M&S Ideas

By Julie Kinkaid

November 2001

The colours of the hat are from the top:

• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue with a Purple brim

This story can be introduced by saying that the M&S Fund stands for the Mission and Service Fund. This is the name of the "piggy bank" where money is kept—money that is given to the church by people from all across Canada. The money in M&S is used to do the work of the church around the world.

The story tells about some of the places where the church works; some of the things that we do globally. It talks about our partnerships and our response to others as people who have been blessed with great gifts. It ends with an ASK to keep supporting the M&S Fund.

As a follow-up, children can be questioned about some of the places mentioned and asked to use Mandate to find out what other places might be on the list of countries. They might find out about other work that the church is doing (perhaps even locally) and make pictures of them. They might make stars, add a sentence or a picture of the work of the church, and use the stars to decorate an M&S Christmas Tree. The colours on the hat can be used to introduce the M&S logo, and the 2002 Minutes for Mission booklet has some ideas about what the logo means (on page 73). There is also a children's story for M&S about "Ms Bank" to explain the idea of the Fund.

I hope you enjoy sharing.

The M&S Hat

Here's a tall hat with colours
from top down to toe.
But why all the stripes?
That's what I want to know.

There are warm hats and shade hats,
hats for work and for play.
But the hat that we have here
has something to say.

This hat has wide stripe bands;
around it they wrap.
The stripes tell a story
of spots on a map.

The stripes are all colours
like countries and places
where the Church works, and sometimes
puts smiles on sad faces.

Our church works in countries
like Cuba and Hong Kong,
in Zambia and Haiti.
Our partner list is long.

In Nepal and Japan,
in Sudan and India,
Brazil, Chile, Kenya,
and even Namibia.

This list is quite lengthy,
but I'm not really done.
I know I've forgotten
a way more than one.

We help friends plant food grains,
find water that's clean.
To say NO to their problems
how unfair that would seem!

We work with strong people
who are now very poor.
That's what happens to folks
when their country's at war.

There are ways to stop war,
to make troubles cease.
Our church supports those
who try to make peace.

But not just in far lands,
are there things we can do.
Our church works at home
across Canada, too.

We work at some food banks,
health clinics, and daycare.
When we find a partner,
we make quite a good pair.

Our world needs attention
air, water and lands.
A healthy earth is important.
Our church understands.

Thank goodness we're safe.
Thank goodness we're lucky.
But you know for some others
things aren't quite so ducky.

Helping people is good.
Let's not waste a minute.
Life must seem very hard
when there's no joy within it.

Across this wide world
to people we've never met.
our church is a friend.
And we're not done yet!

This hat will remind you
of work we have done.
Let's keep right on working
to help EVERYONE.

This is our M&S Fund Hat!