WEBVTT 00:00:08.934 --> 00:00:11.754 The Seventh-day Adventist Church is known around the world 00:00:11.754 --> 00:00:13.294 for its mission outreach. 00:00:13.508 --> 00:00:16.838 And your mission offerings are the workhorse of these efforts. 00:00:16.970 --> 00:00:20.690 These offerings do the heavy lifting and foundation laying, 00:00:20.690 --> 00:00:23.330 the repair and renovation of the basic structure 00:00:23.330 --> 00:00:25.890 of the Church's work around the world. 00:00:25.890 --> 00:00:27.360 Without the mission offerings, 00:00:27.360 --> 00:00:31.260 all the other structures and systems built upon it could crumble. 00:00:31.401 --> 00:00:34.291 Your mission offerings are like a life-giving river 00:00:34.291 --> 00:00:36.771 with tributaries flowing around the world, 00:00:36.771 --> 00:00:39.501 carrying refreshing water to mission fields. 00:00:39.765 --> 00:00:42.775 Sometimes we want to give to a specific project 00:00:42.775 --> 00:00:44.985 or to put our offerings towards something special 00:00:44.985 --> 00:00:46.755 that stirs our hearts. 00:00:46.755 --> 00:00:49.965 We see the results. We feel satisfied. 00:00:49.965 --> 00:00:54.815 Giving to the mission offering may not be as glamorous as giving to a specific, 00:00:54.815 --> 00:00:57.555 well-advertised project or program. 00:00:58.046 --> 00:01:01.786 But wait! If it weren’t for mission offering to sustain them, 00:01:01.786 --> 00:01:04.076 these projects would never happen. 00:01:04.076 --> 00:01:06.616 So what happens to our tithes and offerings? 00:01:06.616 --> 00:01:10.616 Well, when we return 10% of our income as tithe to God, 00:01:10.616 --> 00:01:14.336 the Adventist Church uses it to support pastors and evangelists, 00:01:14.336 --> 00:01:18.236 as well as some teachers and other workers involved in spreading the gospel. 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:23.719 On the front lines of mission, tithe is not used to fund orphanages, 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:26.179 schools, or health programs, 00:01:26.179 --> 00:01:29.279 and it doesn’t cover miscellaneous operational expenses either. 00:01:29.279 --> 00:01:31.569 The mission offering does this! 00:01:32.229 --> 00:01:36.229 You see, our mission offerings fund what can’t be funded through tithe. 00:01:36.521 --> 00:01:40.661 So when mission giving falls, then work gets cut back worldwide. 00:01:41.693 --> 00:01:45.323 Mission projects falter. The movement stutters. 00:01:46.019 --> 00:01:48.392 None of us want this to happen. 00:01:48.392 --> 00:01:50.332 So our mission offerings help ensure 00:01:50.332 --> 00:01:53.812 that mission work operates continuously around the world. 00:01:54.274 --> 00:01:57.344 Want to see how our giving impacts people around the globe? 00:01:57.344 --> 00:02:00.854 Mission 360º TV programs, Mission Spotlight, 00:02:00.854 --> 00:02:03.444 and the Mission quarterlies offer regular updates 00:02:03.444 --> 00:02:05.114 on mission around the world. 00:02:05.114 --> 00:02:07.544 These stories take you to dozens of countries 00:02:07.544 --> 00:02:09.634 to see what Adventists are doing in places 00:02:09.634 --> 00:02:11.894 you may have never even heard of. 00:02:12.401 --> 00:02:14.481 And what about the 13th Sabbath Offering, 00:02:14.481 --> 00:02:16.251 which began in 1912? 00:02:16.251 --> 00:02:19.101 For many years, this offering was an overflow offering. 00:02:19.101 --> 00:02:21.961 A budget was set to fund the mission program, 00:02:21.961 --> 00:02:25.391 and once that money was raised, any extra, the overflow, 00:02:25.391 --> 00:02:29.151 was used to support a special project chosen for that quarter. 00:02:29.151 --> 00:02:33.821 However, during a recession in the 1970s, there was no overflow offering. 00:02:34.604 --> 00:02:38.604 So church leaders voted to always send 25% of the offering 00:02:38.604 --> 00:02:42.064 collected on the 13th Sabbath to support specific projects 00:02:42.064 --> 00:02:45.334 for each division on a rotational basis. 00:02:45.334 --> 00:02:49.124 Through your 13th Sabbath Offerings you have helped build schools, 00:02:49.124 --> 00:02:53.124 dormitories, hospitals, clinics, and church buildings, 00:02:53.671 --> 00:02:57.061 launched mission boats, and set up lamb-shelters, 00:02:57.061 --> 00:02:59.851 printing presses, universities and more-- 00:02:59.851 --> 00:03:02.681 altogether, more than a thousand projects. 00:03:03.156 --> 00:03:05.936 And because tithe money can’t be used for buildings, 00:03:05.936 --> 00:03:08.376 the 13th Sabbath Offering has frequently been used 00:03:08.376 --> 00:03:09.966 for construction projects. 00:03:09.966 --> 00:03:13.576 All of this could have never happened without the Holy Spirit’s leading 00:03:13.576 --> 00:03:17.016 and your regular, faithful support of the mission offerings. 00:03:17.654 --> 00:03:20.854 We encourage you to join Adventists everywhere 00:03:20.854 --> 00:03:23.294 to prayerfully consider what you can do 00:03:23.294 --> 00:03:26.074 to keep a faithful river of mission offerings, 00:03:26.074 --> 00:03:30.074 bringing life-giving water to mission fields around the world.