Moment for Mission
"Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." — Isaiah 1:17
Annual conferences in The United Methodist Church set aside one Sunday each year to observe Golden Cross Sunday. On this Sunday, a special offering is collected that will be used for health and welfare ministries in the annual conference.
Those in need of receiving assistance from this fund could be victims of natural or man-made disasters, they could be experiencing health problems, facing harsh and impossible economic circumstances or experiencing any of the many challenges that come with aging.
We take up these Golden Cross offerings as The United Methodist Church because we believe where there are persons in need, we as the church have a responsibility to respond with actions in the spirit of doing good, seeking justice, rescuing the oppressed, defending the orphan, and pleading on behalf of those who have no voice.
While the ways that annual conferences use these funds may vary, the purpose is clear: Golden Cross Sunday is an opportunity for the church to take action and love our most vulnerable neighbors.
One in six people in the United States faces hunger and even more people face food insecurity that directly affects their health and well-being. Our generous gifts toward Golden Cross Sunday help people and families begin to address real problems like hunger or lack of medical care that lead to poor health and welfare.
Offertory Prayer
Merciful God, We recognize that there are those who are suffering among your people, those whose hunger and thirst is tangible. Grant that we become a generous people, willing to give of ourselves and of our resources to bring inside those who have been on the outside. Amen.
From Discipleship Ministries: Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost / in Kingdomtide - God, our Savior, you know each person by name. At times, we may stray from your way and not realize we are lost. Yet you kindly welcome us back, as you welcomed Zacchaeus. Help our church's outreach ministries to reflect your grace. Give us courage by your Spirit to persevere in our faith commitments. Receive these offerings as a joyful outpouring of our thanks for your redeeming love through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Luke 19:1-10)
Newsletter Nugget
Hunger is a real issue in America, affecting our country's most vulnerable. In 2014, 46.7 million people were living in poverty, including 15.5 million children under the age of 18 and 4.6 million seniors ages 65 and older. As these difficult conditions continue, poverty and hunger need our attention.
The United Methodist Church, which believes in making disciples for the transformation of the world, also has several ways to get involved in working toward disrupting the cycles of poverty in our communities.
One of those is through Golden Cross Sunday, which is observed one Sunday each year on a date determined by each annual conference. On Golden Cross Sunday, The United Methodist Church takes up an offering that goes toward health and welfare ministries of the annual conference.