Planning An Offering Of Letters
Every year, churches and campus groups across the United States send handwritten letters to their members of Congress. Writing a heartfelt letter is a prayerful, reflective and personal way to seek God's justice for hungry people. When we join with our congregations or campus communities, we raise a strong voice.
Although members of Congress receive thousands of emails per week, handwritten letters are unique. They virtually guarantee that your senators or representative will take note of your opinion. That's why it's crucial for your letters to reach Congress early in the year. Just a few handwritten letters can influence his or her actions and votes.
Here is how to organize an Offering of Letters:
Pray for the Offering: Reflect on Scripture's call to bring justice to poor and oppressed people. Prayerfully ask God to show you how to interpret this call.
Create Your Team: Consider who might be helpful in planning and publicizing an Offering of Letters: Your pastor? Christian education director? Social concerns or mission committee? Youth group leader? Invite them to join your team.
Gather Resources: Read this handbook thoroughly for information and ideas, and watch the accompanying DVD. Then see what other resources are available through your denomination. Check with your Bread regional organizer about which member(s) of Congress to target. Visit www.bread.org for updates and the most recent sample letter.
Develop a Plan: Arrange a meeting with your team to review resources. Consider how to integrate the Offering of Letters with worship and educational activities. Decide when and where to hold your Offering of Letters. Spring is a particularly effective time because letters are apt to reach members of Congress before key committees take action. Keep your pastor informed and ask for his or her support. Involve children, youth and adults through creative activities (see page 24 for ideas).
Get the Word Out: Ask your pastor to lift up the Offering of Letters in a sermon. (A biblical basis for the Offering can be found on page 26.) Write an article on the Offering of Letters for your church newsletter. Place a bulletin insert or announcement in the Sunday bulletin. Offer a "Minute for Mission" during worship. Encourage others to spread the word at their small group or Bible study meetings. Display the posters found in the pocket of this handbook on a bulletin board and use the tear-off cards from the back cover to create a visual display.
Conduct and Bless the Offering: Letter-writing can be done at a special time during worship, in the pews or narthex after the service, at fellowship hour, in a class or youth group, near dining halls, or anywhere people gather. Have available paper, envelopes, pens, and the latest sample letter (found at www.bread.org/sample-letter). Show the Offering of Letters DVD so people can see a family who could be helped by their letters. Invite anyone who prefers not to write to pray for hungry people affected by this legislation. And remember that letter-writing at home yields fewer letters. Encourage letter writers to fill out the sign-in sheet (found in this handbook's pocket) so they can request a one-year free membership to Bread for the World.
Gather the Letters: Offer the letters up to God for a blessing during worship. Count and note the number of letters written to each member of Congress. Stamp and mail each letter individually; do not bundle them in one envelope. Complete and return the evaluation form, "We Need to Hear from You," found as a tear-out in the back of this handbook, to Bread for the World's national office. Your report ensures that Bread's staff can follow up effectively with congressional offices.
Give Thanks: To God, to your team, to your letter-writers, and to those who prayed.
Follow Up: Consider how to let people know about the fruits of their labor. Will you publish monthly updates on the legislation in your church or campus newsletter or on your Web site? Have the letter-writers signed up to receive updates from Bread for the World on the legislation? Remember that progress typically comes in small steps. Celebrate victories, large and small.
