This Sunday, our second offering will be for Ministry Shares.  Ministry Shares are a way that we give to both our Classis and the Christian Reformed Church of North America. Both the classis and the denomination divide their expenses among the churches to determine what each congregation’s “share” of the ministry costs are based on the number of active members in the congregation.

Classical Ministry Shares are used to support regional ministries (new churches, Hmong and Laotian ministries), Hope Centre in Thunder Bay,  Starfish Ministries, the Thunder Bay Christian Community Center and students who are preparing for the ministry.

Denominational Ministry Shares are used around the world to spread the Gospel and transform lives. Here’s a link to the denomination’s website and specifically the list of the ministries that we have.

The Christian Reformed Church of North America put together this delightful video to help explain Ministry Shares as well.

The amount Bethel should give is around $18,300.  That figures out to approximately $175 per active member per year.  We gave nothing in 2009.  Your donation will help meet our required giving to these important ministries.

By the way – A classis is a group of churches within a geographical area that have the authority to deal with matters that concern its churches in common and its decisions are binding on the churches in its region. A minister and an elder (and in some cases  a deacon) from each congregation are delegated to attend each classis meeting. There are 47 classes in the CRC, 11 in Canada and 35 in the United States, and one (ours) with congregations on both sides of the border. The classes are grouped into 12 regions.