Module 3 Patient Suffering. Serve the Lord. When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient Romans 12:11-12 (NIRV)

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1 Module 3 Patient Suffering Why This Module? Serve the Lord. When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient Romans 12:11-12 (NIRV) Paul reminds us that we have no hope of accessing Christ s resurrection power if we haven t shared in Christ s suffering. We cannot serve the Lord and keep His Spirit s flame alive in our hearts if we haven t grappled with suffering; if we haven t lamented. These programs will challenge you to the act of lament; to see the faces of suffering in your community. They sit beside you in church every Sunday, run and play on your street, smile at you in the supermarket. Are you ready to see? And to step into their lives carrying, with patience, God s holy fire? What s In This Module? There are four programs: Recovering Lament (Lament keeps the fire burning. How?) The remaining programs include content from Glad Tidings mission studies on poverty in Canada (July/August 2012, September/October 2012 and January/February 2013). These modules focus us on three areas where we need to lament on behalf of women and children in Canada and abroad. Food IN/Security (Full bellies; full hearts.) Poverty (Do the poor in your community see you?) A Heart for the Homeless (Homelessness does not discriminate.)

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3 PATIENT SUFFERING Recovering Lament Purpose Prepare To introduce the corporate discipline of lament to women. To challenge women to lament as part of their corporate and spiritual worship. Without lament, we cannot worship in spirit or in truth, nor can we do works of service or ministry. Both worship and acts of social justice pivot on the key of lament. Please Invite Women who want to go deeper in their understanding of God s heart for them and for the world. Women who are fearless in their desire to change the world...as God would have them do. All women. We all need to learn how to cry out to God without apology and in the company of our sisters in Christ. Invite women ahead of the event. Set up room with tables and chairs comfortably grouped around the space. Have snacks and beverages laid out beforehand. Have one candle plus matches placed on each table. Have photocopies of all the handouts ready to distribute and pens / pencils on each table. Have several Bibles handy in case women don t have one. All should be in the same version. If you choose to have the large group work through the study together, find gifted readers and assign the Scripture passages being studied. Have flipchart paper / markers or whiteboard ready. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 1

4 PATIENT SUFFERING Recovering Lament Present There are two sections to this gathering: Introduction The Biblical Roots of Lament Respond READ: This program has given us an overview of the biblical roots of lament and hopefully the foundation for our own practice of lament. Let us never forget that the spine of lament is hope the deep and irrepressible conviction that deliverance is at hand. And so, our group and our church should be places of hesed: places of hope, in which emotions can be expressed freely and communally in song and words that glorify God in the expression of both joy and sorrow. Visit resources/workshops/wordout and sign up 20 women or more for a Word!Out workshop: one day of discovering, writing and sharing your personal and ministry stories, developed by Baptist Women for women everywhere. ASK: How do we, as a group, show solidarity with Christians who feel solitary in their pain? How do we, as a group, show solidarity with the community outside these doors? Encourage the women to be specific and concrete. End the meeting by asking one woman from each table to blow out the candle. Encourage women to remain in the silent semidarkness or darkness of the room (if this event is being held at night) for five minutes before fellowshipping. Turn the lights on when this time of silence is over. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 2

5 PATIENT SUFFERING Recovering Lament Program Leader s Notes Introduction Welcome women to this event. After a brief opening prayer of your choosing, have one woman from each table light the candle. After they have been lit, invite the women to read, in unison, Candles in the Night (see handout). The Biblical Roots of Lament SAY: Let s turn to our handout The Biblical Roots of Lament. You may choose to keep women a large group or have them work through the study at their tables in small groups. A large group format will require the use of a whiteboard/markers or flip chart paper to record answers. Give the women about 40 minutes to work through the handout then move to the time of response. Resources There are few resources on this topic of lament. Scholars and authors who have written on this topic include Brian Walsh, Michael Card and Walter Brueggemann. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 3

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7 Candles in the Night A candle-light is a protest at midnight. It is a non-conformist. It says to the darkness, I beg to differ. Samuel Rayan, India God, whose love is our depth and who call is our destiny, we light these candles and stand in solidarity with all those whom we now name those who weep and mourn... those who are persecuted... the women and children who must prostitute themselves in order to survive... the women and children who have nowhere to sleep tonight... the poor and destitute... the lonely and homeless God, whose call is our destiny: we wish to protest. We light these candles and with their flames we say to the darkness: We wish to protest. We pray with those who suffer, and say to the Saviour of the world: We wish to protest. We light these candles and with their flames we say: Come Lord Jesus, come. (from Be Our Freedom Lord: Responsive Prayers and Readings for Contemporary Worship by Terry Falla) Candles in the Night A candle-light is a protest at midnight. It is a non-conformist. It says to the darkness, I beg to differ. Samuel Rayan, India God, whose love is our depth and who call is our destiny, we light these candles and stand in solidarity with all those whom we now name those who weep and mourn... those who are persecuted... the women and children who must prostitute themselves in order to survive... the women and children who have nowhere to sleep tonight... the poor and destitute... the lonely and homeless God, whose call is our destiny: we wish to protest. We light these candles and with their flames we say to the darkness: We wish to protest. We pray with those who suffer, and say to the Saviour of the world: We wish to protest. We light these candles and with their flames we say: Come Lord Jesus, come. (from Be Our Freedom Lord: Responsive Prayers and Readings for Contemporary Worship by Terry Falla)

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9 HANDOUT / The Biblical Roots of Lament What does it mean to lament? What is a lament? A lament is a plea to change a desperate situation. The lament Psalms for example raise a cry out of the depths in the confidence that God has the power to lift a person out of the miry bog and set their feet on a rock. God s will can bring about change. Why is lament important? READ: Psalms 11, 22 and 39. DISCUSS: Walter Brueggemann puts the question this way: What difference does it make to you and I to have faith that permits and requires lament this particular form of prayer? We raise and legitimate questions of justice in terms of social good, social access and social power. We assert that God, this dangerous, available God, matters in every dimension of life. We address God in risky ways as the transformer of what has not yet appeared. He is not a dead cipher who cannot be addressed or the silent guarantor of the status quo. We reduce the power of pain because we lament together. And we listen to the anguish of another without judgment or censure. READ: Lamentations 1:2 and 21. In early Israel, lament was ritualistic. Lamentations were often a community event. To fail to show solidarity in such a situation or to rejoice while a neighbour was grieving was to declare oneself an enemy rather than a covenantal partner. Israelite priests were always prepared to assist the community when one brought adversities. Today s church seems to be a place where grief and mourning are somewhat hushed. We are a culture which encourages individual therapy as a substitute for communal ritualistic expressions of grief. DISCUSS: Do you agree or disagree with this perspective? Why? The lament Psalms and other laments in the Bible provide a language for pain. What happens when we lament? When we lament: We enter into a genuine covenant interaction with God. He takes our lament seriously, validates it; allows the language of grief and suffering... not just praise and doxology.

10 HANDOUT / The Biblical Roots of Lament (continued) The structure of lament The lament Psalms are a complaint that makes the shrill insistence: Things are not right in the present arrangement. They need not stay this way but can be changed. The speaker will not accept them in this way for it is intolerable. It is God s obligation to change things. Worship ends the lament as the psalmist relinquishes his hurt and anger to God. Where is lament needed today? Read Psalm 88. Who was this lament for? Who is the lamenter? Would this song be delivered by a choir to a community? The main point is the first: Life isn t right. READ: Psalms 55, 77 and 126. For each psalm, jot down the verses that correspond to each part of the lament structure. In your service this coming Sunday, could a song like this be delivered to the community? What would the response be? DISCUSS: What resonates with you or stands out to you as you apply the structure to each psalm? What do you notice that you didn t before? Psalm 88 is the only lament psalm that isn t resolved in worship. Its inclusion in the hymnal of the Psalms gives us permission to lament.

11 HANDOUT / The Biblical Roots of Lament (continued) READ: Brueggemann suggests that lament is needed in order to have a reality-based faith and is needed in our corporate worship. When the church ignores lament within public worship, it essentially denies the harsher realities of life, and faith becomes dependent on a mood rather than grounded in reality. Unless there is public communal expression of lament in the music of the church, the church will not be perceived as a place of emotional healing. concrete; for example, The lack of well-run group homes for the disabled in my part of town. I see the clients from one home loitering outside their building and they look bored and dissatisfied. DISCUSS: How is your church already lamenting? If it isn t, what would have to happen so that some moments during a Sunday service or at other congregation events could be devoted to lament? Lament isn t limited to songs and words of grief and anguish uttered by a group on behalf of others. DISCUSS: What are some specific ways in which your church and your women s groups could lament for the pains and ills you ve just listed? READ: Lament is needed in our intercession on behalf of the oppressed. Newbigin suggests that church is God s embassy in a specific place. This indicates a congregational responsibility to the surrounding community. The gospel does not come as a disembodied message, but as the message of a community, which claims to live by it and which invites others to adhere to it. So, those to whom it must be addressed must be able to say: Yes, I see. This is true for me, for my situation. The laments challenge us to locate our pain, the pain of others, the pain of the world, and to make all this the subject of our prayers. Through lament, the church acts as intercessor for the greater community, especially for the oppressed. DISCUSS: What specific pains and ills in your community could your church be lamenting? Be specific and

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13 R.S.V.P. Please send return this this survey survey immediately by , mail following or fax immediately your event by following , mail your or event. fax. / Mail: CBWOQ, The East Mall, Etobicoke, ON, M9B 6E2 / Fax: I am responding to the program titled in Module #. Average age of women in our group: Number of women in our group: This material (check all that apply): was useful was challenging did not apply in our setting would be improved by: inspired us to do the following: We gave financial support: to Baptist Women (CBWOQ) to help its ministries, which include: mission overseas, mission in Canada, short-term missions, developing women leaders, helping vulnerable women and children, new Canadians and refugees, sharing our stories, developing resources and events, staff and office expenses. We supported CBWOQ through: Offerings at event (charitable receipts given for donations over $20) Encouraging MAD (monthly automated donations) through direct bank account withdrawal or credit card Donations IN HONOUR or IN MEMORY (recipient s name will be published in The Link & Visitor) Giving a Circle Life Membership to this organization: Yes, we will share our stories or pictures from the event in Baptist Women publications such as The Link & Visitor, the CBWOQ website ( or in the next resource materials package. Name of person sending in this report: Mailing address: Church connection: Phone: City:

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15 PATIENT SUFFERING Food IN/Security Purpose Prepare To raise awareness of food security or its lack and the impact food has on a woman s ability to keep the fire alive To challenge women to take action. One woman makes a difference. Please Invite Women who are interested in starting a ministry or service project in the community. Women who want to make a difference and don t know where or how to start. All women this is an all-ages event. Food security or lack thereof affects us all. Invite women ahead of the event. Set up room with tables and chairs comfortably grouped around the space. Provide beverages and a snack that a typical breakfast or lunch program at a school would provide to the children who come. Only provide one snack. If you are able to do the Food Bank Meal activity, get the items ready and grouped into three or four piles, depending on the number of women attending. Have photocopies of all the handouts ready to distribute and pens/pencils on each table. Set up whiteboard or flip chart papers/markers and tape if you are using. Have several Bibles to hand for women who don t have one. All Bibles should be the same version. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 4

16 PATIENT SUFFERING Food IN/Security Present There are four sections to this gathering: Introduction Food Basics: How Big Is This Issue? Food IN/Security Bible study Food Bank Meal optional activity and only if you ve got access to your church s food bank, if there is one Respond Invite the group to consider supporting Baptist Women and its ministries. Baptist Women supports the spiritual growth of women in our CBOQ churches through the many resources and workshops it has developed. Visit resources to find out more. SAY: Let us pray. PRAY: He said, Feed my sheep There were no conditions, Least of all: Feed my sheep if they deserve it, Feed my sheep if you feel like it, Feed my sheep if you have any leftovers, Feed my sheep if the mood strikes you,... if the economy s OK if you re not too busy... No conditions... just, Feed my sheep. We who have agreed to keep covenant are called to feed sheep even when it means the grazing will be done on our own front lawns. Amen. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 5

17 PATIENT SUFFERING Food IN/Security Program Welcome women to this event. Tell them this event focuses on food security, the lack of which decreases their ability to keep the fire in their hearts alive. PRAY: God bless to us our bread and give bread to all those who are hungry and hunger for justice to those who are fed God bless to us our bread. (a prayer from Argentina) Introduction SAY: Food security is commonly understood to exist in a household when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life. Conversely, food insecurity occurs when food quality and /or quantity are compromised, typically associates with limited financial resources. SAY: Let s begin by looking at the big picture. Food Basics: How Big Is This Issue? READ the Food Basics: Key Global Food Security Facts and Figures handout. READ: Gordon King, director of The Sharing Way (CBM s relief and development arm) writes this about food security in his introduction to the book The Bottom Billion: Hundreds of thousands of members of our church partners in the developing world live on less than one dollar a day. They struggle with hunger, malnutrition, disease, education for their children, and shelter. I will never forget the statement of a young woman in Rwanda: What do you do when you brothers and sisters are crying because of hunger and a man offers you twenty-five cents? On the basis of Matthew 25, I would say that these people will one day give testimony before God that we acted on their behalf or that we ignored them. SAY: The issues around global food security are complex. Yet we here at this event can be counted with those who acted on behalf of our Baptist sisters and brothers. INVITE: Have the women gathered brainstorm five to 10 actions they could take, as a group, that will impact women like the one Gordon King references in his introduction. List their ideas on the white board or flip chart paper. (Take the time you need to with this activity). Conversely women may already be involved list their involvements. Ask if there are other actions the group could take. The focus of this discussion time is collective action: What can the women do together? PRAY: End this section with a time of open prayer based on Gordon King s comments. Start with two minutes of silence, invite one or two women to pray and then close with a simple Amen. SAY: We now want to look at biblical reflections on food security and insecurity. Please turn to your handout titled Food IN/Security. Food IN/Security Lead women through the study as detailed in the Food IN/Security handout. A Food Bank Meal This is an exercise the women can do if you have access to a food bank (perhaps your church s) collection bin and the bin is almost full. Divide the women into groups of three or four. Divide the food in the collection receptacle amongst the groups. Each group needs to come up with a meal (on paper only), using only the food they have from the receptacle. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 6

18 PATIENT SUFFERING Food IN/Security After 10 minutes, gather the groups together. Have each group share what their items were and what their meal would be. Discuss what foods would be missing and the longterm impact on physical and mental health if those foods are rarely if ever sourced and eaten. Ask women to talk about what the most helpful donations are that they can give to the food bank. Resources Online Canadian Baptist Ministries offers a wealth of resources on this topic: Books The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier Check out the discussion questions on the book. Available on CBM s website. Leader s Notes Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 7

19 HANDOUT / Food IN/Security Food IN/Security Read 1 Kings 17:1-16. What were some of the causes of food insecurity in the widow s home? In Canada, in , almost 10 per cent of households with children were food insecure. Over half of households on social assistance are food insecure. Social assistance includes a variety of provincial and territorial programs. The most problematic is welfare (in Ontario this is known as Ontario Works.) Ontario Works provides an income that is often well below basic living costs. At the same time, 57 per cent of food insecure households were reliant on employment income. That income is usually the result of part-time work, low wages and insufficient supplement transfers, for example, tax credits. The dollars only stretch so far. Put yourself in the widow s shoes. How do you feel about this solution to your food insecurity? How do you feel about yourself? People with inadequate income run out of money for food because the grocery budget is flexible, unlike payments such as rent and utility bills which are fixed. Many factors such as increases in rent or energy costs, job loss or illness can tip a vulnerable family into food insecurity. Inadequate income can lead to inadequacies with regard to nutritious food, which leads to poor health, which leads to inadequate income and we are caught in a vicious cycle. Chronic health problems associated with household food insecurity include both the physical (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, asthma) and the mental (mood or anxiety disorders caused by stress). How do you stretch your food dollars? Share your ideas with the women at your table. Read Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 24:19 and Ruth 2:1-9. What are some of the causes of food insecurity for Ruth and Naomi?

20 HANDOUT / Food IN/Security (continued) What are some of the factors that lead to food security in this instance? What are some of the factors that lead to food security in this instance? Put yourself in Ruth s shoes. How do you feel about this solution to your food insecurity? How do you feel about yourself? Responses to Food Insecurity There are many ways you and your church may respond to food insecurity in your community: The Food Bank Did you know that 38 per cent of food bank users are children? 20 per cent of people who use food banks are the working poor. Perhaps your church runs a food bank or you donate items regularly. Read John 6: What does the boy have in common with the widow, Ruth and Naomi? To Think About: Picture yourself in the grocery store. A stranger keeps adding items to your card, and you can t put anything of your own choice in the cart. Maybe you have allergies or dietary restriction. They are ignored. How do you feel about that? Many food banks do try to give some choice and honour special diets, but sometimes this it is just not possible.

21 HANDOUT / Food IN/Security (continued) Breakfast, Lunch and Snack programs These school programs alleviate food insecurity for children and provide nourishment for learning. These meals may be the only meals some children have for their day. Perhaps your church or women s group is involved with these programs in your community, providing food and/or volunteer help. To Think About: What would you put on the menu for a breakfast/lunch program? How could your group provide snacks that are healthy and appealing to children? Community Kitchens Church kitchens often lend themselves in providing space for a community kitchen. A community kitchen is a group of people who come together to cook healthy meals. Usually, these are taken home for their families. Sometimes a meal is shared together. Recipes are shared, shopping is done in bulk and meals are priced out with participants paying accordingly. To Think About: What do you see as some of the advantages of a community kitchen running out of your church? Community Gardens Does your church have extra land that be used as a community garden? To Think About: Provided your church has land, what would it take for your church to have a community garden program? If you already have one, what are some ways to add even more value to the community through this ministry? Even more to think about: What I ve seen in Canada is a system that presents barriers for the poor to access nutritious diets and that tolerates increased inequalities between rich and poor, and aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples. Olivier de Schutter, UN special rapporteur on right to food s End-Of-Mission Statement As you think about food security, what would you feel strongly enough about to write to your federal or provincial government?

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23 HANDOUT / Food Basics: Key Global Food Security Facts and Figures Food Basics: Key Global Food Security Facts and Figures 1 person dies of hunger every 4 seconds Over 60% of the world's undernourished people live in Asia, and a quarter in Africa. The proportion of people who are hungry, however, is greater in Africa (33%) than Asia (16%). 820 million people in developing countries alone are hungry - one in four lives in sub-saharan Africa Hunger and poverty claim 25,000 lives every day 1 in 6 people live below the international poverty line, living on just $1 or less per day The latest FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) figures that there are 22 countries (16 of which are in Africa) where the undernourishment prevalence rate is over 35% One million infants die each year due to a lack of the basic nutrient Vitamin A Agriculture accounts for the use of 70% of all available freshwater worldwide More than 60% of chronically hungry people are women 854 million people do not have enough to eat - more than the populations of the United States, Canada and the European Union combined The number of chronically hungry people worldwide is growing by an average of 4 million per year at current trends (source: Canadian Baptist Ministries) HANDOUT / Food Basics: Key Global Food Security Facts and Figures Food Basics: Key Global Food Security Facts and Figures 1 person dies of hunger every 4 seconds Over 60% of the world's undernourished people live in Asia, and a quarter in Africa. The proportion of people who are hungry, however, is greater in Africa (33%) than Asia (16%). 820 million people in developing countries alone are hungry - one in four lives in sub-saharan Africa Hunger and poverty claim 25,000 lives every day 1 in 6 people live below the international poverty line, living on just $1 or less per day The latest FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) figures that there are 22 countries (16 of which are in Africa) where the undernourishment prevalence rate is over 35% One million infants die each year due to a lack of the basic nutrient Vitamin A Agriculture accounts for the use of 70% of all available freshwater worldwide More than 60% of chronically hungry people are women 854 million people do not have enough to eat - more than the populations of the United States, Canada and the European Union combined The number of chronically hungry people worldwide is growing by an average of 4 million per year at current trends (source: Canadian Baptist Ministries)

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25 R.S.V.P. Please send return this this survey survey immediately by , mail following or fax immediately your event by following , mail your or event. fax. / Mail: CBWOQ, The East Mall, Etobicoke, ON, M9B 6E2 / Fax: I am responding to the program titled in Module #. Average age of women in our group: Number of women in our group: This material (check all that apply): was useful was challenging did not apply in our setting would be improved by: inspired us to do the following: We gave financial support: to Baptist Women (CBWOQ) to help its ministries, which include: mission overseas, mission in Canada, short-term missions, developing women leaders, helping vulnerable women and children, new Canadians and refugees, sharing our stories, developing resources and events, staff and office expenses. We supported CBWOQ through: Offerings at event (charitable receipts given for donations over $20) Encouraging MAD (monthly automated donations) through direct bank account withdrawal or credit card Donations IN HONOUR or IN MEMORY (recipient s name will be published in The Link & Visitor) Giving a Circle Life Membership to this organization: Yes, we will share our stories or pictures from the event in Baptist Women publications such as The Link & Visitor, the CBWOQ website ( or in the next resource materials package. Name of person sending in this report: Mailing address: Church connection: Phone: City:

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27 PATIENT SUFFERING Poverty Purpose Prepare To raise awareness of poverty (primarily in Canada) and its impact on a woman or child s ability to keep the fire in their hearts alive. To challenge women to take action. One woman makes a difference. Please Invite Invite women ahead of the event. Set up room with tables and chairs comfortably grouped around the space. Have photocopies of all the handouts ready to distribute and pens / pencils on each table. Set up whiteboard or flip chart papers / markers and tape if you are using. Have several Bibles to hand for women who don t have one. All Bibles should be the same version. Women who are interested in starting a ministry or service project in the community. Women who want to make a difference and don t know where or how to start. All women this is an all-ages event. Present There are two sections to this gathering: Introduction Biblical Witness a Bible study on poverty Respond PRAY: Direct women to the Franciscan Blessing handout and pray in unison. Consider supporting Baptist Women. Baptist Women exists to enable women to reach others for Jesus Christ and supports emerging women leaders by providing short-term missions, networking and leadership development opportunities. Visit to find out more. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 8

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29 PATIENT SUFFERING Poverty Program Introduction Welcome women to this event. Tell them that this event focuses on how we are to respond to the women and children in our midst who lack the resources to keep God s flame, or indeed, any passion alive in their hearts. READ: Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: The hungry person needs bread and the homeless needs a roof; the dispossessed needs justice, and the lonely needs friendship. The undisciplined needs order, and the slave needs freedom. To allow the hungry person to remain hungry is a blasphemy against God and one s neighbor, for what is nearest to God is precisely the need of one s neighbour. ASK: Who are our neighbours and what do they need? Use Bonhoeffer s statement as a guide. Encourage women to be specific. List bullet point answers on flip chart paper. When the list is complete, tear off and tape to a side wall where women can see. Resources Online Canadian Baptist Ministries offers a wealth of resources on this topic: http: Videos and Books Any Google search (just type in children and women living in poverty) will lead you to millions of articles, videos and book titles. Spend some time diving into the Web and see what you find. Leader s Notes Biblical Witness a Bible study SAY: We now want to look at biblical reflections on poverty. Please turn to your handout titled Biblical Witness. Lead women through the study as detailed in the Biblical Witness handout. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 9

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31 HANDOUT / Biblical Witness Biblical Witness In biblical times, widows and orphans were considered the poorest and most vulnerable of society. Without a husband, women had no status, no income and thus, no security and no power. Orphans were children whose father had died. The absence of a father meant that the orphan, like the widow, had no security. The biblical phrase widows and orphans could be replaced today with women and children in poverty. READ: Isaiah 1:17 Jeremiah 7:3-7 James 1:27 How does God call us to relate to widows and orphans? READ: Psalm 10:12-14 Psalm 68: 5 Psalm 146:5-9 How does God relate to widows and orphans? According to Canadian Baptist Ministries, nearly half the children of the world live in poverty. They are often excluded from essential services like water, basic health care, adequate schools and protection. When disaster strikes they are placed at even greater risk. These children are impacted by the inequalities of the world, the injustices of their countries, and difficult family circumstances. In the most extreme cases their childhoods are stolen from them and they are forced to struggle each day for survival. READ: Matthew 18:1-3 and 6 Matthew 19: What is Jesus attitude to children? CBM writes: All our projects respond to the basic needs of children by strengthening families and communities. Children and youth hold the key to the future and we work to help our partners give them renewed hope and the best possible start in life. CBM subscribes to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in which Canada played a leading role. Our programs work to ensure that children have the right to develop their potential through access to education. Children have a right to adequate food, water, basic medical care and protection from abuse. Children are neither the property of their parents nor their communities. They have the right to speak out about issues that affect their wellbeing. (source: www. cbmin.org) READ: the Quick Facts handout.

32 HANDOUT / Biblical Witness (continued) Scripture connects our attitudes and actions in response to poverty and to our knowledge of God as if these are the two sides of the same coin. To show mercy is to know God. What lines would your neighbours (those you identified in the Introduction exercise) and your neighbours children add to this poem? READ: Proverbs 29:7 Jeremiah 22:13-16 and Matthew 25:40 What do these verses tell us about our response to poverty and our knowledge of God? What are these texts saying to you about your response? What do you need to stop doing? Or start? What lines would you add? In 1989, about 12 per cent of children in Canada lived in poverty. Some 22 years later, child poverty has been reduced by just 20 per cent. One in 10 children in Canada live in poverty and the number is higher for First Nations children. Children in poverty means families are in poverty. READ: the Poverty Is handout. What line struck you the most in the poem? Why? bvthtvb

33 HANDOUT / Quick Facts Quick Facts 1 in 10 children live in poverty in Canada 40 per cent of those relying on food banks are children 1 in 4 children in First Nations communities grow up in poverty. 1 in 3 low-income children has a parent who works full time throughout the year. Children of recent immigrants, of Aboriginal identity, in racialized families, in female lone-parent families, and those with a disability are at a higher risk of poverty. Low-income children are more likely to have low birth weights, asthma, type 2 diabetes, and suffer from malnutrition. (sources: makepovertyhistory.ca and Campaign2000.ca) HANDOUT / A Franciscan Blessing A Franciscan Blessing May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, marginalization, and isolation, so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and help turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen. bvthbhtvb

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35 HANDOUT / Poverty Is... Poverty Is... This is how some Grade 4 and 5 children in North Bay, Ontario, measure poverty. Poverty is... wishing you could go to McDonalds getting a basket from the Santa Fund feeling ashamed when my dad can t get a job not buying books at the book fair not getting to go to birthday parties hearing my mom and dad fight over money not ever getting a pet because it costs too much wishing you had a nice house not being able to go camping not getting a hot dog on hot dog day not getting pizza on pizza day not going to Canada s Wonderland not being able to have your friends sleep over pretending that you forgot your lunch being afraid to tell your mom that you need gym shoes not having breakfast sometimes not being able to play hockey sometimes really hard because my mom gets scared and she cries hiding your feet so the teacher won t get cross when you don t have boots not being able to go to cubs or play soccer not being able to take swimming lessons not to being able to take the electives at school (downhill skiing) not being able to afford a holiday not having pretty barrettes for your hair not having your own private backyard being teased for the way you are dressed not getting to go on school trips (from Our Neighbours Voices: Will We Listen? The Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition, Toronto: James Lorimer)

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37 R.S.V.P. Please send return this this survey survey immediately by , mail following or fax immediately your event by following , mail your or event. fax. / Mail: CBWOQ, The East Mall, Etobicoke, ON, M9B 6E2 / Fax: I am responding to the program titled in Module #. Average age of women in our group: Number of women in our group: This material (check all that apply): was useful was challenging did not apply in our setting would be improved by: inspired us to do the following: We gave financial support: to Baptist Women (CBWOQ) to help its ministries, which include: mission overseas, mission in Canada, short-term missions, developing women leaders, helping vulnerable women and children, new Canadians and refugees, sharing our stories, developing resources and events, staff and office expenses. We supported CBWOQ through: Offerings at event (charitable receipts given for donations over $20) Encouraging MAD (monthly automated donations) through direct bank account withdrawal or credit card Donations IN HONOUR or IN MEMORY (recipient s name will be published in The Link & Visitor) Giving a Circle Life Membership to this organization: Yes, we will share our stories or pictures from the event in Baptist Women publications such as The Link & Visitor, the CBWOQ website ( or in the next resource materials package. Name of person sending in this report: Mailing address: Church connection: Phone: City:

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39 PATIENT SUFFERING A Heart for the Homeless Purpose Prepare To raise awareness of homelessness and its impact on women and children. To challenge women to take action. One woman makes a difference. Please Invite Women who are interested in starting a ministry or service project in the community. Women who want to make a difference and don t know where or how to start. All women his is an all-ages event. Homelessness does not discriminate. Invite women ahead of the event. If there s a gifted reader in your group, ask her to read Isaiah 58 during the Bible study. Set up room with tables and chairs comfortably grouped around the space. Have snacks and beverages laid out beforehand. Have photocopies of all the handouts ready to distribute and pens / pencils on each table. Have several Bibles handy in case women don t have one. All should be in the same version. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 10

40 PATIENT SUFFERING A Heart for the Homeless Present There are two sections to this gathering: Introduction A Biblical Reflection on Homelessness Respond Lead the group in a discussion of what the group needs to do next. The following are some examples: Volunteer at a neighbourhood church s Out of the Cold program. If your church already runs an Out of the Cold program ask its director what needs could be meet by your group. Schedule a meeting with your church s council of deacons and pastors to discuss how your church could respond to the homeless in your city or town: start an Out of the Cold program, partner with other churches, support ministries like Matthew House or equivalent agencies with mission funds, begin a Matthew House ministry. Invite a Matthew House director or staff person to come and speak at the next meeting. If there are no Matthew Houses in your community, what s the equivalent ministry? Contact their personnel. Plan to tour Matthew House or its equivalent in your community. Debrief the tour and decide how the group will support the ongoing work of ministry. Do a book club (held over four meetings) on The Above Ground Railroad by Joey Clifton. This tells the story of the Matthew House movement in Ontario and Quebec and how anyone can start this or another ministry. Plan a short-term mission with local agencies that help the homeless: volunteer, sleep over, spend one day with those who care for the homeless in your community. If appropriate and women are willing, do what the hidden homeless do: sleep in your church s basement for one night... or two. Raising awareness of the social injustices in our world and encouraging women to take action are priorities for Baptist Women. Send an update to The Link & Visitor about the activity that the group has initiated to help the homeless. Visit to learn more. After the group has decided on the activity, close with the Franciscan Blessing (on the handout) and pray in unison. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 11

41 PATIENT SUFFERING A Heart for the Homeless Program Introduction Welcome women to this event. Tell them that this event focuses on how we are to respond to the women and children in our midst who are homeless. A Biblical Reflection on Homelessness SAY: We now want to look at biblical reflections on homelessness. Please turn to your handout titled Biblical Reflections. Lead women through the study as detailed in the Biblical Reflections handout. When the study is complete, move into the response time. After a brief opening prayer of your choosing, begin by reading the following reflection. READ: The following statement comes from Rev. Jean Kim, founder of the Church of Mary Magdalene, a diverse Christian community of homeless and formerly homeless women in Seattle, Washington: We who are homeless believe in God; the one who created and blessed all people in God s image. In God we are all sisters. We affirm God is a loving and forgiving God... So we believe no one should be mistreated as inferior or unworthy. So we believe God abandons no one. We believe Jesus Christ was himself abused, ignored, challenged and taunted. So we believe Jesus knows our pain and suffering. Jesus stands by our side. Jesus will raise us above our suffering and despair. We believe God created all people to be in community. So whether it be church or the shelter crowd, we believe in communities that practice love and forgiveness, mercy and peace. DISCUSS: Where do the homeless in your community gather? On which street corners? Where do they sleep? Which food banks do you think they use? How hard do you think it would be to be homeless in your city or town? ASK: Ask women to complete the following sentence: When I pass a homeless person or someone who I think is homeless I... Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 12

42 PATIENT SUFFERING A Heart for the Homeless Resources Leader s Notes Online Canadian Baptist Ministries offers a wealth of resources on this topic: http: Books On homelessness in Canada: On the Street: How we created the Homeless by Barbara Murphy Homelessness: How to End the National Crisis by Jack Layton For children: Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting Someplace to Go by Maria Testa Both books help you to open up a conversation with your child or Sunday School class about children who are homeless. Videos Home Safe Toronto, produced by the Sky Works Charitable Foundation. This documentary focuses on children and families who experience poverty and homelessness. Any Google search (just type in homeless in Canada ) will lead you to millions of articles, videos and book titles. Spend some time diving into the Web and see what you find. Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources PATIENT SUFFERING 13

43 HANDOUT / Biblical Reflections Biblical Reflections What is involved in the fast that God chooses? READ: Isaiah 58 in its entirety. Isaiah 58 was written at the time of rebuilding in Jerusalem after the remnant returned from Babylonian exile. It represents the classical understanding of God that grew out of the Exodus: God liberates from bondage, provides food in the wilderness and gives a homeland. What will be the result of that fast? What do those words (verses 8-12 and 14) mean for you today? To be true to God is to be on the side of those who suffer injustice, those denied their fair share of the worlds, produce, and those denied housing and community. Isaiah 58 deals with some of the religious observances of one of the groups who had returned from exile. In what ways did the people addressed in this chapter seem to be following God s ways? In 2 Kings 4:8-10, we read of how a Shunemite woman provided shelter for Elisha. Jesus was homeless. READ: Luke 9:58 Luke 8:1-3 Matthew 27:55 Mark 15:41 What was the result? What were the people complaining about? Who may have provided housing for Jesus? How would you describe the worship observances of these people? READ: Isaiah 58:7 again. How can we bring the homeless poor into our homes today?

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45 HANDOUT / Quick Facts & Franciscan Blessing Quick Facts An estimated 22,500 children in Canada were homeless in One of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population is families with children. It costs less to provide appropriate housing and support to a person at risk of, or experiencing homelessness than to provide the same person with short-term or emergency institutional responses. A Franciscan Blessing May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, halftruths, and superficial relationships so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, marginalization, and isolation, so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and help turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen. HANDOUT / Quick Facts & Franciscan Blessing Quick Facts An estimated 22,500 children in Canada were homeless in One of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population is families with children. It costs less to provide appropriate housing and support to a person at risk of, or experiencing homelessness than to provide the same person with short-term or emergency institutional responses. A Franciscan Blessing May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, halftruths, and superficial relationships so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, marginalization, and isolation, so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and help turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.

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47 R.S.V.P. Please send return this this survey survey immediately by , mail following or fax immediately your event by following , mail your or event. fax. / Mail: CBWOQ, The East Mall, Etobicoke, ON, M9B 6E2 / Fax: I am responding to the program titled in Module #. Average age of women in our group: Number of women in our group: This material (check all that apply): was useful was challenging did not apply in our setting would be improved by: inspired us to do the following: We gave financial support: to Baptist Women (CBWOQ) to help its ministries, which include: mission overseas, mission in Canada, short-term missions, developing women leaders, helping vulnerable women and children, new Canadians and refugees, sharing our stories, developing resources and events, staff and office expenses. We supported CBWOQ through: Offerings at event (charitable receipts given for donations over $20) Encouraging MAD (monthly automated donations) through direct bank account withdrawal or credit card Donations IN HONOUR or IN MEMORY (recipient s name will be published in The Link & Visitor) Giving a Circle Life Membership to this organization: Yes, we will share our stories or pictures from the event in Baptist Women publications such as The Link & Visitor, the CBWOQ website ( or in the next resource materials package. Name of person sending in this report: Mailing address: Church connection: Phone: City:

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