Call to Worship

L: God welcomes each one to this place of worship, from north and south and east and west.
P: We come from work and home, from school and play.
L: Offer what you have! Receive God’s gifts of joy and love.
P: We give thanks for all God provides as we come to worship God.

Opening Prayer

Espíritu Santo, te damos gracias por el pan y por el Pan de vida, Jesucristo. En este momento, te damos gracias por el tiempo que nos das para compartir tu compasión con el mundo. Ayúdanos mientras oramos, AMÉN

Holy Spirit, thanks be to you for bread and for the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. In this moment, we give you thanks for time for sharing your compassion with the world. Help us as we pray, AMEN.

Prayer of Confession

We confess, O God of all creation, we do not open our eyes to the needs of the world. We do not easily share from our abundance. We do not want to be reminded of hunger. Forgive us for our isolation and apathy. Call us again to cognizance, to caring, to compassion, in Christ, AMEN.

Words of Assurance

As far as the west is from the east, so far will God remove our sin. Friends, in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Go and sin no more!

Minute for Mission

Use a current story from the 2004 WOC Leader’s Guide or visit the WOC website for more mission stories (www.weekofcompassion.org). Ask for (and use) a monetary goal set by your Outreach team, or check the Yearbook and double last year’s giving!

Children’s Moment

With a map of East Asia and/or pictures from China, bring copies of the two Chinese characters (kai and shin) for each child.

Tell John 6 from the perspective of the child who shared the bread.

Describe one who shares as a compassionate, happy person. Point out China on the map, and invite each child to see the Chinese characters for “happy” (kai means open and shin means heart; an open heart = happiness). Give each one a copy of the two characters.

Ask each child to consider how opening his/her heart and sharing with others will give happiness. **

(More ideas can be found in the 2004 Leader’s Guide.

Invitation to Offering

(Use a picture from Africa or a map as a visual help) In many North American congregations, the offering can be a perfunctory exercise. Contrast that ordinary experience to offerings brought in Zambian churches. In a country not completely focused on a monetary culture, offerings may be garden produce, hand-
carved wooden utensils or objects, live animals, or “kwacha” (paper money) and coins. Often, people express their joy by dancing down the aisle, clapping hands, and exchanging smiles with one another. Baskets of produce ride on a woman’s head, or a precious egg may be held out by a young child. Others may clutch a single coin or solitary kwacha. These gifts come at a cost and are offered with joy.

Today, remembering sisters and brothers in other lands, we ask you to bring your regular offering and your Week of Compassion offering as you come forward. Come with joy, eager to share what you’ve brought . . . and watch the smiles if you dance! (encourage all to clap, smile and dance forward).

Invitation to Communion

Christ’s love knows no bounds. All are welcome! There is bread in abundance. Let us give our joyful thanks (“eucharist”) as we are served.

Benediction
Go with an open heart to share Christ’s bread of compassion in every part of your world.

Hymn Suggestions (Chalice Hymnal)

Opening Praise to the Lord #25
God, We Give You Thanks and Praise
#26

Prayer Hope of the World #538

Invitation Tú Has Venido a la Orilla #342

Offering (print in bulletin: sing as congregation comes forward)
Take My Gifts #381
Jesu, Jesu #600

Communion (you may want several hymns as people are served)
Take Our Bread #413
Eat This Bread #414
All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly #419
Hasta Tú Altar #421
Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ #422

Closing We Are Walking (Siyahamba) #442

Action and movement suggestions

• Station speakers around the room.

• In the offering procession, bring bread baskets to the communion table along with Week of Compassion (and other) offerings. All form a circle around the sanctuary. After communion prayers, deacons serve bread from the baskets and juice in trays or chalices around the circle. [Or, spoken pieces could come from the front (with or without projected pictures) and children could bring bread baskets down each aisle to the Table.]

Sound Suggestions

• Remember microphones!

• Incorporate music from other lands.

• Use CDs (tapes) from the library or congregation.

• Read John 6:9, 11 in different languages (www.biblegateway.com)

Visual and Olfactory Suggestions

• Download pictures from:
www.weekofcompassion.org

• Borrow/create large maps of the WOC continents (Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and Europe, Southern Asia and North America). Put them around the room.

• Move a world map around the sanctuary, provid- ing different perspectives as each speaker presents a part of the service.

• Invite people to dress in costumes from other countries.

• Use breads from other lands for communion.

• Make bread and bake just ahead of worship. “Surround smell”

** “Open Your Hearts” by Hayley and Jeri Sias, Gifted: Finding Joy in Common Life, Church Finance Council, adapted.

This service was developed by Linda McKiernan-Allen, interim pastor at Central Christian Church, Anderson, Indiana.