Giving Thanks in All Circumstances

by Kathy Foor, CGWM Director

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Do you ever struggle with this passage of Scripture? Under ordinary circumstances, it may seem like an impossible command to follow, but right now in this particular time period in history, it may be even harder to rejoice always or to give thanks in everything, especially when people around you are grumbling and complaining about everything all the time!

This is a good time to remember why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. Only with His help can we possibly obey this command. It is important to realize, however, that we do have a part to play. We must choose to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us how to rejoice always and give thanks in everything because it doesn’t come naturally to most of us.

One tool that helps me to remember to give thanks to God is to keep my Thank Offering barrel in a prominent place, so that whenever I walk past it, I think of something I am thankful for and drop a coin or two in the barrel. What is a Thank Offering barrel?

This daily act of worship was established by Grace Pierson, the founder of Churches of God Women’s Ministries (formerly known as WCSC) in 1952. She wanted to help women develop a thankful heart as well as to raise money to benefit missions.

Usually this thank offering is collected by local Women’s Ministry groups the first Sunday of May during a special worship service presented by the women of the congregation. The offering is then sent to the regional treasurer who will send 60% of the Thank Offering to the General Conference Women’s Ministries and the remaining 40% will be dispersed as decided by each region. Originally used only for missions, it now benefits many ministries of the church. Since its beginning, more than $2 million has been given through the Thank Offering. In 2021, our Thank Offerings will support the School for Girls in India (15%), Physical Therapy School in Haiti (20%), Winebrenner Female Students (25%), Venezuela Bible School (15%) and Women’s Leadership Development (25%).

Though typically collected in May, COVID-19 has disrupted our Thank Offering collection, and this year’s contributions have been quite low. Because many of our Women’s Ministry Groups are still not meeting in person, Thank Offerings may still be submitted for this current year. If your group is not meeting or you are currently not a part of CGWM group at your church, this offering can be sent directly to your regional CGWM treasurer or to our national CGWM treasurer, Nancy Scott.

For more information about Thank Offering and the treasurers’ addresses, please visit our website at https://www.cggcwomen.org/thank-offering.