Materials needed: 1 or two slices of bread, toy cat or the real thing if you think the church can take it. (Don't forget to take the bread out of your church bag or pocket when you're finished the story. I found a very green mouldy piece of bread in my church bag a couple of weeks after telling the story.)

The cat

A few years ago, an SDA pastor in Romania was arrested by the police because of his Christian activities. When he was arrested and taken to jail, the jailer taunted him about his belief in God.

Rubbing his stomach the jailer said, Can your God take good care of you like the State takes care of me? Our pastor reassured the jailer that his God could take care of him. "Oh! So you think your God can take care of you as well as the State takes care of me?" The Pastor said yes. "OK," the jailer said. "I will give you only water for the next 4 days and we will see how well your God takes care of you."

The Pastor was taken to a cell and the door was locked. Our Pastor began to pray very earnestly and fervently to God for his protection and needs. He told God that he was his servant and he did not know how God would provide for his needs but he knew that God would take care of him. As he was praying he heard a cat meow and when he opened his eyes he saw a cat just outside the cell with a slice of bread in its mouth. He then reached through the cell and took the bread from the cat's mouth.

Next he took and broke off the piece which the cat had in its mouth and put that in his pocket and then ate the bread. Each morning and evening for the following four days at the same time the cat came bringing the bread in its mouth.

On the fourth day the jailer returned expecting to find a very hungry man. "Well," the jailer said, "look at how well the State has taken care of me and how has your God taken care of you?" "Oh!" the pastor replied, rubbing his stomach, "God has taken good care of me also." The jailer, being curious, asked how that was done. "Well," the Pastor said, "twice a day God sent a cat with a piece of bread in its mouth for me."

As he was speaking the cat meowed and as the jailer looked down he saw the cat with the bread in its mouth. "That is my house cat bringing my bread from my table," said the surprised jailer. "Yes, surely your God did take care of you."

Source: www.sermon.illustrator.org

Thank you for sharing that story! I had heard it before, but never thought of it as a children's story... Hmmmm.. Wonder if they would like my cat in church.

Truth is, even if the church could handle the cat, I don't think the cat could handle the church!

I also heard it before.

We have a member who brings his white French poodle to church. He is quiet as a lamb except for the time he barked after hearing me bark like a dog while telling a childrens story about a dog.

We, too, have had a dog in church - as a prop for children's story and was extremely well behaved the entire time! My cats, however, aren't all that fond of children - not being used to being around them all the time - and don't like change very much. My cat (Squiggles) even sends out a horrendous stench like a skunk if she is very scared (which she is when we take her away from home! Maybe sometime I'll give it a try . . .