Children’s Moment for Haystack Anniversary

Invite children to gather around. Have an old broom nearby. Greet each child, by name if possible.  Have a small container filled with a reasonable number of small pieces of paper. Oops! They fall to the floor. Ask all the children to help sweep them up. Take individual straws out of the broom and hand them to the children to use for sweeping up the paper.  It soon becomes clear that this is a hard way to sweep.  Uses the broom to easily sweep up all the pieces.

Make the point that many things are made easier when we don’t go it alone. Do the children have any examples of this?  (Making dinner, decorating for a party, planting a garden, etc)  The connection is made to global mission work: When we are in relationship with people from another place we know when they face challenges.  We ask how we may help.  They tell us what is needed. We rely on their understanding of their situation. Together, then, we work together in a common ministry.

A closing prayer may be offered:

“Loving God, bless these children.  Together, may we learn to listen to those we want to help.  Encourage us to be good and caring neighbors of those next door as well as those who live in another country.  We make this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.”