welcome
Name someone you admire who had to overcome great obstacles to get where they are now.
worship
Try sitting in silence for ten minutes, listening to God, and then hear back from each other and pray.
word
Over the last three weeks we have been listening to God’s specific call to make a difference to the injustices and poverty in our society. This calling motivates us to take action. But listening to God and listening to our communities must go hand in hand. It’s not just what we do, it’s also the way we do it that makes all the difference.
read aloud
Matthew 23:11-12 and Matthew 20:20- 28. An attitude of listening and an attitude of serving are inseparable. Going round the group, think of a situation where you were not listened to or consulted. Eg. Going to the doctor’s and they tell you what they think you need without properly listening to you, or where someone has made assumptions about your life without actually talking to you. How does it feel to not be listened to and to have people act as experts on your life or your situation?
discuss
Having reflected on your experiences, consider the fact that poor people often feel that “do-gooders” who have not lived in their situation, parachute in and set up projects to help them without even involving them or talking to them. If we do not engage with people in poverty before “doing” something to help, we are assuming that we know what they need and that we are the “experts” of their lives – the “benefactors” to the lowly poor rather than partners in their struggle. Such attitudes in our social action create and sustain imbalances of power, and keep the poor dependent on the “benefactor” rather than empowering them to be in control of their lives. They cut across the attitude of servanthood that Jesus talked about and modelled. In our attempts to make a difference, we must always ask ourselves the question “Are we doing things to people, for people or with people?”
group work
Split up into two groups. Group A need to imagine themselves as BENEFACTORS TO THE POOR and Group B as SERVANT PARTNERS WITH THE POOR. Both groups feel God is calling them to do something to help struggling lone parent students at your university. Each group, in role, needs to think about how they would go about planning and running an initiative or project. Write on flipchart paper the heading of your group (eg. ie “Benefactors to the Poor”) and brainstorm how your group would respond, giving particular consideration to the following sub-headings:
- Attitudes that would be held by your group (eg. Humility vs arrogance)
- Practicalities of how they would they go about planning and running the project
- (eg. pay someone else to do it vs work with single parents to run the project)
- Outcome for those being helped (eg. Learnt new skills vs felt patronised)
- Outcome for those helping (eg. Had judgmental attitude challenged vs had guilt appeased by “doing their bit”.)
Present your “findings” to the rest of the group as either a role play or as a straightforward feedback.
application
Some questions for discussion and prayer:
- Why is it easier to be a benefactor to the poor rather than a servant partner with the poor?
- What are the pros and cons of each approach?
- If we are to empower the poor, what does it require of us?
- What is our motivation, to make ourselves feel better or to help the other person.
witness
What things can you do to engage with people rather than just “do to them” or “do for them”?
What does it really mean to empower those who are powerless?
If you want to become involved in social issues at university, begin by listening and engaging with people, so that you become more aware of what poverty and justice issues are at work:
Invite your student welfare officer (or another student society concerned with social issues) to meet with you so that you can learn from them what particular issues are affecting the university, and how your group might respond.
