Members step up to support Year of Jubilee
Filed Under: Christian Giving, donation, Finance, gift, jubilee, Year of Jubilee
Individual members of WELS congregations are stepping up to support the Year of Jubilee, a special offering authorized by the 2007 synod convention to eliminate the synod's $22.4 million debt and free up as much as $2.7 million each year for other ministry.
WELS Ministry of Christian Giving reports that in at least two churches, financially blessed laypeople have committed to match whatever the rest of the congregation gives. In one congregation of about 160 members, an individual is committing up to $10,000; in another of about 260 members, two members together are committing up to an $8,000 match.
None of the donors wished to be identified, but each is expressing enthusiasm for the offering. "We experience the love and joy of giving to the Lord together with hundreds of thousands of others who share the same love for their risen Lord," says one. "The reduction or elimination of the debt will mean that WELS will have greater resources to share our love of Christ with countless people who do not yet know him and the eternal joy that comes from being a child of God."
Congregations will be celebrating Year of Jubilee throughout the months of November and December. Worship resources for pastors are available online. Individuals can also give offerings online.
