Rich and Poor

Rich and Poor

Gathering

Leader: We gather together in Jesus' Name

All:Help us to explore, discover and learn together.

Engaging

Who do you think is the richest person you have ever heard of? What kind of things would you like to do or to buy if you were as rich as they are? What about really poor people - have you ever seen anyone you think might be really poor? What makes you think that?

In India there are many very rich people, but there are also many more really poor people than any other country in the world. As you go around the towns and villages you will see that there are people sleeping in the street, or living in very poor homes, with very little food or possessions of any kind. These poor people are called "dalits"(the word means "oppressed" - these are the people who used to be called untouchables, or harijans, dalit is now the generally accepted term)they often have to work very hard indeed for the little money that they do earn. In one of the schools in Vellore the teachers only see some of their pupils at lunchtime - they are dalit children who spend all their day working with their families making cheap beedi cigarettes, then just come to school at lunchtime for their free lunch, which may be the only meal they have all day!

Often the richer people hate or despise the dalits(caste system)and treat them very badly. Can you imagine one of your teachers beating you up at school? This was what happened to one thirteen year old girl in Delhi, and I don't think you will ever be able to guess what she had done "wrong" - she had said "good morning" to one of her teachers. In her school dalit children are not allowed to speak to teachers, who treat them like their servants and do not really teach them at all. When the girl's father went to school to complain he was beaten up by three teachers and ended up in hospital! That's what it can be like to be a dalit in India.

In the Diocese of Vellore most of the Christians are dalit people (about 97%). The church has many different schemes and ideas to help support the poorest people and improve their lives. They do this because they are trying to follow the example of Jesus himself who helped many poor people when he was on earth, even although the rich people of his day thought he was stupid to do so. For Christians everyone is equally important, whether they are rich or poor, whether they live in England or India. The church in Vellore does not even just help poor people who are Christians, it also helps the poor who belong to other religions, like Hinduism.

It would be a very long assembly if we told you about all the different Christian organisations in the Diocese of Vellore which help the poor, but here are two which do some very special work:

In Vellore there is a residential home called Anbu Illam for children with cerebral palsy. Some of the children in the home have been picked out of dustbins, where their parents dumped them as babies when they realised their child was not "normal". These children are taught all the skills they need to live proper lives - to wash themselves, to walk, to cook, to sew - and, if possible, they are sent to school, some of them even do really well and go to university later. All of the children are able to live in their own homes when they grow older, but without Anbu Illam and the Christians of Vellore they would probably have died when they were babies.

The church also has different training institutions where dalits can learn to use computers, or traditional trades. At Palamaner there is a special institution for dalit girls. When they come to Palamaner they are often thin and dirty because they have not been taught how to look after themselves properly. They need PSHE lessons like you have at school, so that they can learn all about hygiene and nutrition and running a home. They are also taught to sew, and by the time they leave Palamaner they are able to make clothes and do beautiful embroidery. When they go back to their villages they are given a sewing machine each. This means that they will be able to earn their own living as dressmakers and help look after their family properly. If it turns out that they were really bad at sewing or hated it, then they can get a loan from the institution to set up a shop or something else instead.

Listen to these words that Jesus said to some of his followers : " I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Jesus said people would be amazed when he said this, because they couldn't remember doing any of these things to help Jesus. Jesus explained that whenever you helped anyone at all, it is like you are helping God and you are doing it for him. .

(Check it out: Matthew chapter 25 verses 34-40)

Responding

You might not be able to help the poor in the same way as the Christians in Vellore do (yet), but there are many different things you can do to help people or make their lives better for them. It might be something like being friendly to someone in school who hasn't got any friends, or doing your grandma's shopping, or raising money for a charity that helps the poor. Every little thing you can do helps make the world better, and it could even change peoples lives for ever, like some of the things you have been hearing about today

Prayer

Pray that you will make the most of opportunities to help others in need.

Sending

Leader: Go in peace to discover God's world and your place in it

All: We go in Jesus' name