2024 Thanksgiving Offering to the Poor
Hi, ANF!
During the Sunday message two weeks ago, I preached about how we could biblically celebrate Thanksgiving. I challenged you all to give one percent of your annual income as a special Thanksgiving Offering for the poor. The Bible is very clear about what God wants us to do during Thanksgiving: Isaiah 58:7 says, “share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him.” Deuteronomy 15:11 says, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” Leviticus 23:22 says, “You shall share the harvest of your land for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” It is important for us to have an attitude of simple obedience, live our lives as Christ followers, and grow in our faith. We do this not because we are in a good spot financially but because we simply want to obey what God tells us to do.
According to annual government reports, people in America spend $9,985 on food, $3,635 on entertainment, $1,007 on tobacco/alcohol, and around $5,200 on vacation and international travels every year. While we live in a relatively privileged world, 44 percent of our world population is still living off a few dollars a day, around $2,500 a year.
Like I did the past three years, I want to challenge you all to give one percent of your annual income to help the poor, the orphaned, the widowed, and the marginalized all across the world. Every dollar that we collect will be set aside in a separate account and used solely to support those in need. Because of your offering in the previous years, we have been able to support refugees in Ukraine, indigenous Indians living in remote villages in Mexico, the relief and rehabilitation efforts after the devastating earthquake in Turkey, the refugee school for children in Egypt, ANF scholarship, and the sponsorship of Afghan sister for her safe asylum, just to name a few.
Even if you can’t attend our Thanksgiving Sunday Worship, you can still participate in giving a special Thanksgiving Offering to the poor through online giving via Venmo (@anfdallas) or Zelle (finance@anfdallas.org) from now until Sunday, November 24th. I gave my Thanksgiving offering for the poor last Sunday. Proverbs 14:31 says, “whoever is kind to the needy honors God,” and Proverbs 28:27 says, “[t]hose who give to the poor will lack nothing.” By giving one percent of our annual income as special Thanksgiving Offering for the poor, I hope we can continue to glorify God, thank God in a biblical way, practice simple obedience, and receive even more blessings from God this next year.
Pastor Daniel
