BENEVOLENCE means kindness or meaning well. And for us in the Lutheran church, it has a special meaning.
BENEVOLENCE in church is the money that goes to the larger church—like the Synod of Alberta and the Territories, and the National ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada). The larger church can use that money to do more kindness sometimes than the smaller churches. Just imagine what 95,000 people can accomplish together!
So, individual people give a portion of their money and talents and time to their congregation. And then, the congregation gives a portion of what they have—money, and sometimes talents and time, to the Synod. For us that’s the Synod of Alberta and the Territories. And each Synod gives a portion of their money, and sometimes time and talents, to the National Church, the ELCIC. Just like our church here, the Synod has promised a certain amount of money to the ELCIC, so they can plan big projects, like working with Canadian Lutheran World Relief or with the Lutheran World Federation—with Lutherans and others all over the world. Sometimes, projects like CLWR projects, or emergency funds for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land can get matching grants from the government, so the money from over 90,000 people goes even further. What we do here with our money, time and talents is part of a bigger plan—God’s plan!
We would like all members of Our Savior Lutheran to have an understanding of the value in Benevolence Giving. Please remember that you can designate a portion of your offering as a Benevolence Gift.
