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Bring what you haveHarvest 2013 PackInspiring worship materials and brilliant fundraising ideas for churches, community groups and schools.

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Contents

The worship materials in this pack are inspired by this year’s Harvest lectionary reading (John 6:25-35), the story of the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-14) and our work in the Philippines.

More resources – including collection envelopes, a short film and a PowerPoint talk – are available at www.weareUs.org.uk/harvest

All photos: Us/Leah Gordon

Pancy’s storyBible studyAll-age talkSermon notesIntercessionsSchool assembly Fundraising toolkitHow to donateGift form

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Cover and this page: Pancy, from Payeo, in the Philippines, who is benefiting from an Us-supported church-community initiative. Read more on page 4.

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Harvest is about sharing. So this Harvest we’re asking you to take inspiration from a small community in the Philippines that discovered they had hidden talents, then shared those talents to help transform their lives.

We hope this pack will inspire you to transform your church and community, while also supporting communities struggling with poverty around the world.

We suggest you start with the bible study on page 6. We will be considering the question Jesus asked when facing five thousand hungry people: ‘What have we got?’ We want you to ask the same question, and to bring what you have so that others might benefit. The bible study will help you to identify the gifts and talents in your church, and the pressing needs in your local area. You can then decide how to best use your resources to benefit your church and community.

Inside this pack you will also find worship materials (based on John 6:25-35), innovative ideas, and stories to inform and inspire. In particular, we hope you will be moved to organise a fundraising activity, with 50 per cent of what you raise going to a local

Bring what you have When Jesus faced the challenge of feeding the 5,000, his first questions was: What have we got?

Floyd Lalwet, Episcopal Church of the Philippines

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community charity, and the other 50 per cent coming to Us.

Us in the PhilippinesIn the small mountain town

of Besao, in the Philippines we are supporting a ground-breaking community programme, which is run through the local church.

The programme starts by encouraging people to reflect on and identify their God-given strengths, resources and abilities. The next step is to plan how these strengths can be used to make a change in the community.

Following this process, the community of Besao came up with an innovative farming idea that turned what was previously regarded as a low value crop into a good source of income.

Sweet potato was regarded

as poor man’s food. It grows very well in this fertile region, but it had little economic value locally, so few people cultivated it.

But when the community realised they could increase the crop’s value by using it to make crisps, cookies, and even ice-cream, a whole new venture took off! A co-operative was founded. The church loaned money to buy necessary equipment, and the loan is being paid back from sales.

People in the community have been able to increase their income. They are able to pay off debts, send their children to school, and support their families – all because they recognised a hidden resource. You can read more on page 4.

We are working with churches around the world to set up programmes like this one in the Philippines.

This Harvest we want you to follow in the footsteps of the people of Besao and have a big impact on your local community.

Watch a film about the community in Besao at www.weareUs.org.uk/harvest

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Life for Pancy was transformed after her community pulled together to share their skills and resources.

Aged, 68, Pancy is a community leader in Payeo, a neighbourhood in the town of Besao, in the north of the Philippines. She is at the very heart of her community, taking care of those around her, offering friendship, and leading discussions

and decision-making. She is a woman full of laughter and warmth, although life has been a challenge for her and her family.

Pancy’s husband suffered a stroke that left him with poor hearing and partially sighted. Pancy struggled to support them both by growing vegetables, fruit and rice on land near her home. Life was very hard.

But a new approach to community development is being pioneered by the Episcopal Church of the Philippines, with the support of Us. Although the people have struggled to meet their every day needs, the church

is enabling communities to discover afresh the resources they already have. In this way, Pancy and her neighbours started to recognise their hidden talents and untapped resources. They realised that the greatest strength they had was their relationships.

The people realised that by working together they could help each other, and decided to form a co-operative. One of their first achievements was to set up a pig breeding scheme.

Pancy was given a piglet to look after. When it grew and had piglets of its own, she gave one piglet to another member of the

Pancy’s story

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co-operative, one piglet to the church as a thanks offering, and the rest were hers to sell, use for meat or keep for breeding. Today, Pancy is earning a good income from tending pigs, and from the sale of rice and vegetables. She and her husband are no longer struggling to support themselves.

Pancy told Us: ‘Today, instead of always working, working, working in the fields, we know there are other ways to earn money and gather the resources we need for our families.’

The co-operative is having an impact throughout the community. Household incomes

have gone up, there is more food security, and parents are better able to afford school fees.

One of the co-operative’s initiatives was to set up a scheme to help its members with the costs of funerals as these can be big and expensive occasions, and very stressful for bereaved families.

Sugar cane Another initiative focused on

producing valuable muscovado sugar cane. Members of the co-operative realised that there were many small pockets of uncultivated land which could be

used to grow sugar cane, and the church helped to fund a sugar cane press to make the sugar.

However, although the scheme was successful in growing the sugar, rather than selling it, the people chose to observe a long-held local tradition that something of high value should not be sold, but only given away as a gift or as an expression of love when calling on friends. For friends and family who for many years have had little of value to give to one another, these gifts of sugar have brought great joy. Pancy has been delighted to give gifts of sugar to her grandchildren. ■

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Pancy offers home-cooked banana snacks to members of St. Clements Church, Payeo.

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01 Read John 6:1-14

02 Discuss the following questions. Write your answers on a blackboard or a large piece of paper:

a. Who are the main players in this story?

b. What were the needs in this story? What resources did the people have to meet those needs?

c. What did the different people in this story do about the situation that faced them?

03 In this story there are a number of different viewpoints regarding how to tackle the problem of feeding the hungry crowd.

a. Divide into four groups to consider the viewpoints of: 1) Jesus, 2) the disciples, 3) the crowd, 4) the boy.

b. In your group, explore the perspective of the person/people you are representing.

c. Come back together to share what you have discovered.

04 Let’s look at how we might apply what we have learned both locally and globally.

a. Consider what a ‘miracle’ would look like in: a) your church, b) your local community, c) your global community. How could we work together to achieve these miracles?

b. What gifts and talents could we bring this Harvest? What is our next step? ■

Bible study:Feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14)

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Leader: Today, we’re going to look at the gospel reading of the feeding of the five thousand, which lots of us know very well. I need some volunteers to read out parts of the story, and I really want you to act this out dramatically as you read it. I need four volunteers to play Jesus, Philip, Andrew and the child.

Leader selects/cajoles volunteers – male and female.

Give a script to Jesus, Philip and Andrew, and a script and lunchbox to a child (to play the boy).

Leader: A large crowd was following Jesus because they saw what he was doing for the sick – he was healing them and making them better.

(To congregation) Today you are the crowd and let’s imagine there are five thousand of us!

Jesus realised all these people would be hungry. He said to Philip…

Jesus: Where are we going to buy bread for all these people to eat?

Leader: He said this to test Philip, because he already knew what he was going to do. Philip was surprised at the question…

Philip: Goodness me! If someone worked for six whole months and kept all the money to buy bread, even that amount of bread could not feed all these people!

Leader: But there was someone with some food – a child with five little loaves of bread – like bread rolls – and two fish.

Andrew went over to the child.

Andrew: Jesus – there is a child here with a little bit of food – but this won’t go far with so many hungry mouths to feed!

Jesus: Tell all the people to sit down.

Leader (to congregation): Imagine you’re sitting on the grass on a hill!

All-age talk: Feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14)Note for leadersAt the beginning of this talk there is a short drama which requires you and four volunteers to read out a short script. We suggest photocopying these pages so you can give a copy to each of the volunteers during the service. You could use a highlighter pen to highlight a different part on each copy. You will need to choose a child who is old enough, and confident enough to read the part of the boy.

You will need to have a lunchbox as a prop.

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Everyone sat down on the soft grass – about five thousand people in all.

Then Jesus took the loaves from the child.

Child: Hold on! Andrew is right! There’s not enough here! This won’t do any good. I’m off home now. Bye bye. (Walk back to your seat.)

Leader (looking surprised): Oh, er, hmmmm? I didn’t think that happened! I suppose everyone is going to go hungry today.

Sorry everyone. Thank you but that seems to be the end.

Child (walks back to the front): Just kidding! Here you are Jesus. (Hands the lunchbox to Jesus.)

Leader: Phew!Jesus gave thanks to God for

the food and started to give it out to everyone. Everyone had as much to eat as they needed and at the end there were 12 baskets full of leftovers.

Jesus performed a miracle and it started with one person – one child – bringing the little that he had. It’s interesting to think about what might have happened if the boy had thought it wasn’t worth giving his little bit of food, or if Andrew hadn’t even thought it was worth mentioning to Jesus that one person had some food with them.

Sometimes we can think we don’t have much to offer. But, in the Philippines, Us, the Christian charity, is working with the church to help people realise that what they have – whether abilities, skills or resources – does matter and can really help other people with God’s blessing.

(To volunteers) Thank you everyone! You can sit down now.

In the story of the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples looked for what they needed and took what they had, even the contribution of a young boy. They then held all of this up for God to bless.

The same pattern is being followed in the Philippines. People are looking for what they need in terms of materials and skills; offering what they have; and God is blessing that. You could call it a modern day miracle.

We can be part of that miracle in the Philippines by supporting our brothers and sisters there through prayer, and by supporting the work of the church there financially through Us.

We can also be a part of similar miracles in our own communities, by recognising needs and responding by offering what we have, asking God to bless our efforts.

When Jesus asks us to ‘do likewise’, he wants us to be involved and to offer what we have in terms of time, talent and financial resources. Together with him, we can perform miracles today. Come and join Us, and be part of this. ■

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Sermon notes: Bread and RosesBased on John 6:25-35

John 6 begins with Jesus inspiring a crowd of five thousand to feed each other. Jesus then walks on water to join his disciples on the Lake of Galilee.

The people are so pleased to have been fed by Jesus that they pursue him to the other side of the lake.

Jesus speaks to them, telling them about ‘bread that perishes’ and ‘the bread of life’.

For many people this proves too much, and they reject Jesus because his teachings are too difficult.

• Bread is a symbol of the things that give people life. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus helps people to provide for their own physical needs, but now he challenges them to look beyond the material ‘for the food that endures’.

People need to have their

Context material needs met, but they require much more than the merely physical to have the ‘full life’ spoken of in John 10:10.

• The song Bread and Roses, which came out of the women’s labour movement of the early twentieth century, acknowledges that people require more than the physical: ‘Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses’ (from www.folkarchive.de/breadrose.html).

The work of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines in Besao helps people to nourish their hearts and spirits as well as their bodies as they discover that while financially poor, they are rich in spirit and enthusiasm. (See pages 3, 4 and 5 for details about the work of Us in the Philippines.)

• As Jesus’ followers, we all need to feed our bodies and our hearts and our spirits, and to ensure that all our brothers and sisters are also nourished. As we share in the ‘bread of life’ – who is Jesus – we commit ourselves to

share the bread of life with the whole human family.

Our mission must be to unite with others to share the rich material and spiritual resources we all possess.

• People often find this kind of holistic thinking quite difficult. Many in the crowd leave Jesus as a result of his teachings on this matter. Quite often we are prepared to deal with mission that only relates to physical needs, or conversely to mission that only deals with spiritual needs.

Jesus reminds us that human beings are more than eitther purely spiritual or purely physical, and that he is himself more than a mere human. But ‘the bread that came down from heaven’ is no easier to receive now that it was in New Testament times. Holistic mission may be difficult, but it is at the heart of our faith.

Jesus challenges us to share bread with each other, and also to work for the ‘food that endures’, to nurture our hearts as well as our bodies. ■

Points to consider

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Intercessions for HarvestPlease pray for the work of Us in partnership with the world church.

At this Harvest season we give thanks for all that God has given us in the abundance of the earth, in the joy of each other and of knowing him as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Let us pray.

LeaderJesus, bread of life, we pray that everyone, everywhere will recognise the gifts you give so generously to communities throughout the world.

ResponseGrant us your fullness of life

LeaderJesus, bread of life, help all peoples to realise that all have gifts to give and gifts to receive regardless of who they are or where they live.

ResponseGrant us your fullness of life

LeaderJesus, bread of life, teach us to

appreciate all the talents we have and use them faithfully to connect with your church worldwide.

ResponseGrant us your fullness of life

LeaderJesus, bread of life, we pray for the community of Besao and other similar communities, in the Philippines. Give them your wisdom and courage as they develop insights into the gifts you have given them and to use them for the good of all.

ResponseGrant us your fullness of life

LeaderJesus, bread of life, enable many more communities in the Philippines and beyond to take part in strengths-based approaches to development. May these programmes be a sign of your kingdom in the world.

ResponseGrant us your fullness of life

LeaderJesus, bread of life, open our hearts and minds to develop the talents we have and to discover new things we can bring for the building up of Christ’s body in service to the world.

ResponseFather, Son and Holy Spirit, hear our prayers and may they be blessed to bring fullness of life for all. Amen. ■

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School assembly: We all have talents

Preparation Your Harvest assemblyIdeas for musicYou will need to download the Us Schools PowerPoint (for KS1 and KS2) and our film about our work in the Philippines. You can find it at www.weareUs.org.uk/harvest

Dependent on whether KS1 or KS2, edit the PowerPoint to show age appropriate characters.

See also the drama in point 3. You will want to prepare scripts, rehearse a group of children, or set up the DVD in advance.

01 Display the PowerPoint pictures of people who are famous for what they do well. Ask the children to identify who the people are and why they are famous.

Ask the children to think of one thing that they are really good at, and to share this with their neighbour. Then ask for a few volunteers to share with the whole class/school.

02Display some pictures of people who have become well known for helping other people (from the Us Schools PowerPoint).

One at a time, ask the children to identify them and say how each person has helped other people.

03Now tell the children that they are going to see/hear a short extract from the Bible where a number of people help and a miracle takes

► We are one (Songs for every singing school, Out of the Ark music).

► As one (Songs for everybody, Out of the Ark music).

► I, the Lord of sea and sky

► Will you come and follow me

► When I needed a neighbour

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place. Invite the children to listen/watch carefully and to see how many people are helping others. For the drama, you could use the script on page 8 of this booklet; or have a group of six children, already rehearsed, perform the feeding of the five thousand, from John 6:1-15, using the Dramatised Good News Bible; or show this episode from a DVD such as The Miracle Maker.

After the sketch/DVD clip, ask the children to identify which people were helpful to others in this story:• Andrew, who identified the

small boy with the loaves and fish.

• The boy, who offers his two loaves and five fish.

• The disciples, who gathered up the pieces left over so that there was no waste.

• Jesus, who performed the miracle.

In very simple ways lots of people helped in this story.

04Show the Us film of our work in the Philippines.

05After the film, ask the children to turn to their neighbour and think of something in their school or community that might need to be improved. Ask them to consider how they and others, by helping together might be able to make a difference.

Ask for volunteers to share their ideas.

06Ask the children to think about a problem in the world that they have learned about in school. In pairs, ask them to think about how they, together with many other people across the world, may be able to begin to make a difference to that too.

Ask for volunteers to share their thoughts.

07 Finish with a reflective time and prayer, perhaps over some quiet music. Ask the children to think about one of the things that they have shared with their neighbour in assembly today, and pray for that situation.

Then lead a simple prayer:

Dear God,Help us love, help us care, help us smile, help us share.Help us give, help us grow, help us laugh, help us know.Help us to share what we have with others, so that our community and our world become a better place.Amen.

Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer. ■

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This Harvest, we’re asking you to make use of the skills, talents and gifts you’ve discovered in your church and to raise as much money as you can. We then invite you to divide the money you raise 50-50, with half benefiting your local community, and half supporting the community work of Us in partnership with the world church.

This fantastic toolkit of fundraising ideas will help you get started. You’ll find inspirational ideas for fundraising in churches, community groups and schools.

Fundraising Toolkit

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Dig people’s gardensWeedingLawn-mowingHedge-trimming

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Sell your produceBoxes of fruit and veg, punnets of strawberries, a bunch of home-grown carrots…Shrubs and young plants you’ve grown from cuttings or seedBunches of flowers

Key to activities♥☻◪1-3

Local communityDo it togetherDo it by yourselfEffort grading, where 1 is the easiest and 3 takes the most effort to organise.

I’ve got green fingers!

Hire yourself out as a gardener!

Make something beautiful and sell it to friends, family or your congregation. Or have a stall at a Harvest Fayre or other event.

Make beaded necklaces and bracelets Make cards – note-cards and birthday cards

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I’m creative!

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Sell your baked goodsHold a Bake Sale after church or at another event – ask friends to contribute home-made bread and cakesAuction off your goods – sell delicious cakes and cookies to the highest bidder!

Offer your services for a donationOffer a dog-walking service to friends and neighbours Offer to feed your neighbour’s pet while they’re awayOffer an ironing service

Hold a ‘nearly new’ sale to sell good quality unwanted items and clothing to raise funds Or if it’s not quite so ‘nearly new’ – hold a Jumble Sale

Hold a dinner party or BBQ at home and invite friends and neighbours – ask for donationsHost a film night – provide a DVD, comfortable seating, pop corn, soft drinks or a glass of wine – request donations

Hold a class and ask for a contribution to cover costs plus a donation.

Bread-makingCookie class for kidsPastry masterclass

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Teach others!

I have time!

I can bake!

I’ve got unwanted items!

I’m a good host!

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Get a team together to offer a car-washing service to your congregation after the service while they enjoy a cup of tea – ask for donations!

Hold an event in your church or church grounds and invite the local community. This is a way to reach out to local people as well as raising money!

Hold a Harvest coffee morning or afternoon tea – with drinks, home-made cakes and a warm welcome to allOrganise a Harvest lunch or supper – bring and share food and make donationsHost a quiz night! Invite people to pay to come

Hire yourself out as an odd-job man or woman to paint, repair, or put up wallpaper.

Get a small group together to organise a Harvest Fayre – with games like hook the duck, tombola for donated prizes, and races for children. Invite the local community.Organise a Barn Dance in your church hall or community centre, ask for donations

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Our church is welcoming!

I’m handy!I’m energetic!

I’m an organiser!

» Use the Us poster (included in this pack) to advertise your activity

» Promote your event on Facebook by creating a Facebook event and inviting people to come and take part. Include link to www.weareUs.org.uk

» Write a letter to your local paper (download our sample letter at www.weareUs.org.uk/harvest)

» Write to other churches in the area and tell them about your event (download our sample letter at www.weareUs.org.uk/harvest)

» Invite your family and friends

» Announce your event in your church

» Request one of our speakers for your event at www.weareus.org.uk/invite

Good luck with your fundraising activities, we know you’ll have fun doing them.

Please stay safe and legal in all your activities. And remember, every penny you raise for Us will make a difference to people in communities around the world.

There are more brilliant fundraising ideas at www.weareUs.org.uk/support/fundraising

Let us know what you get up to! We’d love to hear from you. If you contact Us in advance to tell us about your activities, we can help promote your event. Afterwards, it would be great if you could send a write-up and photographs to info@weareUs.org.uk

Now start fundraising!

How to promote your Us activity

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Please donate half of what you’ve raised from your Harvest activity to Us, and the other half to a local community charity or project. Thank you!

Support Us this HarvestDonate onlinewww.weareUs.org.uk/donate

By postComplete the form opposite and send a cheque (payable to ‘United Society’) or collection envelopes to: Us., Harling House, 47-51 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0BS

By phoneCall Us on 020 7921 2200

Bank transferTo: United Society, Account no. 5082596, Sort Code 20-32-29Barclays Bank PLC, London Corporate BankingRegistered charity number 234518

Us collection envelopesOrder at www.weareUs.org.uk/churchresources/orderresources

Gift AidPlease use Us Gift Aid collection envelopes when you have a collection, as this means you can increase the value of your gift by 25 per cent.

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You can also donate online at www.weareUs.org.uk/donateRegistered charity number 234518

I would like to give a donation to the Us Harvest Appeal 2013 to help communities around the world.

Your gift amount

If yes, please give the name of your church

Is your donation from your church? Yes No

Your details

Payment details

Title

Surname

Email

Address

Postcode

First name(s)

Expiry date: MM/YY Switch/Maestro issue numberSecurity code (last 3 digits on the signature strip)Start date: MM/YY

Signature

Signature

Date DD/MM/YY

Date DD/MM/YY

I enclose: a cheque CAF voucher. Please make cheques payable to ‘United Society’. OR please debit my: credit card debit card.

Make your donation go further with Gift Aid I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 28p of tax on every £1 that I gave up to 5 April 2008 and will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give on or after 6 April 2008. Or I do not qualify for Gift Aid

I enclose a donation of £

5110

0 U

NR

C0R

P32A

Card number

I do not require a receipt Please send my receipt via email Please send me information on leaving a gift to Us in my will We keep your contact details on our database so we can update you about our work. If you would prefer not to be contacted by Us, please tick.

We are created by God to use our gifts and the gifts around us, like the land. Waiting for others to help is a risky business – we may wait a long time. But now we know we can do anything we want and help ourselves.

Padi Johnny Ambucay, St Clements Church, Besao, Philippines

We are Us. We are a Christian charity working in partnership with Anglican churches around the world. Together, we work alongside local communities to improve health, put children in school, tackle discrimination, nurture leaders, give a voice to women, and much more. Founded 1701.

Us.Harling House47-51 Great Suffolk StreetLondon SE1 0BS

020 7921 2200info@weareUs.org.ukwww.weareUs.org.uk

Registered charity number 234518Us. The new name for USPG

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