The call to give comes regularly in church life: annual stewardship drives and capital campaigns, work trips to the Gulf Coast or another hurting place, special holiday events, youth mission trips and local projects. Each giving opportunity challenges us anew to comprehend the importance of our participation, and to see past numbers and amounts to the practice of praise inherent in the act of giving.

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have,” says the writer of Hebrews to the community of faith. The call was personal, a reminder that our actions as Christians speak more loudly than our words and worship services. God desires our participation in the lives of others, an expectation made even more pointedly by Jesus when he tells his followers, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40, NRSV)

Of course, the ‘least of these’ don’t just live in our community anymore. As our world grows smaller, our lives intersect with so many more lives than they once did — and God’s call to share what we have encompasses more people. The people fleeing violence in Sudan, suffering from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, reeling from devastation in Indonesia, starving in poverty in India — we are called to make a difference in these lives, too. One Great Hour of Sharing makes that possible.

Gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing support programs that help families and villages around the world build lives and communities that are healthy, safe and sustainable, changing the lives of millions of God’s children. One Great Hour of Sharing:

• helps rebuild communities ravaged by natural disasters;
• creates sustainable sources of income for rural villages;
• provides micro-credit to women to start poverty-escaping businesses;
• teaches trades and job skills;
• offers children a chance to survive past the age of 5 and go to school,
• and much more.

One Great Hour of Sharing gives each of us an opportunity to respond to God’s call: to share what we have, showing the kindness, compassion and mercy of Jesus in every part of the globe.

Doing good and sharing what we have gladdens the heart of God, who promises that those who respond, “shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11, NRSV) By participating in One Great Hour of Sharing, our congregation can experience the joy of showing and sharing God’s love - offering a hand to that stranger in need, and making a difference in the lives of God’s children around the world.

Special One Great Hour of Sharing offering envelopes are available in the pews through the month of July. Our church's goal is $5,000.

Want to know more about the One Great Hour of Sharing offering? Log on to www.abc-oghs.org.