Sample Letter

Letter from the Pastor/Outreach Committee

(Date)

Dear Friends,

If your contributions to our annual Week of Compassion Offering have become automatic, here’s a wonderful chance to refresh your thinking as well as your giving.

Once again, Disciples from across the United States and Canada are joining together in Week of Compassion – our way as one church to offer help and hope to hurting people near and far. Our Week of Compassion Offering will provide emergency disaster relief, humanitarian aid to refugees and other displaced persons, long-term assistance for recovery and development and support of basic needs such as food, shelter, tools, medicines and literacy.

But Week of Compassion isn’t merely about generating funds.

This year, we are taking time to think about what our giving means; how it is related to receiving, for example; how it reflects our personal understanding of God’s gifts to us; and how it participates in God’s fullness throughout the whole world. To ignite our thinking, we’re beginning with the powerful affirmation of John 1:16: “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”

During our worship service on [dates], we will receive our offerings for Week of Compassion. Between now and then, you will have numerous opportunities to count your blessings and to explore the idea of giving and receiving. If you are unable to join us in worship on these Sundays when we are receiving the Week of Compassion Offering, you are welcome to send your gift through the mail or the hands of a friend.

From God’s fullness, indeed, we have all received abundantly. I look forward to joining you in experiencing that grace anew.

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