Give Thanks and Divide- The Feeding of the 5,000

There are things that happen every day which we simply cannot explain, understand or even fathom.  They are beyond the stretch of our imagination yet somehow they continue to happen.  People of faith call them miracles and walk in the hope that God will continue to provide for God’s children through every day miracles.

One such miracle we frequently reference at PRECE is the Feeding of the 5,000.  As Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people it began to get late.  The disciples suggested Jesus send the people home.  But Jesus responded, “no, you feed them.”  The disciples searched the crowd and found 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. 

Jesus then did 2 things.

1^st- He gave thanks to God for the resources (food) which had already been provided.

2^nd- He commanded the disciples to divide the food between the people.

The biblical passages say that all 5,000 people there ate and were satisfied and baskets of extras were gathered.  

At PRECE we are always remembering that it too is our responsibility to do the same two things.  We must always give thanks for what we have been given and then divide, share and multiply our resources- our knowledge, our books and technology, our experiences, etc.

This past week the first Cooperative Learning in the Classroom Conference for SEDUC Professors was held in Fortaleza.  50 high school teachers from public schools around the state of Ceará participated in the event where they learned about PRECE and the cooperative learning methodology.  They were reminded, as all PRECE students are, that we need to give thanks for what we have been given and then share our knowledge.  Their new challenge is not simply to impart knowledge upon their students but rather to share their knowledge and facilitate the growth and development of knowledge within the students themselves.  The most exciting part of the conference was not participating in the activities and lessons with the teachers but instead watching their excitement and enthusiasm for the information they were learning.  They realized immediately that this methodology was not one that they would keep to themselves but that they would leave the conference ready to share what they had learned and help others continue in the same way.  I believe strongly that their eagerness for more information and their passion to share what they learned with others will continue to drive the cooperative learning movement in Ceará!