Planning Calendar
I. GATHER
___ Gather your committee — identify the persons that will assist in the planning and promotion of your Week of Compassion offering and observance.
___ Your resources — this year’s packet of materials including the poster, leaders’ guide, ordering forms; also gather materials from previous years, down load additional resources from www.weekofcompassion.org (the WOC web site); talk to those who have organized this program in the past.
___ Your community of faith in prayer — ask the congregation to hold your planning group and the Week of Compassion Offering in their prayers.
II. REVIEW
___ Review your Leaders’ Guide.
___ Familiarize yourself with the materials. ––– Begin to match people with particular responsibilities.
___ Check the Week of Compassion web site (www.weekofcompassion.org).
III. INVOLVE
___ Select your readers for the Minutes for Mission.
___ Talk to your pastor(s) about their role in the WOC observance.
___ Select worship participants and others who might take specific parts.
IV. CHALLENGE
___ Review your congregations’s history of giving to WOC.
___ Set your goal — consider adding 10% to your largest WOC Offering in the last five years.
V. ANNOUNCE
___ Let the congregation know about the Week of Compassion Observance.
___ Display posters in high traffic areas throughout the building.
___ Write articles for your church newslet- ter in the weeks before the observance.
___ Send a letter to members and friends inviting them to participate in the WOC Offering.
___ Check the WOC web site for updates and share with your congregation.
___ Create a special Week of Compassion display in the narthex or other place of high visibility.
VI. CELEBRATE
___ Plan special events to raise your congregation’s awareness of Week of Compassion.
___ Invite a special speaker to be part of your worship or share during an out- reach fellowship dinner.
___ Contact the WOC Office about videos that are available.
___ Encourage your youth groups to hold a retreat and use “A Day in the Life.”
___ Invite families in the church to use the “sharing calendar” in their homes.
VII. PROCLAIM
___ Share the materials with your pastor(s). Ask them to focus at least one sermon on the 2001 theme.
___ Work with your pastor and worship leaders to include the WOC worship resources in your worship services.
___ Include the children’s sermons during your Week of Compassion observance.
VIII.GIVE THANKS
___ Give thanks for and consecrate the WOC Offering during worship. Ask God’s blessing upon these gifts that they might truly bring help and hope to hurting people throughout the world.
___ Thank the congregation for sharing. Thank the various people in the con- gregation who participated in planning and carrying out the WOC Observance.
___ Give thanks for the difference Week of Compassion makes on behalf of your congregation in the name of Christ throughout the world.
