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Objectives

• Participants reflect on what it means to live in need today by completing the CCHD Poverty Quiz.

• Participants interpret images and statistics that connect real people to the staggering numbers behind poverty.

Materials Checklist

Click here for a list of materials required for this lesson.

Part I: Opening Prayer and Warm-up

(Estimated Time: 15 minutes)

1. Before the session, cut the provided quotations into strips and place the strips into a bowl. Place the bowl, a lit candle and a Bible opened to Matthew 25:31-46 on a small table in the meeting room. The quotations are from real people around the country reflecting on what it means to be poor in America today. Since the quotations will be used as part of the final reflection, they should remain in the bowl beside the lit candle throughout the session.

2. Ask a volunteer to proclaim the Gospel Matthew 25: 31-46. After the Gospel is proclaimed, ask participants to consider the following questions for large group discussion or silent reflection:

o    According to the Scripture, what is Jesus asking us to do?

o    When you hear the word “poor,” who or what comes to mind?

o    What does it mean to be poor today?

3. Participants now will have an opportunity to find out how much they know about the state of poverty in America today. Divide participants into groups of three or four. Distribute photocopies of Participant Handout 1A so that everyone has a copy. Ask participants to work together to complete the quiz. 

Note: The answers to the quiz are contained in the PowerPoint presentation that follows.

Part II: Activity — PowerPoint Presentation

(Estimated Times: 30-35 minutes)

4. Once participants have completed the Poverty Quiz in their small groups, show the PowerPoint Presentation titled “Who is Poor in America Today?” This presentation provides the correct answers to the quiz as well as additional information about the state of poverty in America. Ask participants to review their answers to the quiz as they view the PowerPoint presentation. Click on the link below to view the presentation.

Note: Facilitators may wish to review the presentation at least once before the class/session to familiarize themselves with the content. To download PowerPoint Viewer, find the PowerPoint link on the home page. 

Facilitators can find the correct/suggested responses to the Poverty Quiz questions on Leader Handout 1A.

5. Optional: For first person accounts, facilitators may wish to show a segment from the CCHD video titled Facing the Future With Hope.

Part III: Reflection
(Estimated Time: 10 minutes with discussion)

6. Ask participants to silently reflect on whether their understanding of the word “poor” changed after this session. If so, how? Invite seven volunteers to come forward. Ask one volunteer to re-read the following passage from the opening Gospel:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me… Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

Then ask each of the other six volunteers to pick one of the paper strips from the bowl on the table at the front of the meeting room and read it to the rest of the group.

7. Distribute Participant Handout 1B so everyone has a copy. Ask participants to reflect on and respond to each answer in silence. If time permits, ask them to share their responses in small groups or with the rest of the large group.

The facilitator may wish to play a contemporary song in the background as participants complete the handout or to use the song as a discussion prompt. Several examples of contemporary songs related to the issue of poverty and our response are included below: “Something Beautiful for God” (Bryan Sirchio); “Man in the Mirror” (Michael Jackson), “Another Day In Paradise” (Phil Collins); “If There’s a God in Heaven” (Elton John); “Mr. Wendal” (Arrested Development); “Fan the Fire” (Earth, Wind & Fire); “God Save Us All” (Lenny Kravitz); “Hands” (Jewel).

Additional Resources

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