Sunday Offering
Giving as an act of worship at the Gathering
Some people say that passing the plate on Sunday morning is an old-fashioned practice. Young people especially, they say, are not motivated to give in that way. Young people don’t relate to cash or checks, they want to use their credit or debit card online; young people want to have a relationship with the person(s) they are helping/supporting with their money; they don’t want an institution to broker their gifts (like most denominations do). I don’t completely buy those arguments.
I think ELCA young people know the power of focusing their giving through collective action that supports sustainable projects in places where the global Lutheran community is working. I hope, too, that ELCA young people know our church’s core values of mutuality and sustainability when it comes to helping others. I think ELCA youth have learned, while sitting next to people of all generations in their congregation, that our financial gifts leave a legacy of faith for generations to come. I think ELCA young people trust that what they put in the plate will be offered in the spirit of service and generosity, rather than a corporate model run on the principle of the more competition (and duplication) in the marketplace of giving, the better.
Giving is an act of worship, after all, and that is why it is typically a period of time within a worship service. The offering of our gifts should not be likened to the check out process at a SuperMart store, and should not be done with smug self-satisfaction as if I had done God a favor.
Offering our tithes and gifts to God is a simple offering back to God of a small portion of what God has first given us. And we will continue to pass the plate as a meaningful gesture of worship.
The money collected during closing worship on July 22 will benefit the following programs:
- Mission and ministry in New Orleans, especially focused on community service and witness by new and emerging congregations in New Orleans.
- South Africa is one of ten countries in which ELCA Young Adult in Global Mission work serve alongside companion churches. Among many areas of service, Young Adults serve at-risk children living in poverty.
- ELCA World Hunger-supported programs focusing on children who are living in foster families and community-based care facilities in countries outside the United States.
- The ELCA Malaria Campaign.