Making A Difference - First Grade Style
The mission of the incarnate Jesus was to make a difference in our world by evangelizing and sharing God’s love. His obedience and openness to the Father have provided us with knowledge of the truth in His Gospel messages. He gave authority to men who would help spread the good news by establishing a Church to accomplish this mission. The foundation of this Church has sprung up and taken root in the United States since the first missionaries of the 15th century, so we have been around for a while. The seed of the Church is present, but the message of Jesus Christ needs to be re-sown and watered. This is a hopeful message for all people, because we are the Church!
A new Diocesan Evangelization Team has been created for the Diocese of Evansville. Our task is to set goals that will rejuvenate and nurture the 2,000-year-old mission of the Incarnate Jesus. As a member of this team, I am grateful for the opportunity to experience the faith through the witness of other people. As we work to set attainable goals to help others feel more comfortable sharing the faith, our first goal is God; the source of all good. With this mission, we must all place our trust in God alone! He cannot work through those who refuse to put their trust in Him. Even in times of trial, we must remain constantly faithful, and His peace will rest in us. Jesus said, “By the power of the Holy Spirit, you shall be my witness”. Jesus is counting on us!
School teachers work hard every day to develop goodness in our world. They inspire with knowledge and have a great opportunity to be a positive influence in the lives of their students. Much like the Apostles of Jesus, their efforts may create a small change at one place but result in a great difference in another. On Wednesday, Feb. 6, I witnessed God’s love being shared with a beautiful ripple effect in a class of first graders at Resurrection School. Their teacher, Jennifer Vangampler, ignited a fire of compassion and responsibility in her first grade students with an assignment she calls “Making a Difference, First Grade Style.”
The first graders have been learning about Christian compassion. Ms. Vangampler is so proud of the effort they put forth for this mission.
“I think it came as a surprise to the first graders that little ones like them could ‘make a difference’ in the lives of others,” she commented. In this assignment she wanted to encourage the growing spirit of generosity among her students by issuing a challenge to each of them. In a letter to the parents she wrote: There are many worthy causes in our local community and the world at large, and it’s impossible to support them all. However, I am challenging the first grade class to help as many people as they can. I will give each child $5 to use to “go make a difference.” The first graders will work with their families to determine who could benefit most from the $5. Once they make that determination, they can encourage others to make a donation to that particular charity. The students then wrote a report about their project with pictures to share their ideas. They gave a presentation to the class, parents and family members, with Principal Theresa Berendes and Superintendant Daryl Hagan, and television reporters, as they expressed the joy they received in giving.
This is the third year Ms. Vangampler has given this assignment to her students. Listening to their reports with the variety and creativity in each project was inspiring. I can only imagine the joy felt on the receiving end. This class of 17 students topped the donations from the past two classes combined. But more than the benefit from the smiles and monetary contributions, the witness of God’s love being shared in so many ways is exactly what Jesus did when He evangelized. Many families in homeless shelters, children in hospitals, elderly in nursing homes, victims of natural disasters, animals in need, and a church mission trip to Africa were all helped by the students. Catholic Relief Fund for Guatemala, March of Dimes, St. Vincent de Paul, S.M.I.L.E. on Downs Syndrome, Ozanam Family Shelter, Aurora Homeless Shelter, Deaconess /Riley Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Paws and the Humane Society, were some of the recipients. Each $5 bill was used to purchase materials to make items such as: bracelets, suckers, cookies, homemade hot cocoa mix, homemade cards and heartfelt prayers, and so much more, to help other people experience God’s love through the kindness of these first grade students and their families. What a great example Ms. Vangampler and her students are to everyone. They have strengthened the foundation of our Catholic Church by evangelizing and making a difference in our world…just as Jesus did!
Thank you for your witness! Amen!
