Bountiful Sunday - November 21, 2021
On Sunday, November 21, Our Saviour’s held our annual Bountiful Sunday gathering during worship. We mark the Sunday before thanksgiving as a Sunday to collect items (food, toiletries, money, etc.) to share with the wider community.
We collected 240 food items (24 bags) and 20 toiletries for FISH. FISH serves people living in James City County, Upper York County, and the City of Williamsburg, providing food, hygiene and cleaning products, clothing and small housewares to people in need. They provide 6 days of food for each person, usually with a referral (with COVID, a referral is not required), once every 30 days. They donate emergency bags as part of Motel Ministry. Thank you to all who donated and delivered the food to FISH.
We blessed and sent handmade baby blankets to Hope House, a ministry of House of Mercy. House of Mercy provides human services to all people, especially the most vulnerable, in our community. They “envision a community where no one will ever have to spend a night on the streets or in the woods because he or she cannot find or afford safe housing. We believe that safe, affordable housing, and a livable wage is a fundamental human right, and that every person, regardless of class, condition, color, gender, orientation or belief system was created to live a full, rich life." They offer a number of services for the community, including Mercy Housing, Coordination of Care for Homeless people, food services, and pregnancy services. We thank WELCA and Jennie Miller for their continued support of this ministry!
WELCA held their annual Thank Offering. We share in a tradition that goes back to the 1800s or even earlier. Then, when it seemed that there was not enough money to carry out the work of the church, the women would act together as “cent” or “mite” societies. Each woman would set aside offerings at home throughout the year in thanksgiving for blessings received. And on occasion, the women would come together as we do today, joining their offerings together to support ministry of many kinds. When Women of the ELCA was formed in 1987, we committed to continue this tradition of giving in gratitude for blessings. Each year, in thousands of congregations, Thankofferings are given to support the life-changing ministries of Women of the ELCA. Together, we do more than we could ever do apart. This year we raised $225 for the wider ministries of WELCA in the Virginia Synod and throughout the ELCA.