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Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
GIFTS TO LIVE ON11/16/2023 the Week of Compassion 2024 Special Offering
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 on the Middle East11/13/2023 a statement from the Common Global Ministries BoardLast week, Week of Compassion's Board of Stewards met in Tucson AZ for its fall business meeting. The gathering included a site visit with the Arizona Disciples Border Initiative, exploring the complexities of the border crisis, and the response offered to asylum seekers at Casa de Misericordia in Nogales MX. The Board also spent time in conversation with Tamara Rodenberg, president of Higher Education and Leadership Ministries, exploring Week of Compassion’s support for young adults, students, and seminarians in its mission and work.
Between these significant conversations, the Board was joined by Peter Makari, Co-Executive of Global Ministries, for context and updates from partners in the Middle East. This statement, released today by Global Ministries, holds compassion and justice at the forefront. Week of Compassion is grateful to serve with our partners responding in the midst of this crisis. Middle East Crisis10/18/2023 responding with partners to war in the Middle EastSince the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, violence and devastation have escalated in the Middle East, with years of political tension and conflict bearing out in the most horrifying and heartbreaking ways. Thousands of civilians have been killed and thousands more injured as the warfare persists. Week of Compassion has been in frequent contact with trusted partners, including through Global Ministries, the Middle East Council of Churches, and ACT Alliance. These partners are in close conversation about immediate needs in Israel/Palestine and the broader region - food, water, shelter, medical care, sanitation - and know there will be many considerations to come regarding a long-term solution and recovery. reports from partners10/17/2023 relief supplies in the Middle EastWe learned yesterday from DanChurchAID and Norwegian Church Aid - Week of Compassion partners through ACT Alliance - that staff colleagues in Gaza (who are themselves displaced) managed to purchase food from local vendors, coordinate with the UN (who provided the trucks), and that six trucks with food reached a UNRWA vocational training center where approximately 25-30,000 internally displaced persons have gathered. We know the concerns and tragedy are greater than we have even seen or can imagine. Week of Compassion persists in prayer, and in partnership conversation, to respond in the ways we are most able. Gifts to Week of Compassion designated 'Middle East Crisis' will be used for emergency food, water, and medical supplies. news from Maui10/13/2023 steps toward restoration and recoveryWeek of Compassion remains in contact with a wide variety of ecumenical partners and local community leaders as the restoration and recovery continues in Lahaina and other areas of west Maui in the wake of August wildfires. Maui County has divided the burn area into zones, slowly opening these zones for limited resident access, with a system in place, led by Hawai’i VOAD, where trained volunteers accompany residents on their first day of reentry. These skilled partners help ensure residents have and know how to use proper Personal Protective Equipment, provide emotional and spiritual support, and help connect survivors to additional assistance as it is needed. While access remains quite restricted due to concerns of exposure to toxins, several organizations are assisting with ash-sifting, to recover any personal property that may have survived, and with cleanup efforts, which are complicated by the environmental concerns about ash and debris flowing into the ocean. Local officials, the Environmental Protection Agency, and others are working to balance access for residents with critical mitigation efforts. The Gift of A Question10/10/2023 visiting partners at an Afghan girls' school
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