Christmas Eve Offering
At its November meeting, Church Council members voted to designate the offering received at our three Christmas Eve services for a special purpose outside our congregation. This includes the “loose plate” monies as well as the offerings placed in the “Christmas Offering” envelopes. For those of you not able to attend a Christmas Eve Service at St. John’s yet wanting to contribute to this ministry, just use the Christmas Offering envelope that is in included in this issue of “The Bell-Wether” and write “Christmas Eve Offering” on it. Pledge envelopes and checks marked “pledge” that are received Christmas Eve will not be included in the special offering.
We did this several years ago, too. One year the offering went to help St. Mark’s UMC in Kittery during a financially difficult time. Another year we sent the money to the Berwick UMC - for similar reasons. The most recent gift went in 2004 toward the new (at the time) Dover SHARE program - to help folks in need in Dover.
At their December meeting, the Council voted to send the offering to four different programs: the Dover SHARE Fund; the Rochester SHARE Fund; the Dover Cooperative Ministries Food Pantry; and the Food Cupboard in Somersworth.
Monies received through the “Christmas Offering” envelopes on Sunday mornings in December will be used to help pay our Current Expense obligations.
The Council’s decision to give the offering away was made while recognizing that our budget will be VERY tight as we wrap up 2008. The decision was made recognizing how much God has blessed us through this year already - and anticipating how we will be blessed through the last month and a half - and that this action is an appropriate response to the gift of the Christ child.
May we all give generously to this special appeal!