The ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING offering, to be received TODAY, April 4, 2021, on this great Easter Sunday, is the annual opportunity to participate in global ministry, helping to provide relief in disasters, giving food and water, and investing long-term in areas of poverty and injustice. Presbyterians join with Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, and other denominations in bringing together a true One Great Hour of substantial assistance to people facing challenging situations around the world, following Jesus' admonition to care for neighbors in need.
Gifts to this 2021 One Great Hour offering may be given on-line, mailed to Northminster Presbyterian Church, dropped off at the church office, or given in person via envelope or fish bank (yes, several of these wonderful fish-shaped boxes are available on the church library shelf or from the church office). Information about the offering and offering envelopes are available on the table in the narthex. Please add “One Great Hour” on the note line of your check.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
One Great Hour of Sharing : A Brief History:
The One Great Hour of Sharing offering, received by many Christian denominations during Lent each year, has been around for over seven decades. In 1946, as victims of war in Europe were struggling through near-starvation and homelessness, a few American Christians responded by raising funds for relief for those in perilous situations. Episcopal Bishop Henry Sherrill lead a small group whose goal was to raise one million dollars in one hour for World Relief. No one is sure the amount that was realized, but the relief efforts have continued with even larger goals in mind every year since.
The first Presbyterian participation in this ecumenical offering was initiated in 1947 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America, followed in 1948 by the former Presbyterian Church in the United States. Church leaders from several denominations began working together in 1949 to promote this enlarged effort. That year major radio networks broadcast a show called “One Great Hour” on the Saturday evening before Easter. This broadcast featured President Truman, as well as several popular musicians and actors of the time, and closed with the request to listeners to make a sacrificial contribution at their own place of worship on the next morning. Again, no record of the total donation is recorded, but it is estimated that over 75,000 churches participated in this first One Great Hour offering.
Each year since, this special offering has provided enormous aid to people in need around the world. Many aspects of the offering and its participants have changed, but the purpose remains the same. This ecumenical endeavor now involves at least nine denominations and Church World Service.
At Northminster, gifts to this 2021 One Great Hour offering may be given on-line (see button below), mailed to the church, dropped off at the church office, or given in person via envelope or fish bank (yes, several of these wonderful fish-shaped boxes are available on the church library shelf or from the church office). Information and envelopes are available on the table in the narthex. Please add “One Great Hour” on the note line of your check or online donation.
What it is:
The ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING offering, to be received at Northminster on Easter Sunday (April 4), is the annual opportunity to participate in global ministry, helping to provide relief in disasters, giving food and water, and investing long-term in areas of poverty and injustice. Presbyterians join with Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, and other denominations in bringing together a One Great Hour of substantial assistance to people facing challenging situations around the world, following Jesus' admonition to care for neighbors in need.
Gifts from Presbyterians to the One Great Hour offering are divided among three established agencies of the church: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), Self-Development of People, and Presbyterian Hunger Program. Prior to COVID-19, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance deployed quick-response teams to disaster areas; now teams are recruited and trained virtually, then dispatched where/when called. Also due to the pandemic, PDA ramped up the Emotional and Spiritual Care program, working in cooperation with the Presbyterian Mental Health Ministries and the Mental Health Network. In 2020 PDA granted over $4 million in disaster relief, $2.5 of which was for COVID-19 response.
Self-Development of People invests in communities responding to their experiences of oppression, poverty and injustice. The Presbyterian Hunger Program works to alleviate hunger and eliminate its root causes, and also plants trees, installs water pumps and wells, as well as provides beehives, seeds/seedlings, and farm animals for present and future sustenance for families.
