As temperatures begin to drop, many of us begin to focus on those who are without shelter. And we are reminded of Jesus’ call captured in Matthew 25 to meet those in need with care and comfort. This Sunday PC(USA) churches and many community organizations will highlight hunger and homelessness in their communities. In this lesson, children will engage in Hunger and Homelessness Sunday by examining Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, learning about homelessness, hunger, and poverty in their own communities, and exploring ways to support those in our world with the greatest needs.
Starting off
Begin your time with the children by giving each child three pennies. Ask them to pretend they are grown-ups who need to pay for all of their daily expenses. Tell them these three pennies represent all the money they have to get what they need to live. Explain that they have five categories that they need to spend their money in: housing, transportation (car, bus, etc.), food, clothing and medical expenses. Each item “costs” one penny. Ask the children to decide which areas they think are most important for them to spend their pennies in. How did they make these decisions? What are the consequences of choosing one area over another (ex. paying for food but not medical expenses)? Tell the children that there are many families in our nation who have to make decisions like this. Encourage them to remember this as you read aloud and discuss the Scripture passage.
Exploring the passage
Prepare to read aloud Matthew 25:34-40. Share with the children that this reading comes from a conversation that Jesus has with his disciples. He offers a series of teachings including this one. Note that “the king” referenced in the passage is Jesus.
Read aloud Matthew 25:34-40. Ask the children to recount what “the righteous” do for “the king” (Jesus). Be sure they notice each of the actions that are taken: feeding, providing something to drink, welcoming, clothing, healing and comforting. Then ask them how they will know that they have done these things for Jesus. Note that Jesus says when they “‘did it to the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’” (v. 40). He is saying that each time we care for someone in need, we are caring for Jesus.
Relating the passage to our lives
Ask the children to think about their communities. How many people do they think are food insecure? How many are homeless? Share that hunger and homelessness are difficult to see. It is very likely there are children in their school community facing hunger and homelessness that they are unaware of.
Note: As you move into the next part of this activity, be aware of the effect discussing actual experiences of poverty, hunger and homelessness might have on the particular children you are working with. If your group includes children who have been personally affected by these issues, take extra care to make sure they feel supported.
Together with the children, look at poverty, hunger and homelessness statistics for your area. Each of these resources allows you to pull information for your state and your county:
- Poverty rates (those living below the poverty line as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau: here.
- Food Insecurity (Hunger): here.
- Homelessness: here.
Discuss this data with the children. Are they surprised by the rates in their area? Why or why not?
Then, tell the children that together you are going to experience what it is like to make decisions when your resources are limited. You’ll be using a poverty simulator, Spent, created by Urban Ministries of Durham. If you are at home, in a computer lab or are meeting with the children online, you can ask them each to pull up the site on their own computers and move through the activity. If you are meeting in person with a group of children, project the computer image on the wall so all can see the screen. If you are unable to do so, you can read the prompts on the screen aloud so the group can make choices about the path to follow.
After completing the poverty simulation, debrief. Ask the children to reflect on the experience. How did it feel? What was challenging? What did they learn about living in poverty that they didn’t know before?
Finish your time together by connecting the Scripture reading to this experience. In light of the Matthew 25 text, what should the church’s response to hunger and homelessness be? What actions is your congregation already taking? What areas could they be working in?
Joelle Brummit-Yale is the director of children’s and youth ministries at Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian in Chapel Hill, N.C. When not at the church, she can usually be found at home with her son and husband caring for their many animals and developing their family homestead.
