Harvest

Appeal

Support our Harvest appeal

Harvest is a time for reflection, gratitude, and community. A time to recognise the blessings of the earth and the hard work that goes into bringing food to our tables.

This year, as you celebrate the Harvest season, we invite you to take a moment to also consider the lives and labours of smallholder farmers in Africa.

Many of these farmers face immense challenges brought on by climate change, economic instability, and limited access to resources. Despite such hardships, their resilience and dedication remain unshaken. They toil under the hot sun, nurturing seeds of hope and striving for a bountiful harvest to sustain their families and communities.

By supporting Self Help Africa this Harvest, you will provide farmers and their families with the tools, knowledge, and resources needed to overcome these challenges and break the cycle of poverty and hunger.

We hope you find our FREE Harvest resource booklet useful as you prepare your services and celebrations. In it we share inspiring stories of resilience and success, and practical ways your church can contribute to this mission.

We also have a set of Harvest Recipe Cards you might like to download and try if you are hosting a Harvest Supper with your congregation.

Below, you'll also find some Hymn, Prayer and reading suggestions, and there are some short YouTube videos, which could be used as part of your service.

Whether through prayers, donations, fundraising activities, or spreading awareness, your support can make a big difference.

Together, we can plant seeds of hope and harvest a future full of promise - thank you for joining us.

Hymn and Reading Suggestions

Hymns:

God, whose farm is all creation - Fred Pratt Green

All creatures of our own god and king - William H Draper

Morning has broken - Eleanor Farjeon

For the fruits of all creation - John Arlott

Come, ye thankful people, come - Henry Alford

We plough the fields, and scatter - Matthias Claudius

For the beauty of the Earth - John Rutter

Fields of Gold Are Glowing - Isa Postgate

Readings:

The Parable of the Mustard Seed - Matthew 13: 31-32

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand - Matthew 14: 13-21

The Parable of the Sower - Luke 8: 4-15

Prayers and Reflections:

Prayers:

We bless you,
God of Seed and Harvest
And we bless each other
That the beauty of this world
And the love that created it
Might be expressed though our lives
And be a blessing to others
Now and always
AMEN

For the promise of harvest
contained within a seed,
we thank you.
For the oak tree
within an acorn.
The bread
within a grain.
The apple
within a pip.
The mystery of nature,
gift wrapped
for us to sow,
we thank you.
AMEN

Heavenly Father,
We give thanks for the bounty of the harvest.
For the food that sustains us,
For the beauty that surrounds us,
And for the community that upholds us.
Help us to share our blessings with others,
And to work for the good of all your creation.
AMEN

Thank you for the gift
of sunshine and rain in due season,
of seed, soil and harvest,
provision for our needs
and others, if in love we share.
Thank you for the gift
of living water that does not run dry
and the nourishment of your Word
which feeds our souls
and others, if in love we share.
For love which endures,
blessings which satisfy
and the opportunity to share
all that you have given,
we bring to you our thanks.
AMEN

Source: www.faithandworship.com