WELCA

Thankofferings: Our History

 Beginning in the late 19th century, Lutheran women were given small Thankoffering boxes to place in a special location in their homes as a visible reminder of blessings received. Women would add coins to those boxes almost daily as particular blessings were noted. From their use came the idea of an annual church service to celebrate their collection, and so the women of the congregation would come together for a Thankoffering service. The concept of Thankoffering celebrations dates back more than 100 years and beyond Lutherans. The Episcopal Church Women held their first recorded Thankoffering service in 1889, and the World Thank Offering service of the United Methodist Women has been a tradition for over 100 years. In the Lutheran tradition, the General Synod’s Women’s Home and Foreign Missionary Society created their first Thankoffering service in 1889 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the organization. At that first Thankoffering, $6,100 was collected. Today, Women of the ELCA collects more than $1 million in Thankofferings annually for the ministries and mission of our women’s organization.

Thankofferings show gratitude for God’s blessings and give us an important and tangible way to express that gratitude. It is a tradition grounded in our celebration of community, of meeting together to joyfully give thanks for what God has given us. Thankofferings have always been, and still are, our opportunity to say thank you to God in both significant and ordinary moments.