When we wake up each morning, we hear the latest news about the vast numbers of people who have died after contracting the COVID-19 virus. These are more than statistics, each one is a person who has a family that is mourning them, and/or is battling the impact of the disease themselves. And that fact alone connects each statistic to you and me, and suddenly we are challenged to do more than shake our heads as we read the sad headlines.
When crisis strikes, it’s a time for us as a church to step up and help others. As this article is being written, more than 10 million people worldwide have contracted the COVID-19 virus, and more than 503,000 have died. In the United States alone there have been over 2.5 million cases and over 126,000 deaths.1
Adventist churches around the world are being asked to collect a special COVID-19 offering on Sabbath, July 11. Throughout the North American Division, offerings will be retained by the local church in which the offering was collected to be used for local COVID-19 response efforts such as helping impacted families; purchasing supplies such as masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer; and more. Whether giving in person at your local church, online through your church’s AdventistGiving account, or by mail, please mark your offering “COVID-19 Response.”
—
Sylva Keshishian is marketing manager for Adventist Mission.
1World Health Organization, Situation Report 162, June 30, 2020
