Peter Fish

Imagine a small boy approaching Jesus with the lunch he is saving.  In his small basket lay a few small fish and five loaves of bread.  Jesus, smiling at the boy, takes the five loaves and the fish, breaks them into pieces, and gives them to the disciples.  The disciples handed it out to five thousand people…and everyone has enough to eat! (Matthew 14:15-21)
 
Jesus fed the people because he had compassion on them - he cared for what they were going through and wanted to help them.

Throughout the Bible, we see that Jesus has compassion for others. We also see that he often uses fish, fishing, and stories about fishing to teach this type of compassion to others.  In Matthew, for example, we hear a story about Peter.  Peter had been approached by some tax collectors who demanded that Jesus should pay the temple tax.  Jesus patiently explains that as God's son, he shouldn't have to pay this tax.  However, since Jesus has compassion on Peter and the tax collectors, he tells Peter  “Go to the lake and throw out your line.  Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a coin.  Take it and use it to pay your taxes.” (Matthew 17:24-27)
 
To this day, you can still go to the Sea of Galilee and find a Peter Fish…an orange colored fish that has a large spot on its side.  Local people say that the spot shows where Peter had to squeeze the fish to remove the coin.
 
CRWRC has created orange Peter Fish as well.  These orange banks are intended to help people remember Jesus’ compassion and care for hungry people, and inspire them to their own acts of compassion.  Typically, the Peter Fish Banks are distributed to families duirng the weeks leading up to World Hunger Sunday.  Daily devotions and giving suggestions help families focus on the needs of the world's poor and save their money for CRWRC.  The banks are then collected on World Hunger Sunday and the money is sent to CRWRC.  CRWRC, in turn, uses the money for its compassionate programs around the world.

Order Peter Fish banks online for your church or family today, or call 1-800-333-8300.