Session Background
The Salvation Army is a global movement that supports community development programmes around the world – helping people to overcome the poverty and injustice they are experiencing and enabling them to build a better life and future. The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory partners with other territories and supports international development projects which fall within five focus areas: food security, clean water, anti-trafficking, emergency response, and gender justice.
The Helping-Hand Appeal exists to raise awareness about and funds for international community-based projects. Each year the Appeal focuses on a different area of work, and during 2025 the focus is ‘Food Security’.
Nurturing Land, Harvesting Hope
Over a quarter of the world’s population is impacted by lack of food. In Zimbabwe, rural small-scale farmers who depend on the land they live on to survive are struggling; they are struggling to produce enough food for their families and for the growing population, and food in the markets is expensive. This has led to widespread food insecurity, which means that people can’t always get the nutritional food they need each day to stay healthy and active. It means people are living with the fear of going hungry.
With a changing climate, traditional methods of farming that have worked for many years are no longer effective.
The Salvation Army is working with communities all over the world, teaching farmers different methods to cope with the effects of climate change. In Zimbabwe, the programme is called the Raising Champion Farmers project.
The outcomes are good:
- there is more food to eat and to sell;
- the soil is healthier because of the application of organic compost;
- farmers’ wellbeing is increasing because they are not living in fear;
- their families are thriving; and
- they’re even earning a bit of extra money.
Not every farmer can commit to the project; but for those that can, they’re not only improving their farms today but also making them sustainable for the future, nurturing the land and harvesting hope.
More information and stories can be found on the Helping-Hand Appeal web page.
Story
Matthew 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8 and 11-15.
The Parable of the Sower, The Lion Easy Read Bible, p264.
https://youtu.be/ZSS8huDbriM
A Story About Planting Seed, Matthew 13:3-8 ICB
Read or watch the story of The Parable of the Sower. You could use the run-around game in the activities outlined below to help tell the story with actions or sing the theme song.
I wonder if you have ever sown any seeds. Did you have to do anything to help them grow?
Talk about how the farmer in the story intended for all the seeds to grow into healthy plants, but that some didn’t. Explain that farmers in countries like Zimbabwe must work very hard to make sure the soil is just right for the seeds they sow to grow.
The Salvation Army is teaching farmers all over the world new ways to keep their soil healthy and especially to cope with the effects of climate change. In Zimbabwe it is called the Raising Champion Farmers project, and this important work means the soil is healthier because of the application of organic compost, so then there is more food to eat and to sell.
The money we raise for the Helping-Hand Appeal will help farmers in Zimbabwe try to ensure there is enough food for everyone in their family and community so they can live a healthy life.
Remember too that we all have a part to play in looking after the wonderful world God has created. We must all help to combat climate change that is impacting how food is grown in other countries like Zimbabwe.
Song Suggestions
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Theme Song (Tune: ‘The Farmer’s in his Den’)
The farmer sowed some seeds,
The farmer sowed some seeds.
What will happen now?
The farmer sowed some seeds.
Some fell upon the path,
Some fell upon the path,
What will happen now?
The birds ate them up!
Some fell upon the rocks,
Some fell upon the rocks,
What will happen now?
Their roots couldn’t grow.
Some fell among the thorns,
Some fell among the thorns,
What will happen now?
The thorns choked them up!
Some fell upon good soil,
Some fell upon good soil,
What will happen now?
They grew tall and strong.
There’s food for everyone,
There’s food for everyone,
Let’s give thanks to God,
There’s food for everyone.
- ‘Creator God’, Nick & Becky Drake, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM4IVZuljEI
- ‘He’s got the whole world in his hands’ Note: Add a verse, ‘He's got the tiny little seeds in his hands’ Watch the video by The Salvation Army International Development UK, (no lyrics) https://youtu.be/QyGH-iWWHr4 or there’s a brass instrumental video by Salvation Army Music Index (no lyrics) https://youtu.be/JKuI7SB_1ck
- ‘He Made Me!’, Dance Fit Tots, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD6i_rBlyks
Craft/Activity Ideas
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Play this simple run-around game. Practise the actions first.
Seeds Roll up into a ball on the ground
Corn Stand tall stretching high
Birds Run around flapping your arms like wings
Farmer Stand with hands on hips and say ‘Ooh, Aar!’
Thorns Tiptoe round saying ‘Ouch!’
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Seed Planting
Get the children planting seeds in soil and encourage them to take care of them. Things like mustard and cress grow quickly, but you could use other seeds like sunflowers, tomatoes, or even eat some apple and plant the pips. See below for a Sponsored Sunflower Growing fundraising idea.
For other craft ideas see https://uk.pinterest.com/FamilyMinistriesUKIT/food-for-everyone-everywhere-hh-appeal-2025/
Sensory Play
- If you have the facilities, you might like to give the children some bread dough to knead into shapes when they arrive so it can be cooked and eaten together at the end. Instant dough that you just add water to is available at most supermarkets. Be aware of allergies.
- Create a sensory play table to tell the story using soil, seeds, stones, birds etc.
- Have a mud kitchen – outside if possible – and let the children play with the soil and make mud pies.
Prayer
Watch and listen to ‘What a wonderful world’, by Louis Armstrong https://youtu.be/rBrd_3VMC3c
Dear God,
We thank you for the wonderful world you have created, and especially for food to eat that helps us keep healthy.
We pray for farmers all around the world who are being taught by The Salvation Army to learn new ways of working to help them grow food in countries where this is hard.
Help us to work together to raise some money to support all that The Salvation Army is doing to help these farmers.
Amen.
Fundraising Ideas
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Sponsored sunflower growing:
For your activity, get the families to plant sunflower seeds and over a set period of weeks to measure how much they grow. Get them to ask their family and friends to sponsor them per centimetre of growth, and before breaking up for the summer, give certificates to everyone to celebrate and say thank you.
- Plan a big picnic lunch, or a Teddy Bears’ Picnic, and ask people to give a donation to the Helping-Hand Appeal.
- Hold a special coffee morning, cake sale, or bacon sandwich morning, either as part of your group or on a Saturday.
- Collect empty baby food jars – your group will be a good source – and fill them with sweets or raisins. Ask families to wash out the jars and then return them one month later filled with coins.
- Make a Helping-Hand moneybox using the wrapper available to download in the printed materials. Put the moneybox out at your group each week for people to donate any change. You could also do this once a month at your Sunday morning coffee fellowship and ask people to donate there too.
