In the early 1940’s, as World War II created humanitarian crises around the globe, the International Convention (now the General Assembly) of the Christian Church made recommendations for multiple aid and relief projects.
Partnering with ecumenical colleagues, the church designated a Day of Compassion special offering. Soon after, the Wartime Service Fund was approved and churches designated a Week of Compassion, a focused time for prayer and giving to support the ongoing war response. Expanded to include humanitarian aid as well as disaster response and refugee resettlement, a new ministry took shape.
Then and now, Disciples have been clear: When needs arise, we need to respond …. we need to be moved, we need to be generous, we need to be faithful, we need to be transformed.
Week of Compassion Special Offering 2024
February 18-25, congregations across the United States and Canada collect a special offering for Week of Compassion.
Funds received through this special offering provides grants for urgent needs like emergency supplies, water and food when disaster occurs. When you give to Week of Compassion Special Offering, you deploy resources to people in need domestically and all around the world.
We need to take on the role of the generous widow.
“[Jesus] looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
– Luke 21:1-4 NRSVue
Jesus sees the widow and her gift and rejoices in her generosity. Others were giving from what they could spare – but this woman, Jesus said, was giving everything, she had to live on. Such generosity upends expectation. She brings two small coins, the merest contribution, but she is the giver Jesus praises most highly. It is not only the coins themselves that matter. It is the way she gives – it is the story of her generosity that outlasts her.
That’s what Week of Compassion does – what Disciples do.
We bring what we have to live on, which becomes a resource for others to live on – and that mutual giving is how our story lives on too. When we give, we know that our gifts are not the only ones that matter – the true gift of compassion and connection lies in the resilience of the communities we serve. The mutual contribution of those most affected, combined with dedicated partnerships rooted in connection, integrity, and accompaniment, puts flesh on God’s grace for everyone involved.
So that more communities can experience this new life, please give generously through your local church, ENGAGE account, the CCK Store, or online at weekofcompassion.org.
Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee, and sustainable development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.