Letter from Week of Compassion

Beloved Friends in Christ,

We greet you in the name of Christ! We are excited about this year’s offering theme, based on ancient advice to the Hebrews, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have.” (Hebrews 13:16a). Many of our actions and activities are rooted in our desire to serve and love God. We try to live in a way that reflects God’s will for our lives and our world. This is our journey as disciples and Disciples of Christ!

For the Israelites of the Old Testament, pleasing God began with burnt offerings and sacrifices in the temple.

For the Christians of the early church, beneficiaries of Jesus’ own sacrifice, the old system no longer made sense: a new offering of praise became the order of the day. But the writer of Hebrews tells the early church community that saying good things to and about God isn’t enough. God wants more than the ‘fruit of our lips.’ More than our words, God desires our participation — asking us to share our resources to change people’s lives.

So why does the Hebrews preacher pose this exhortation in the negative, “Do not neglect to do good. . .?” Perhaps s/he saw evidence in the Christian community that praising God came much more easily than sharing — the age-old challenge of putting something in the plate rather than merely paying lip service. Or perhaps s/he wanted to remind the community that even though the actions of doing good and sharing are so simple, so foundational to Christian life, they are sometimes overlooked. ‘Of course Christians do good and share!’ we think — but do we become so accustomed to the commitment to do good that we forget to actually do the good to which we’re called? As we seek to grow and bring our faith into full flower, do we neglect the soil of sharing that nourishes our Christian practice?

Instead of asking for burnt offerings, God counts our generosity toward our neighbors as an offering of praise. Matthew’s gospel tells us, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Or as The Message translates it, “Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me — you did it to me.”

Through our gifts to Week of Compassion, we respond to God’s call by sharing what we have:

• offering the hospitality of a temporary home in a refugee camp or tent city, where people fleeing war or natural disaster find shelter and the support to begin rebuilding their lives
• doing good with our resources to provide a clean cup of water to a thirsty young girl, and to dig wells and sanitation systems that ensure her community lives in better health
• sharing what we have to bring food to the hungry, and strengthening programs that teach sustainable methods of agriculture that help families lift themselves out of poverty

Week of Compassion offers us a way to water our flower of faith, returning us to the “growing medium” of our Christian attitudes and actions. Participating in this offering nourishes the soil in which our faith grows and thrives by remembering and intentionally practicing our response to God’s love — singing songs of praise and sharing what we have, pleasing God by celebrating God’s grace and by doing good, sharing our resources and changing people’s lives.

The resources in this package offer a variety of ways to engage your congregation in more fully understanding the problems of simple survival faced by millions each day, and in opening their hearts and pocketbooks to address some of the world’s deepest needs. You will find a sharing calendar, minutes for mission, Sunday School activities and sermon ideas, worship liturgies and cross-generational experiences. Best of all, you will find ways to help your church family deepen their understanding of God’s call to share as an act of worship and praise.

It is our hope that the resources and suggestions in this year’s Planning and Resource Guide will inspire you in your active participation and leadership of our Week of Compassion offering.

With deep gratitude for our partnership in the gospel and in service to others, we remain,

Your friends and servants,
Johnny Wray, Director
Amy Gopp, Associate