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 One
Great Hour of Sharing
Missionary Society
It started more than 60 years ago. In 1946,
Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church, set a goal of one million dollars per year for the Presiding
Bishop’s Fund for World Relief. On nationwide radio, he challenged
the Christian brothers and sisters of his communion to raise “one
million dollars in one hour.” And they did!
What began as a challenge has become a
tradition for many Christian churches. Today, more than a dozen
church families, including our National Association, have taken up
the challenge and kept the tradition alive. Every offering is
unique, but the goal is ever the same: in the spirit of Christ, to
help people help themselves in places of poverty, hunger, sickness,
conflict, emergency and natural disaster.
In recent years, the churches of our National
Association have contributed more than $600,000 to One Great Hour of
Sharing programs: $240,000 to Tsumani relief, $260,000 to help with
ravages of Hurricane Katrina, and more than $100,000 to a host of
missions and ministries targeting hunger, homelessness, earthquakes,
flooding, tornadoes and typhoons.
Every effort is made to work through member
churches and missions closest to those in need. Recent donations to
help those affected by tornadoes in the Midwest, specifically those
in Greensburg, Kansas, have been shepherded by the people of Maple
Hill Community Congregational Church in Maple Hill, Kansas. Similar
efforts on our churches’ behalf have been offered by the people of
Cedarwood Church in Wetumpka, Alabama in response to Hurricane
Katrina, and the Travencore Church Council of South India in
response to those affected by the Tsunami.
Where our churches and missions are not
present, we work through respected and responsible organizations
such as the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, World Vision and
Church World Service, all of them Christian, four star Charity
Navigator recommended agencies.
There are many ways for you and your church to
be involved. You can take a One Great Hour of Sharing offering in
response to a particular cause or concern. You can also set aside a
Sunday, or several Sundays, every year to take an OGHS collection.
Designated funds will be sent in a timely manner. General monies
will be held by the Missionary Society to be distributed as needs
arise.
To be sure, the world has changed since 1946.
But human needs have stayed the same. Please remember to make OGHS a
part of your own and your church’s giving. Monies may be sent to the
Missionary Society at any time. Many will be served, and many will
be grateful, for your help in making God’s love real in times of
need.
Relief funds may be requested with little or no advanced warning.
To assure that reserve funds are available when needed, please
contribute to the One Great Hour of Sharing Fund throughout the year.
Special OGHS envelops are available through the
NA
office.
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