1 00:00:08,934 --> 00:00:11,754 The Seventh-day Adventist Church is known around the world 2 00:00:11,754 --> 00:00:13,294 for its mission outreach. 3 00:00:13,508 --> 00:00:16,838 And your mission offerings are the workhorse of these efforts. 4 00:00:16,970 --> 00:00:20,690 These offerings do the heavy lifting and foundation laying, 5 00:00:20,690 --> 00:00:23,330 the repair and renovation of the basic structure 6 00:00:23,330 --> 00:00:25,890 of the Church's work around the world. 7 00:00:25,890 --> 00:00:27,360 Without the mission offerings, 8 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,260 all the other structures and systems built upon it could crumble. 9 00:00:31,401 --> 00:00:34,291 Your mission offerings are like a life-giving river 10 00:00:34,291 --> 00:00:36,771 with tributaries flowing around the world, 11 00:00:36,771 --> 00:00:39,501 carrying refreshing water to mission fields. 12 00:00:39,765 --> 00:00:42,775 Sometimes we want to give to a specific project 13 00:00:42,775 --> 00:00:44,985 or to put our offerings towards something special 14 00:00:44,985 --> 00:00:46,755 that stirs our hearts. 15 00:00:46,755 --> 00:00:49,965 We see the results. We feel satisfied. 16 00:00:49,965 --> 00:00:54,815 Giving to the mission offering may not be as glamorous as giving to a specific, 17 00:00:54,815 --> 00:00:57,555 well-advertised project or program. 18 00:00:58,046 --> 00:01:01,786 But wait! If it weren’t for mission offering to sustain them, 19 00:01:01,786 --> 00:01:04,076 these projects would never happen. 20 00:01:04,076 --> 00:01:06,616 So what happens to our tithes and offerings? 21 00:01:06,616 --> 00:01:10,616 Well, when we return 10% of our income as tithe to God, 22 00:01:10,616 --> 00:01:14,336 the Adventist Church uses it to support pastors and evangelists, 23 00:01:14,336 --> 00:01:18,236 as well as some teachers and other workers involved in spreading the gospel. 24 00:01:18,859 --> 00:01:23,719 On the front lines of mission, tithe is not used to fund orphanages, 25 00:01:23,719 --> 00:01:26,179 schools, or health programs, 26 00:01:26,179 --> 00:01:29,279 and it doesn’t cover miscellaneous operational expenses either. 27 00:01:29,279 --> 00:01:31,569 The mission offering does this! 28 00:01:32,229 --> 00:01:36,229 You see, our mission offerings fund what can’t be funded through tithe. 29 00:01:36,521 --> 00:01:40,661 So when mission giving falls, then work gets cut back worldwide. 30 00:01:41,693 --> 00:01:45,323 Mission projects falter. The movement stutters. 31 00:01:46,019 --> 00:01:48,392 None of us want this to happen. 32 00:01:48,392 --> 00:01:50,332 So our mission offerings help ensure 33 00:01:50,332 --> 00:01:53,812 that mission work operates continuously around the world. 34 00:01:54,274 --> 00:01:57,344 Want to see how our giving impacts people around the globe? 35 00:01:57,344 --> 00:02:00,854 Mission 360º TV programs, Mission Spotlight, 36 00:02:00,854 --> 00:02:03,444 and the Mission quarterlies offer regular updates 37 00:02:03,444 --> 00:02:05,114 on mission around the world. 38 00:02:05,114 --> 00:02:07,544 These stories take you to dozens of countries 39 00:02:07,544 --> 00:02:09,634 to see what Adventists are doing in places 40 00:02:09,634 --> 00:02:11,894 you may have never even heard of. 41 00:02:12,401 --> 00:02:14,481 And what about the 13th Sabbath Offering, 42 00:02:14,481 --> 00:02:16,251 which began in 1912? 43 00:02:16,251 --> 00:02:19,101 For many years, this offering was an overflow offering. 44 00:02:19,101 --> 00:02:21,961 A budget was set to fund the mission program, 45 00:02:21,961 --> 00:02:25,391 and once that money was raised, any extra, the overflow, 46 00:02:25,391 --> 00:02:29,151 was used to support a special project chosen for that quarter. 47 00:02:29,151 --> 00:02:33,821 However, during a recession in the 1970s, there was no overflow offering. 48 00:02:34,604 --> 00:02:38,604 So church leaders voted to always send 25% of the offering 49 00:02:38,604 --> 00:02:42,064 collected on the 13th Sabbath to support specific projects 50 00:02:42,064 --> 00:02:45,334 for each division on a rotational basis. 51 00:02:45,334 --> 00:02:49,124 Through your 13th Sabbath Offerings you have helped build schools, 52 00:02:49,124 --> 00:02:53,124 dormitories, hospitals, clinics, and church buildings, 53 00:02:53,671 --> 00:02:57,061 launched mission boats, and set up lamb-shelters, 54 00:02:57,061 --> 00:02:59,851 printing presses, universities and more-- 55 00:02:59,851 --> 00:03:02,681 altogether, more than a thousand projects. 56 00:03:03,156 --> 00:03:05,936 And because tithe money can’t be used for buildings, 57 00:03:05,936 --> 00:03:08,376 the 13th Sabbath Offering has frequently been used 58 00:03:08,376 --> 00:03:09,966 for construction projects. 59 00:03:09,966 --> 00:03:13,576 All of this could have never happened without the Holy Spirit’s leading 60 00:03:13,576 --> 00:03:17,016 and your regular, faithful support of the mission offerings. 61 00:03:17,654 --> 00:03:20,854 We encourage you to join Adventists everywhere 62 00:03:20,854 --> 00:03:23,294 to prayerfully consider what you can do 63 00:03:23,294 --> 00:03:26,074 to keep a faithful river of mission offerings, 64 00:03:26,074 --> 00:03:30,074 bringing life-giving water to mission fields around the world.