GIFTS TO LIVE ON

the Week of Compassion 2024 Special Offering

​2024 will mark the 80th anniversary of the very first Week of Compassion offering.

Recent months have seen increasingly severe and frequent natural disasters in the United States, even as the world witnesses ongoing war in Ukraine and the Middle East, earthquakes in Morocco, drought in the Horn of Africa, and flooding in Libya, impacting those regions for years to come. Communities are gaining traction in long-term recovery after devastating tornadoes in Kentucky, repeated hurricanes in Florida, and catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii. Such natural, political, and climate crises continue to increase the numbers of displaced persons worldwide.

In the story of the generous widow (Luke 21:1-4), Jesus sees the widow and her gift, and rejoices in her generosity. Others were giving from what they could spare - but this woman, Jesus said, was giving everything she had to live on. Such generosity upends expectation. She brings two small coins, the merest contribution, but she is the giver Jesus praises most highly. It is not only the coins themselves that matter. It is the way she gives - it is the story of her generosity that outlasts her. That’s what Week of Compassion does - what Disciples do. We bring what we have to live on, which becomes a resource for others to live on - and that mutual giving is how our story lives on too. 

Over the past 80 years through Week of Compassion, Disciples have responded to needs around the world, constantly evolving to meet new challenges. As Rev. Dr. Dawn Darwin Weaks, who wrote this year’s sermon starter and scripture commentary, has said, “We honor the courage of those who came before by being courageous now!” ​

---

Today we launch the theme and resources for our 2024 Special Offering:
GIFTS TO LIVE ON

The Week of Compassion Special Offering is suggested for February 18 - 25, 2024.

---

Standing Orders of print materials for the Week of Compassion 2024 Special Offering begin shipping in early December. To review your congregation's Standing Order, make changes, or create a new order, use the order page. Deadline for changes is December 4.

This year we saved the step of Sample Packets. Standing Orders include everything you need to create a meaningful Week of Compassion offering with your congregation. With our Planning and Resource Guide, PLUS all the print materials of your Standing Order, AND the plethora of video, print, worship, and study resources on the 2024 Special Offering page ... less paper, less shipping, less time, and less waste means MORE resources go right to work caring for vulnerable communities around the world.

THANK YOU for all the ways you are Week of Compassion in communities near and far, and for all the creative and generous ways you share GIFTS TO LIVE ON.

a short film for the 2024 Special Offering
available on the Special Offering page in English, English with captions, and in Spanish