Adventist churches around the world are being asked to collect a special COVID-19 offering on July 11 to support communities devastated by the pandemic. Funds raised by local churches will be used to help respond within their region of the world.
This means that all COVID-19 Response offerings given by church members will go to their local division and local fields to fund initiatives to help those suffering from this pandemic. Masks. Essential supplies. Counseling . . . Whatever it takes.
When crisis strikes, it’s a time for us as a church to step up and help others. At the time this article was written, more than 7 million people worldwide had contracted the COVID-19 virus, and more than 406,000 had died1.
When we wake up each morning, we hear the latest news about the vast numbers of people who have died after contracting the COVID-19 virus. These are more than statistics, each one is a person who has a family that is mourning them, and/or is battling the impact of the disease themselves. And that fact alone connects each statistic to you and me, and suddenly we are challenged to do more than shake our heads as we read the sad headlines.
Church members who are interested in helping to promote this special offering can contact their division office and ask for special resources. These include social media ads, a poster, and offering appeals, all of which they can send via email to their fellow members.
Then, on July 11 church members can mark their tithe envelopes “COVID-19 Response.” And if their local church is still unable to meet physically, they can still contribute by visiting the giving page on their church/conference/union/division website or go to AdventistMission.org/COVID to make a freewill donation. For churches that follow the Combined Offering Plan, contributions to this appeal are above and beyond members’ regular return of tithe and “Promise” (systematic) offerings through their local church.
1 https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?utm_campaign=homeAdUOA?Si%23countries, accessed. June 7, 2020.
