What do all of these various activities have in common?
- Singing in the choir
- Bringing in a box of cereal for the FiSH project
- Greeting people and handing out worship bulletins
- Leading a Sunday’s Cool workshop
- Helping to set up Lemonade on the lawn
Answer: All of them are people making a gift to God’s church; a gift that doesn’t quite fit into an Offering plate but it is still an Offering.
Wait a minute. The Offering collected during worship is just money!
Well, yes, but an Offering can be more than money. And this is what we hope to teach kids as we start our summer Sunday’s Cool Rotations on portions of the worship service, with our June focus on Offering.
An Offering can be time, or talents, or treasures (money).
The Offering is the portion of the worship service that gives us an opportunity to respond to God and to be grateful for all we have been given. (And God gives us lots!) We acknowledge that everything we are and everything we have are really gifts of God. Such a heartfelt response is indeed, an act of worship!
Did you know that there is a “Children’s Offering?”
It is collected when kids go up front for the Children’s Moment. (Look for the older kids holding a basket.)
Prior to Sunday, help your child prepare a slip of paper to drop into the children’s Offering. (Though monetary offerings are also accepted. They go towards FiSH projects.) Discuss ways that they have given blessings from God. Talk about how they can respond to God’s gifts and God’s very generous love.
What will you add to the list above?
Photo credit: mrjoro
Licensed under: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
Family Faith Companion 