The Weekly Word for June 18 is OFFERING

Offering can be defined as (1) something offered in worship or devotion; (2) a contribution given to or through the church for a particular purpose, as at a religious service; or (3) anything offered as a gift. All these definitions seem to be particularly appropriate when thinking about offerings in relationship to God and to our church community.

One of the most important aspects of an offering is that it can be a gift, thus implying that the one giving the gift does so by choice. Also, giving the gift may involve some type of sacrifice on the part of the giver.

Offering is a word that has been in evidence quite a bit in the last month at St. David’s, due to the involvement of the congregation in a Capital Campaign, aimed at improving many aspects of the building in order to better meet the needs of the congregation and visitors. This most certainly requires sacrifices from those members of the congregation who have pledged their financial support to this important project.

Many other gifts aimed at supporting the work of St. David’s and the surrounding community are also in evidence. These gifts include wielding a hammer to build a house, under the banner of Habitat for Humanity; assisting those recently displaced from their homes due to local floods; offering both time and basic “elbow grease” to clean the worship space; and providing vocal or instrumental music to enhance our worship services.

Gift offerings do not need to be in the form of monetary donations. A recent sermon reminded us that we all have been called to service in some form or another, and we have chosen to answer that call. One of the most important gifts we can offer is the gift of ourselves in service to others.

I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows.—Proverbs 7: 14

Cheryl Torok Fleming is a member of Saint David’s Church