Sharing, an abstract concept, can be difficult for children, with their concrete minds, to understand. The Week of Compassion theme, “Sharing Brings Joy,” may seem odd, if not downright wrong, to the youngest members of the congregation. Leaders in the field of child development suggest that most children cannot grasp the concept of sharing before approximately age six, although some very compassionate souls can begin to understand around age four. (You may even have encountered some adults who have trouble sharing!) Children have to learn to share. And it can take years before sharing seems like a natural and good thing to do.

It may be helpful to prepare the children in your congregation for the Week of Compassion offering by using some of the resources listed below in the weeks before the offering is received, to familiarize the children with the concept of sharing. Other good resources may be available through your local library.

• The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll by Patricia C. McKissack (New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2007)
• The Big Birthday Surprise: Junior Discovers Giving by Dave Ramsey (Brentwood, TN: Lampo Press, 2003)
• The Boy Who Wouldn't Share by Mike Reiss (New York, NY: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2008)
• Chubbo's Pool by Betsy Lewin (New York, NY: Clarion Books, 1996)
• The Delicious Bug by Janet Perlman (Toronto, Canada: Kids Can Press, 2009)
• It's My Birthday by Pat Hutchins (New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, 1999)
• Little T Learns to Share by Terrell Owens (Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, 2006)
• The Mine-o-saur by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (New York, NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2007)
• My New Sandbox by Donna Jakob (New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 1996)
• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister (New York, NY: North-South Books, 1992)
• Sharing Christmas by Kate Westerlund (New York, NY: Minedition, published by Penguin Young Readers Group, 2007)
• The Story Blanket by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz (Atlanta, GA: Peachtree, 2008)
• Why Should I Share? by Claire Llewellyn (Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, 2005)

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Set-up: Several rumpled strips of blue fabric (e.g., blankets or sheets) suggesting a turbulent river stretch end-to-end from the front of the stage toward the back. The “river” begins 1/3 of the way from the left edge of the stage and angles back at 45°, so that the right side of the stage is larger at the front than the left side is. Close to the front of the stage are the left and right ends of a bridge which does not completely span the river. A straight-back chair lying on its front legs, seat perpendicular to the floor and its back not touching the floor but stretching across the river, can simulate each end of the bridge. Cover the side of the chair facing the congregation with a drawing of the end of a bridge. Behind the left end of the bridge hide a drawing on foam board or other firm material of the central span of the bridge. Label this connecting piece “Week of Compassion” in letters dark and large enough to be read from the last row of the congregation. Behind the right end of the bridge hide a bottle of water, a piece of fruit, a tube of ointment, and a shovel (sliding the handle under the “river” if necessary to conceal it).

On the left side of the river, three people (L1 who carries a wallet containing several $20 bills, L2 who has a checkbook and pen, and L3 who may have a coin purse) sit amicably in chairs at a table set with mustard and ketchup bottles, paper cups, etc., to suggest a picnic. If your congregation uses the coin offering boxes, place one with many coins in it on the table. On the right side of the river, chaos reigns. Three people lie crumpled on the floor: R1 face down close to the bridge, R2 further away with limbs at odd angles, and R3 partially beneath a large cardboard box labeled “School.” A box labeled “Medical Clinic,” other boxes representing buildings, and perhaps overturned furniture are strewn about.

As the action begins, the people on the left chat lightly about its being a beautiful day for a picnic, etc. After a few moments, the people on the right begin to moan and cry out in pain and horror.

L1: Good gracious! What’s going on? It sounds like people are hurt! [Left-side people rush to the edge of the river, upstage of and oblivious to the bridge.]

L2: It looks like there’s been an earthquake.

L3: This is awful! What can we do?

L1: We can’t reach them. We can’t get over this raging river. [Left-side people run distractedly along the river’s edge.]

L2: [Running downstage] Here’s a bridge, but it’s missing a key part. We still can’t reach them to help!

L3: [Discovers and lifts up the drawing of the central span] Here’s the missing part of the bridge. It’s labeled “Week of Compassion.” We can connect with the hurt people through Week of Compassion! [Connects the ends of the bridge by propping the central span, “Week of Compassion” side facing the congregation, between the ends.]

L1: I want to help, but I can’t go over there. I’ve got kids, a job, and commitments here. I can’t just abandon my responsibilities here. But, oh, I want to help.

L2: And we don’t have the things they need. They need medical help, clean water, food, blankets. They’ll need help rebuilding their homes and that school. [Looks back over shoulder toward the picnic table.] We don’t have that stuff! Mustard and ketchup don’t cut it after an earthquake.

L3: No, but we do have something that could turn into the things they need. If we pool our resources, between us we have a substantial amount of money.

L1: Do you think so? Let’s try it. [L1 pulls several $20 bills out of his/her wallet. L2 takes out a checkbook, writes a check, and rips it out loudly. L3 brings the coin offering box from the table or pulls out a coin purse out, shaking it so the coins jangle. All three place their offering on the bridge, close to the Week of Compassion section.]

R1: [Strains forward to pull out the water bottle and fruit from behind the right end of the bridge.] Thank you! Thank you! [Stretches over to give fruit to R2. Pulls up and limps behind R3, lifts R3’s head, helps him/her drink from the water bottle. Returns to the bridge and drags out the shovel. Uses it to pry box off R3.]

R3: [Lifts up on elbow and says with great relief:] Thank God! You rescued me. [Grips stomach and moans.]

R2: I’ll see if there’s medicine. [Turns toward bridge.]

L1: [With conviction] You bet there’s medicine! [Pulls more money out of wallet and places it on the bridge, close to the Week of Compassion section.]

R2: [Pulls ointment from behind right end of bridge, runs to R3, mimes rubbing it onto R3’s leg.]

R3: Thank you. That feels better.

R1: Yes. Together, we will survive. And we will rebuild. We must, for our children’s sake.

[R1, R2, and R3 softly sing or hum the opening strains of an appropriate song like “Blessed Be the Tie that Binds” or “Grateful.” R1 and R2 begin straightening up boxes and stacking them to rebuild.]

L1: How brave those people are!

L2: Did you notice how they helped each other, even though they just lost everything? That is love in action.

L3: Seeing them work together amidst that destruction was a real lesson in cooperation—and faith.

L1: It may sound weird, but I feel good. I’m deeply sobered by the terrible pain those people are experiencing, and the destruction. Yet, I’m hopeful. We were able to help through Week of Compassion. We’ve done something really important.

L2: I know what you mean. I feel blessed to have been able to help. I feel like God used me, that God’s love reached out through me.

L3: That is so cool! I want to keep on helping. [Wonderingly] I feel happy on the inside.

L1: We will keep helping. We addressed the immediate needs now. Through Week of Compassion, we’ll be there for the long haul, too, continuing to help with the rebuilding.

L2: I feel like singing! [Sings out] I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart ...

L3: [Singing the first line of the Christmas hymn] Joy to the world!

L1, L2, and L3: [Together] Praise God!

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Purpose
To explore Bible passages underlying this year’s Week of Compassion theme and to understand more consciously how sharing resources changes the lives of all involved

Materials needed
Bibles

Preparation
Ask a youth or team of youth to research Week of Compassion and the ministries it makes possible. Visit www.weekofcompassion.org or the Week of Compassion Fan Page on Facebook. They will present that information to the group during the activity.

Activity
Youth who researched Week of Compassion explain to the full group about the offering and what it does. The leader adds information as needed. Introduce Week of Compassion’s theme for this year, “Sharing Brings Joy.”

Initiate a group discussion about sharing.

• What does sharing mean? [to let somebody use something or have part of something, to use something along with others, to take responsibility together (Encarta Dictionary)]
• What childhood memories do you have of sharing? Did your parents/guardians make you share? What kinds of things did you share?
• What kinds of things do you share now, and with whom? As you’ve gotten older, has sharing become easier? Harder? In what ways?
• Why is sharing a value to aspire to? What are the benefits? The problems?
• Why does sharing often not get lived out?

Read and talk about one or more of these scripture passages:

• 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (You reap what you sow. God loves a cheerful giver and supplies blessings abundantly so we can share abundantly. Glorify God through generous sharing.)
  • What is cheerful about giving? When do you feel that way about giving?
  • How do you understand v. 8? What do “blessing” and “abundance” mean? What blessings does God provide? What are the hallmarks of “enough”? If God is able to provide every blessing in abundance, how do we understand the differences in opportunities and life style that rich and poor people in our country have access to? The huge disparities between industrialized and developing nations? Does God love the poor less or more than the rich? Discuss the differences between “is able to” and “will.” How does God provide blessings? How do we and Week of Compassion figure into those “blessing delivery methods”?
  • How do you understand v. 11? If we give to the church, will God bless us with material wealth? In what other ways does being generous enrich life? What is your role when you have more than you need?
  • What does it mean to glorify God? How does generous giving do that?
  • What surpassing grace have you received from God? How do you understand that not everyone has received that grace in the measure you have received it? Attempt to describe God’s “indescribable gift.”
• Romans 12:1-2 (Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.)
  • Worship in Jesus’ day included sacrificing (dedicating to God and then ritually killing) unblemished animals as an offering. Paul suggests not that we die for God, but that we “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice” (emphasis added). What does that mean—our physical bodies? Our lives? Our purpose in life? How can we “present our bodies as a living sacrifice” to God in this day and age? How can sacrifice for others, in the context of worshipping God, renew or transform us, and bring us joy?
  • What aspects of “worldliness” do you think Paul was warning us not to conform to? What would he be concerned about in the 21st century? What differences would result from not living according to the standards of behavior common in the world? Our choices have consequences. If not conforming freed up time and money, what would you as a Christian nonconformist do with those resources?
  • What other people think and say about us can greatly affect us. Persevering in a life of nonconformity on important issues and of sacrifice oriented toward God is really hard. How can we renew our minds to sustain us in the effort?
  • How is giving money to an offering like Week of Compassion part of our spiritual worship?
• 1 John 4:11-13, 16-17, 19-21 (If we love one another, God lives in us and we live in God. As God is, so we are to be in the world. Those who love God, whom we have not seen, must love their very tangible brothers and sisters, too.)
  • How does God “live in us” if we love one another?
  • How does God treat people? “As he is, so are we in this world.” How can we make that more true? [Make explicit connections to the ministries of Week of Compassion.]
• Luke 4:16-19 (Jesus proclaims his ministry in his hometown synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”)
  • What is the Spirit of the Lord? How do you envision/experience it? Can you relate experiences (yours or other people’s you know) of being anointed with the Spirit? When have you felt power from doing what you felt God wanted you to do?
  • Some people understand “the poor,” “the blind,” and “the oppressed” in this passage to mean people who can’t accept God’s love for them and for all people. Others understand this literally and point to Jesus’ work among the economically poor and healing of the physically blind. How does Jesus’ life support both understandings? How can we be involved in both?
  • Give examples of how we, through Week of Compassion, continue Jesus’ care for people in need.

Week of Compassion affects everybody involved—those who stretch to share their resources as well as those who receive help from the resulting ministries. Listen to what some offering contributors have said about how giving affects them:

• Giving just feeds my soul! This is what life is about—not collecting things, but helping people.
• Giving helps me appreciate what I have.
• As we see needs met, we are reminded how God takes care of us.
• Week of Compassion lets me put my hands on problems that need attention throughout the world.
• Giving to Week of Compassion makes me feel part of a really good something that is bigger than myself, bigger than my community, even bigger than my country.

Invite reactions to these quotes. Have the youth experienced similar feelings from helping others?

Cluster the participants into small groups. Drawing from their own experiences of sharing, the Bible passages, the donor quotes, and other resources as they choose, each group creates and presents to the full group a skit to illuminate the Week of Compassion tagline: “Sharing resources, changing lives.”

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