World Hunger Children’s Sunday School Lesson 2010:

Lesson Objective: Through studying Bible scriptures children will learn that as Christians we have an obligation to serve and care for those who are poor and hungry.

Scripture Verse: Deuteronomy 15:11 (HCSB)
11 For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.’

Lesson Outline:

1)Early Arriver Activities:

  1. Scripture Verse Find and/ Matching activities
  2. Work on Memory Verse: Deut 15:11

Teachers use sentence strips or regular paper to create puzzles out of the scriptures used during this lesson. Allow students to work on these puzzles when they first arrive for Sunday School. You may also use the World Hunger Word Find or the World Hunger Scripture Match at this time or at the end of the lesson as time allows.

2)Bible Lesson

This begins the main Bible section of the lesson. You may want to hide scripture references around the room for children to find and use when the appropriate time approaches during the lesson. We will teach through the Bible section using a series of questions that will then be answered with scripture.

The first section about learning about World Hunger is defining what hunger is. Your task is to take the information and help children in your class come to an understanding of what hunger is. We need to help kids realize that true hunger is more than lunch or supper being a few minutes late but is a problem that millions of people experience every day. You can use the definition of hunger, the understanding of what world hunger is, and the causes of hunger to help them develop an understanding for world hunger.

  1. Define What is Hunger:
  2. Hunger (huň′ gər), noun. 1 a: a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient; b: an uneasy sensation occasioned by the lack of food; c: a weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food. (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.)
  3. Understanding what world hunger really is:
  4. Hunger is starvation or acute hunger, resulting from famine. This is the most recognized form of hunger because it is the kind that makes the headlines.
  5. Hunger is day-in-day-out malnutrition called “Chronic Hunger.” Chronic Hunger dulls the ability of children to learn in school and the productivity of adults.
  6. Hunger is food insecurity. These may not develop signs of clinical malnutrition but are at risk for hunger on a regular basis. They must access abnormal channels for access to food such as soup kitchen and food pantries.
  7. Causes of Hunger:
  8. War: both civil and international causes a disruption to farming, destruction of marketing facilities, displacement of people, and a decline in economic growth.
  9. Economics: national and international economic decisions contribute to hunger through unfair taxes, lack of competition, and the encouragement to grow cash crops rather than food crops.
  10. Environment: too little rain causes drought and too much rain causes flooding, both lead to crop failures and famine. Along with these environmental mismanagement destroys natural barriers to soil and wind erosion, uprooting the very things that hold moister and fertile soil in place.
  11. Population: the most hotly debated issue in regards to hunger. There are three different views ranging from overpopulation being the cause, to economic insecurity being the cause, and an inadequate food distribution system. Bottom line is this approach tends to put the blame on somebody else and gives us the idea that it is not our problem.
  12. Apathy: Perhaps the most serious cause of hunger within the Christian community. Christians have been moved to make occasional contributions to hunger relief efforts. But when quick-fix solutions have not appeared, we have become discouraged and have begun to think that we cannot make a difference and often give up.

With the definition and some understanding of what hunger is we will turn our attention to the Bible portion of the lesson. Ask children if the Bible says anything about there being poor and hungry people. They answer is yes and two of the scriptures to answer the question are found below. Ask if anyone has found Deut. 15:11 and Matthew 26:11.

  1. Does the Bible say anything about there being poor and hungry people?
  2. Deuteronomy 15:11
  3. Matthew 26:11

Since the Bible does mention poor and hungry people ask the students, “Does God care for those who are poor and hungry?” The answer is yes, allow the scriptures below to answer the question.

  1. Does God care for those who are poor and hungry?
  2. Isaiah 58:6-7
  3. Luke 6:20-21
  4. Luke 4:18
  5. James 2:5

Seeing that God does care about the poor and hungry show the children using scriptures from below, (Law), that God made a way for the poor and hungry to be provided for in the promised land from a system called gleaning.

  1. What were the people of God to do for the poor and hungry?
  2. God had seen fit to write provisions into the law that would provide for those who were strangers in the land, those who where fatherless, and those who where widowed
  3. Law:
  4. Deut 24:19-21
  5. Leviticus 19:9-10
  6. Leviticus 23:22

One of the best examples of gleaning in scriptures occurs in the life of Naomi and Ruth. You will briefly look at the story of Naomi and Ruth. Ruth is Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Naomi’s husband and two sons have died and Naomi decides to return to her homeland in Bethlehem. Ruth decides to go with Naomi back to Bethlehem. When Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem the people are excited for their return, but they have returned empty handed. They have no food or money and in order to eat Ruth asks Naomi if she can go gather grain so that they may eat. Ruth 2:2-7 tells of Ruth’s experience with gleaning. Read Ruth 2:2-7 and ask the kids to answer the questions below. After finishing the questions you can tell the students that God used this situation to restore Naomi and Ruth through Boaz and they even fit in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

  1. Example from the Life of Naomi and Ruth:
  2. Ruth 2:2-7
  3. What was Ruth able to do? Gather Food to feed her and her mother-in-law Naomi.
  4. Did Boaz and his servants obey the law? How?
  5. What do you think could have happened to Ruth and Naomi if Ruth could not have gathered/gleaned in the fields?

Just like we do not always do what is right. Do you think that the people of God always followed the law in serving and caring for the poor and hungry? The answer is no. Use scriptures below to help children determine the answer.

  1. Did the people of God always follow the law in serving and caring for the poor and hungry?
  2. Jeremiah 5:28-29
  3. Matthew 25:41-46

Ask your students “does the Bible command us to serve and care for the poor and hungry?” Use the scriptures to help students answer the question.

  1. Does the Bible command us to serve and care for the poor and hungry?
  2. Luke 3:11
  3. Galatians 2:10J
  4. Matthew 25:35-40

Inform students that if we are true followers of Jesus Christ then we should demonstrate care and concern for the poor and hungry just like mentioned in James and 1 John.

  1. If we are followers of Jesus Christ we should demonstrate this by caring for the poor and hungry.
  2. James 2:15-17
  3. 1 John 3:17-18

Inform the children in your class that caring and serving others has an effect on the giver as well as the individuals we are giving to.

  1. Caring and serving others leads to changes in the life of the giver.
  2. Isaiah 58:10-11

At this point we want to wrap up all the scriptures we have studied today and help the student conclude that God loves and cares about the poor and hungry;that God commanded His people, Christians, to provide for the poor and hungry. Since we are Christians we should obey God’s commands by serving the poor and hungry.

  1. What can we conclude from our studies today?
  2. God loves those and cares about those who are poor and hungry.
  3. God has commanded His people to provide for the poor and hungry.
  4. If we are Christians and love God then we need to obey His commands by serving the poor and hungry.

At this point in the lesson we will transition from discussing the biblical aspects of yes we should serve and care for the poor to how we can actually be a part of helping the serve the poor and hungry.

3)What can we do to serve and care for the poor and hungry?

  1. Southern Baptist Efforts to serve and care for the poor and hungry:
  2. Over 1.4 million in domestic hunger funds distributed to 2,000 hunger ministries in North America in 2006
  3. Over 5 million meals were fed to the hungry in North American with Domestic Hunger Funds.
  4. The Gospel was shared with over 500,000 people, at their point of need.
  5. There were over 30,000 professions of faith through hunger ministries.
  6. The cost of helping:
  7. The average meal cost using World Hunger fund is .25 cent
  8. 10% of funds raised in Georgia for hunger remain in Georgia. The other 90% goes to the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) Executive Committee and is disbursed 80% to the International Mission Board for hunger overseas and 20% to the North American Mission Board for domestic hunger.
  9. Ways You Can Help: Help children think of ways they can become personally involved in helping the poor and hungry.
  10. Pray for those who minister among the hungry.
  11. Learn about Southern Baptist hunger ministries in your area and partner with them.
  12. Involve your family and neighbors in hunger ministry activities.
  13. Promote giving in your church to benefit world hunger.
  14. Collect canned foods for a local food ministry.
  15. Hold an associational hunger walk to raise funds for hunger ministries either home or aboard.
  16. Observe World Hunger Day, 2nd Sunday in October. The North American Mission Board and International Mission Board receive over 30 percent of all their hunger gifts from this one observance.
  17. See the Great Ways to raise Money and Awareness of World Hunger any time of the year page.
  18. Brainstorm some ideas of your own.

Help children think about aspects that they can personally get involved with helping provide care and service to the poor and hungry. Below are just some activities you can use to get kids started thinking about what they can do from their Sunday School class to be a servant of God to show His love to the poor and hungry. Teachers add you own great ideas to the list on how to get kids from your class involved.

  1. Activities you can use to help get your kids thinking about hunger:
  2. Have kids write about a time when they were hungry and allow them to think about what that might feel like to be hungry all the time.
  3. Give kids art supplies (paper, crayons, markers, paints, scissors, yarn, etc…) to allow them to artistically show how they view being hungry.
  4. Allow kids to begin planning an event to gather food or raise money for a hunger ministry. They may want to do a hunger walk or a canned food drive. Help the kids with organizational aspects such as selecting the day of the event, the ministry they will be helping, promoting the event, working the event, and getting the food and/or funds to the selected organization.
  5. Allow children the opportunity to pray specifically for world hunger. Have the children ask God to show them how they can personally be involved in ministering to the poor and hungry.

Great Ways to Raise Money and Awareness for

World Hunger

ANY TIME OF THE YEAR!

  • Set aside $2.00 a month to give to World Hunger.
  • Raise funds through GA’s, RA’s, and youth car washes.
  • Tithe your grocery bill for two weeks.
  • Hold church-wide garage sales.
  • Sponsor a WALK FOR HUNGER.

Sharing God’s Generous Gifts

Use this calendar for one month to

CHALLENGE YOUR FAMILY TO GIVE!

Give 5 cents for each cookbook in your home. / Read Matthew 25:40-42. Give 25 cents. / Give 10 cents for every TV in your home. / Sponsor a WALK FOR HUNGER. / Give the price of a meal to World Hunger. / Give 25 cents for each family member who has a job. / Give 5 cents for each time you open the refrigerator door today.
Thank God for freedom to worship. Give 50 cents. / Give 25 cents for each TV in your home. / Give 10% of this week’s grocery bill. / “Let your light shine.” Give 20 cents for each electric light in your home. / Read 2 Cor. 9:1-11. Be thankful for all God has given you. Give to World Hunger. / Americans waste 27% of their food. Give 5 cents for each waste can in your home. / One in every five children in the U.S. lives below the poverty line. Give 10 cents for each family member.
Pack a bag lunch today. Give the savings to World Hunger. / Hungry people are often homeless. Give 5 cents for an hour of sleep you will have today. / Give 50 cents for each serving of fresh vegetables you eat today. / Rice and beans are staples for many people today. Give 25 cents. / Many people walk miles for water. Give 5 cents for each faucet in your home. / Many people don’t have essential vitamins. Give 15 cents for each fruit or glass of juice consumed today. / “Smile, God loves you.” Give 5 cents for each family picture in your home.
Running errands today? Give 15 cents for each car in your family. / Many poor families live in crowded conditions. Give 5 cents for each room in your home. / “Share your Bread.” Isaiah 58:7. Give 5 cents for each time you eat bread today. / Each day, over a billion people in the world lack basic food needs. Give 25 cents. / Give 25 cents for every time you eat meat today. / Be thankful for spiritual resources. Give 5 cents for each Bible in your home. / Give 10 cents for every U.S. citizen in your home.
Read Hebrews 13:16. Give 50 cents to World Hunger. / Give 40 cents to supply 3 meals daily for a child in an Ethiopian feeding center.

World Hunger Word Find

h a i m e r e j z r d l b m f

t o z k p o o r h e e i m e p

h x u q w o n q u r m g a a h

e l x l b m g t k b a o n q l

l l y o w y e r e n c b y u x

p c w q m r p j d i i t u g h

c l c h o t k b s g n v i w t

s g f n t z e i v e s u s e j

m b o m q u x b m j p o j n e

w m f u l m r l d y o e y w j

y m b k e h o e h e f l b v m

h q n h p p x n g u i o e c h

b m y q s y p q e m n a o m i

n j f m o k x d a y f x o d b

e e r k g h k f g r n x p t m

Bible

bowls

Deuteronomy

family

food

gospel

help

hunger

imb(International Mission Board)

Jeremiah

Jesus

Luke

money

namb(North American Mission Board)

Naomi

poor

Ruth

World Hunger Scripture Match:

Using a Bible look up the scriptures on the left and match them with the verses on the right.

Scripture Passages Used During Hunger Lesson:

Deuteronomy 15:11 – Memory Verse

Matthew 26:11

Isaiah 58:6-7

Luke 6:20-21

Luke 4:18

James 2:5

Deuteronomy 24:19-21

Leviticus 19:9-10

Leviticus 23:22

Jeremiah 5:28-29

Matthew 25:41-46

Luke 3:11

Galatians 2:10

Matthew 25:35-40

James 2:15-17

1 John 3:17-18

Isaiah 58:10-11

Deuteronomy 15:11 (HCSB)
11 For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.’

Matthew 26:11 (HCSB)
11 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.

Isaiah 58:6-7 (HCSB)
6 Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh ⌊and blood⌋?

Luke 6:20-21 (HCSB)
20 Then looking up at His disciples, He said: You who are poor are blessed, because the kingdom of God is yours.
21 You who are now hungry are blessed, because you will be filled. You who now weep are blessed, because you will laugh.

Luke 4:18 (HCSB)
18 The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,

James 2:5 (HCSB)
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?

Deuteronomy 24:19-21 (HCSB)
19 “When you reap the harvest in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
20 When you knock down the fruit from your olive tree, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.
21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not glean what is left. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.

Leviticus 19:9-10 (HCSB)
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
10 You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident; I am the LORD your God.