This past Sunday, we started a 2-week conversation called Finish Strong. Pastor Chris introduced us to ways to really take a hold of the Christmas season and how to give well.

We talked about how it’s not only better to give than to receive, but that it’s more than that. In fact, scripture tells us that generosity is where true life is found.

We really believe that – so much so, that we’ve decided to change the date of Giving Tuesday!

Quick History Lesson

Black Friday has been an American tradition ever since the 1950s. It’s the day after Thanksgiving and marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

With the advent of e-commerce, Cyber Monday was introduced in 2005 as an online equivalent to Black Friday and unsurprisingly, 2020 was the busiest shopping day of the year, even overtaking Black Friday.

Perhaps with a slight feeling of guilt, Giving Tuesday was then invented as a reaction to all that shopping. Giving Tuesday started in 2012 as a global generosity movement and is set as the day after Cyber Monday.

Putting Giving in its Rightful Place

I love Giving Tuesday – it’s a day where I get to see all of my friend’s favorite causes and find out about nonprofits that they’ve been involved with that I didn’t know about before.

But if we believe that giving is better than receiving, surely giving should come before all the shopping!

So this coming Tuesday will be Hoboken Grace’s Giving Tuesday and I invite you to start the holiday season strong by engaging in Giving Tuesday – engaging it strategically and wisely.

If you already have causes you support – that’s fantastic! If you would like some ideas, here are two ways you can get involved.

Hoboken Christmas Exchange

The Hoboken Christmas Exchange is something we do every year. We want to make sure that no child is left without a gift this Christmas and have a program to match families that need a little extra help with those that can.

Follow the link above to find out more information, including how you can volunteer and/or be matched with a family.

Christmas Offering

As a church, we support more than 12 local and international organizations that seek to love others in the name of Jesus. Every Christmas, we open a special Christmas offering to allow people to give directly to those organizations. In addition to our partnerships, this years Christmas offering will also fund the continued buildout of our local community center.

To give to the Christmas Offering, simply go to our App or click here and then, under the “Reference” dropdown, choose “Christmas Offering”.

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and that out of an abundance of contentment and gratitude, you’ll be overwhelmed with generosity – and in that, you’ll find true life!

Vinny

Director of Financial Health & Stewardship