In the letter to the Corinthians Paul writes, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
How does our congregation show love to the world?
One Great Hour of Sharing is one of the UCC’s 4 Special Mission Offerings
In addition to Our Church’s Wider Mission (Basic Support), the United Church of Christ has 4 Special Mission Offerings. They (SMOs) exist to allow congregations and individuals to meet people at points of critical need in their lives. Though many options exist for direct, individual support of these needs, the SMOs allow a common witness and make a collective positive impact.
Our denomination has identified four areas where these critical human needs exist:
- in places lacking health and educational resources and/or where disaster has struck;
- within systems of injustice which oppress daily life and opportunity;
- in the nurture of youth and congregations just beginning their lives of faith.
- in the lives of church leaders without sufficient resources to live with dignity.
We believe these SMOs collectively serve to lift people closer to the abundance and wholeness to which Jesus Christ has called us to work together to bring about.
What does the One Great Hour of Sharing offering support?
One Great Hour of Sharing received the Fourth Sunday of Lent (March 27), supports partners in countries with ministries that fund health, education and agricultural development, emergency relief, refugee ministries and both international and domestic disaster response. Through OGHS we are working to restore broken dreams, resurrect hope and carve a path together into the future. Our financial gifts make a difference in neighbors lives near and far whose names we do not know and who we may never meet.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the constant refrain has been “we will get through this—together!” That’s what love looks like— people willing to share their resources to make the way easier for others—offering hope, kindness, and care. Agape is love that is rooted in concrete acts of compassion: helping to rebuild after hurricanes and tornadoes; teaching farming methods as the climate changes; providing chickens to stave off poverty; and, yes, even paying the fare for a stranger at a railroad station. Through all kinds of weather, and even in the unknown, love remains– and love lived in community transforms the world. When you give to One Great Hour of Sharing, you help rebuild, renew, and restore. Your generosity means that through it all…love remains.