Below is part of the last paragraph of the Sprouts column from the Winter 2005 Covenant Discipleship Quarterly. The title refers to an article by Shirley A. Wu, Executive Secretary for Resourcing Emerging Churches, General Board ofGlobal Ministries. She names "Security and Trust" as one of the four basic needs for spiritual growth.

About That Need for Security and Trust

I am writing this during the last week of October. I live in Florida. That puts me smack in between four hurricanes and the presidential election. I don't know what will happen next week in terms of the vote and possibilities of disputes or recounts (but I can assure you that it is a hot topic here). I do know that the children of this state are well aware that life can be dangerous, scary, uncertain and that adults can be frightened about the fury of nature and angry and emotional about that thing called "politics." And I know that newspapers and TV have brought images of all this to every family in America. We are reminded that the local church and children are not immune from what is going onaround us. Sprouts is an appropriate place to help children deal with their feelings about all this, to discuss the theological implications, and to encourage them to respond in helpful ways. They can learn they are not alone, are not helpless and that they are called to respond in loving ways to the traumas of life.

As I reflect on the horror and devastation of the December 26, 2004 tsunami tragedy, there are a number of theological issues that children (and adults) may ask or at least hear others ask.

• Why did God allow the tsunami?
• Was God punishing the people there?
• Will all those non-Christians go to Hell?
• Will God punish us like that?

Photo by Mike Dubose

These and other questions are not easy to answer. If children in Sprouts are to grow as disciples, these are questions that need to be faced and discussed. Justice time should be a place that kids can ask the tough questions and get honest answers — even if the answer is, "I don't know" or "We just don't understand, but we trust in God's love and presence." You may want to invite your pastor to participate. Ask your kids what other questions they have or have heard others ask. How you deal with this will also depend on the age of your Sprouts.

You may have already done all this and if so, good for you. If you haven't, it is never too late to grapple with questions of faith. And it is certainly not too late for the Sprouts to raise some money for UMCOR or to encourage their church to give. If you are not familiar with the United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR), now is a ood time to learn. It has a reputation as one of the best relief organizations in the world. UMCOR is among the first on the scene of disasters and one of the last to leave.You can check it out at the General Board ofGlobal Ministries' website: http://gbgm-umc.org/Umcor/ Every dollar sent to "UMCOR Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency Fund" goes to tsunami aid.

More Ideas for Justice Time

In 1995 eleven-year-old Jean-Dominic Levesque-Rene confronted the Montreal City Council about the use of pesticides on public lands, including parks and playgrounds. Already weak from treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he and his allies forced Montreal to change its policies regarding the use of pesticides. In 2001 he received an environmental award from the United Nations. Now nineteen, Jean-Dominic continues to campaign against pesticide use. His story, profiled in the January/February Orion magazine, illustrates that even children can be powerful advocates for justice. You can "Google him" to get more information if you would like to inspire your Sprouts. Your group might research what pesticides are used on church grounds, at their schools, or even at home.

Perhaps this is the time for the church to increase the use of native plantings or those that are inviting for butterflies and birds. Justice can begin at home, and looking at how "green" your church is can b ea justice activity. Do you use a lot of paper products? What about Styrofoam? Are you collecting plastic ringholders? Do you recycle — cans, bottles, paper?

On a lighter note, how about supporting non-tree paper products? In fact, how about paper made from elephant dung? Check out www.mrelliepooh.com/. Mr. ElliePooh sells a number of different products made from (yes, I'm serious) elephant dung. This is a wonderful example of thinking outside the box to solve problems. It is certain to bring a smile to anyone receiving a journal or stationary made from this unique (and renewable) source.

Edie Genung Harris is a layperson in the Florida Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and co-author (with Shirley Ramsey) of Sprouts.

This article first appeared in the Spring 2005 issue of the Covenant Discipleship Quarterly. Copyright © 2005 General Board of Discipleship. Used with permission.


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