Phone: 941- 739-0202

One Great Hour of Sharing
“Do you love me?  Feed my sheep.”

Braden River Presbyterian Church will again be joining with churches nationwide in the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.  Over sixty years ago, in response to the devastation of World War II, a group of our nation’s leaders and celebrities, in a Saturday evening broadcast, appealed to Americans to give generously in their churches the following morning.  Incredibly, more than 75,000 churches responded!

This year’s offering theme, Feed my sheep (John 21:15-19), is drawn from Jesus’ last encounter with his disciples.  He asks them three times, “Do you love me?” and three times he repeats a variation of the instruction, “Feed my sheep.”  We are to focus not on our own needs, but on those of others.

For the past twenty years, Presbyterians have given eight to eleven million dollars to One Great Hour of Sharing.  Again this year 32% of the offering will be given to each of three programs:  Presbyterian Disaster Assistance  (PDA): Self-development of People (SDOP); and the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP)—the remaining 4% will be given to PHP for its work on homelessness and affordable housing.

On Palm Sunday and Easter (March 28th and April 4th), Braden River Presbyterian Church will again join with other churches around the country in the collection of the One Great Hour of Sharing.  “Fish” boxes are now available in the narthex for those who would like to take one home to fill with coins (or dollars) during Lent.  Special One Great Hour of Sharing envelopes will also be available at the Palm Sunday and Easter services.

Diane Gannot, Mission Team Member