Deacons Challenge Congregation to Participate in Reverse Offerings

When Rachel Vroege (Regional Ministries Developer -West) from Diaconal Ministries Canada visited the Deacons of Bethel CRC in Saskatoon last year, one idea she presented to us was that of a Reverse Offering.  We were immediately taken with the idea, and went about trying to make it work for our local Rosthern Food Bank.  We explained to our congregation what a reverse offering was, and how it worked.

On March 8th our offering bags were passed around and everyone pulled out slips of paper which had items listed on them as suggested needs for the Food Bank.  The results were amazing and the large amount of items that we took to Rosthern on March 27, 2015 speak to the many blessings we as individuals and as congregation feel we wanted to share. There was excitement in the air!

The Rosthern Food Bank people were slightly overwhelmed by our gift.  They had been running short of stock and as one of the ladies quietly said to me, “The Lord supplies.”  They asked how we had raised this amount of items.  When we told them about the “reverse offering,” the word and explanation quickly spread from one helper to the next.  I can just imagine that there will be a series of Reverse Offerings in the surrounding churches.  Great idea Rachel, and Thank You Lord!

-Jean de Beer, Diaconal Ministry Developer for Saskatchewan

(in the above photo: Bethel CRC Deacons l-r: Karen Jacobi, Liz McLean, Calvin Vaandrager, and Henk Vandenbrink)