Offertory Prayer

Invitation to the Offering

The offering you made last week empowered ministry within our congregation and in response to the needs of our community. It also helped support the work of ministries beyond the local church that reach people who are in desperate need to hear the good news of love and redemption. People here in our cities and communities who are immigrants trying to navigate their way to working status and citizenship find help through ministries such as Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON), which is a network of monthly clinics, hosted by more than 30 local United Methodist churches across the U.S. They provide professional legal services to immigrants for free, helping to reunite their families, secure immigration status, and enjoy the right to work. It also encourages churches to extend radical hospitality by providing places for community gathering and table fellowship. Coordinated by our General Board of Global Ministries, it is supported through our church’s giving to the World Service Fund. I invite you once again to give generously as we worship God through the sharing of our gifts, tithes and offerings.


May 19, 2013 – Day of Pentecost

Almighty God who comes to us in wind and fire, may the doors of our hearts be open to let your Holy Spirit blow in and your love and grace flow out! As we offer up these gifts to you this morning, may they empower mission and ministries that spread across all your creation like wildfire. May our giving help your church to be born anew, not as bricks and mortar, but as hearts on fire to serve others and make disciples for Jesus Christ. In his holy name, we pray. Amen. (Acts 2:1-21)


GBOD continues to deliver the full text of each month's offertory prayers via email. You may also find the Offertory Prayers online at www.GBOD.org


Written by Ken Sloane, Director of Stewardship for GBOD.



Monday, June 18, 2012

Do you care? a Reflection on Mark 4:35-41

When the storm came up, he was asleep. 


They asked him, "Don't you care about us?"


I'm reminded of the many laments in the psalms, how often appears the plea, "O Lord, how long?" And I'm reminded of how any of us feel during those really hard times--how we may wonder if the Lord is paying attention to our needs right now.


The disciples don't trust him. Or, they do trust him, and they want him to be quicker about it. In either case, they don't seem to realize that they themselves have any power to improve their situation.


He calls them on this, "Where's your faith?"


Mark says that after he stilled the storm, the disciples were amazed and asked each other "Who is this guy?"


Have they not been paying attention? I need to remember that I know a lot more of the story than they did this early in Jesus' life. And I need to remember to pay attention.

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