In most of our churches, we are invited to share God’s Peace with others, and then announcements are made, and we move into the Offertory when the Celebrant says one of the Offertory Sentences. There are a number of options, but a common one is “Ascribe to the Lord the honor due God’s holy name; bring offerings and come into the sacred courts.”
When our gathering is in-person, this is when the plates are often passed, and people put their pledge payment or other donations for the church.
This interlude is often used by people to check their phones, update their grocery list, or talk with someone sitting nearby. But I want to suggest that we are missing an important opportunity to connect the request for those offerings to what is done BECAUSE of those offerings.
WHY do people give to your church? They do so for a variety of reasons: it could be because your church meets their needs – pastoral, emotional, and in other ways. They might give because they like the outreach ministries that the church does. Or, their children are taught life-lessons and about scripture in Sunday School. There are many, many reasons.
So, how about spending a minute at this time in the service to help those in the pews connect with the reasons they give. How about literally telling them about the IMPACT their donation is having. How, because of their donation, lives are changed.
This can take less than a minute. How about something like this to follow the Peace and announcements?
“This past week many of us gathered to collect food from those in our town, and we brought it to a local food pantry. We do this because we have learned – here, at St. Andrew’s – that this is what Jesus is calling us to do. We hear it in the scripture readings, and our children learn about the loaves and fish and the widow’s mite in Sunday School. That’s why we collect the food – because this is Jesus’ command. So, ascribe to the Lord the honor due God’s holy name; bring offerings and come into the sacred courts.”
Or...
“Janet is going off to college in a few weeks. She has learned so much here, and has role models who worship with her. This church has been forming people for nearly 100 years. And we do that because you and so many others, now and in the past, saw the benefit of having this church nurture and lead so many. Lives have been changed, and continue to be changed, because YOU support this church. So, ascribe to the Lord the honor due God’s holy name; bring offerings and come into the sacred courts.”
We’ve added no more than a minute to the service, yet we have made the connection between what people give to the results of their giving.
When it comes right down to it, we give to our church because it changes lives. Use these Stewardship Minutes to help others see how we do it at our own church.
Paul Shackford is the former CFO of the diocese, and a member of St. Andrew’s, Harrington Park.
