develop them and help those seeds grow?

6) Have the children/youth write their commitment statements from activity 3 on their seed paper and then plant it in an appropriate container, or let them take it home to plant. Be sure they get enough water!

7) Use one of the following stories in conjunction with the seed paper activities, or with the Week of Compassion activity sheets:

The Grain of Rice (This tale from India is similar to Jesus' parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.)

Once there was a good king who ruled wisely and who ruled well. He was loved by all the people of his kingdom. One day the king called his four daughters together and told them that he was leaving on a long journey. "I wish to learn about God. I will spend a long time in prayer. In my absence I will leave the four of you in charge."

"Oh, father," they cried, "don't leave us. We will never be able to rule the kingdom without you."

The king smiled. "You will do well in my absence. Now, before I leave I wish to give each of you a gift. It is my prayer that this gift will help you learn the meaning of rule." The king placed a single grain of rice in each daughter's palm. Then he left.

The oldest daughter immediately went to her room. She tied a long golden thread around the grain of rice and placed it in a beautiful crystal box. Every day she picked up the box and looked at it.

The second daughter also went to her room, where she placed the grain of rice in a wooden box and put it in a secure spot, under her bed.

The third daughter, a very pragmatic young woman, looked at the grain of rice and thought, "This grain of rice is no different from any other grain of rice." She simply threw the grain of rice away.

The youngest daughter took the grain of rice to her room and wondered about the significance of the gift. She wondered for a week, then a month. When nearly a year had passed, she understood the meaning of the gift.

Months turned into years, and the four daughters ruled in the absence of their father. Then, one day, the king returned. His beard was full and his eyes sparkled with illumination gained through years of prayer. The king greeted each of his daughters, and then asked to see the gifts he had left them.

The oldest daughter rushed to her room and brought the crystal box. "Father," she began, "I carefully tied a golden thread around the grain of rice and have kept it near my bed where I have looked at it every day since you left."

Bowing to his daughter, the king accepted the box and said, "Thank you."

Next, the second daughter presented her father with a grain of rice. "All these years I have kept the rice secure under my bed," she said. "Here it is."

Again the father bowed, accepted the box, and said, "Thank you."

The third daughter rushed to the kitchen, found a grain of rice, ran back and said, "Father, here is a grain of rice."

Smiling, the king accepted the grain of rice, bowed, and said, "Thank you."

Finally the youngest daughter stepped before her father and spoke. "I do not have the grain of rice that you gave me," she said.

"Whatever did you do with it?" The king inquired.

"Father, I thought about that grain of rice for nearly a year before I discovered the meaning of the gift. I realized that the grain of rice was a seed, so I planted it in the ground. Soon it grew, and from it I harvested other seeds. I then planted all of those seeds, and again I harvested the crop. Father, I have continued to do this. Come, look at the results."

The king followed his daughter to the window where he looked out at an enormous crop of rice stretching as far as the eye could see. There was enough rice to feed their entire small nation.

Stepping before his daughter, the king took off his golden crown and placed it on her head. "You have learned the meaning of rule," he said softly.

From that day the youngest daughter ruled the kingdom. She ruled long, and she ruled wisely, and she ruled well.

--From Stories for Telling, William R. White. Augsburg, 1986.

Discuss: What did the youngest daughter learn? Seeds are for planting and growing. They don't do anyone any good if they are just kept under the bed. What was the youngest daughter able to do with her one grain of rice? Grow enough food to feed her country. What does this teach us about how we should use our gifts?

Or, tell Jesus' parable in Matthew 13:1-9 about the seeds falling onto different kinds of ground.

Discuss: What do seeds need in order to grow? What is Jesus saying about the seeds within us? We have a lot in common with seeds. Seeds have to have the right soil and conditions in order to grow. People need to have the same kind of care and nurture in order for the gifts that God has given us to grow.

8) Other ideas for using the seed paper:

--Plant them early in Lent, or even before Lent begins, and have the children bring them back in for Easter.

--Plant a wildflower garden on the church grounds. When the flowers bloom, work together to identify them. As you care for and cultivate the garden (weeding, caring for the soil, protecting the flowers from being trampled) there are many things you can discuss: 1) Talk about how people need the same kind of care and nourishment. What are things that we have to weed out of our lives that can harm us? What are the basic things we need for life that compare to the water and sunlight that flowers need? What does it mean to protect ourselves and other people from being trampled on? 2) Compare the annuals and perennials to our personal gifts: some plants don't bloom the first year, some only bloom one year, some take a longer time to develop. 3) Talk about how the seed has to transform in order to grow. The seed has to crack open to let the life inside begin to grow. How does this parallel our own life, the seeds that are planted in us, the gifts God has given each of us?

(Note: These discussions would also be appropriate to use while working with the seed paper in the above activities.)

--Plant a "millenium" garden, something that will last and that people of all ages in the congregation can care for over the years.

--Plan a worship service with planting and gardening as the theme.

--Visit people who are in nursing homes or are homebound. Plant seeds with them and build caring relationships.

(Note: What if the seeds don't grow?! If the seeds don't grow, or the plants don't thrive, use this as an opportunity to discuss what seeds, and all life, need in order to grow. All growing things: plants, animals and people, need appropriate nurturing. Did the seeds have enough water, too much water? Maybe the soil wasn't right. Did they have the right amount of sunlight? Was it too cold for them? Too hot? What do people have to have in order to grow and thrive? Water, food, light, shelter, love, education, opportunity, encouragement, money. If people do not have the right kind of care, then they will not be able to live, grow and thrive either.

9) For all ages: Have the children/youth draw, color, paint, sculpt or otherwise fashion an image or symbol of the kind of tree or garden that they would like to be for God and for other people. They could do this individually or make it a class activity, creating one garden, image, or collage that everyone contributes to.

10) For all ages: Share mission stories from the Leader's Guide that illustrate how Week of Compassion helps people.

11) Close with a prayer thanking God for the gifts of water, seeds, food, and other things that contribute to a healthy, full life. Ask God to help us develop our own gifts and be like watered gardens and streams that will help other people to grow and live a better life. The teacher may offer the prayer, or each class member can share a sentence prayer expressing thanks for God's gifts.