The Ministry of Christian Giving is thanking congregations for their financial support of the synod during a particularly challenging year economically. "The end of the calendar year gives us all kinds of reasons to go to God's throne with prayers and praises," says Rev. Dave Liggett, director.

Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO), the gifts offered by congregations for the synod's collective ministry, totaled $21.2 million for 2009—that's about $200,000, or one percent, less than the $21.4 million projected at the beginning of the year.

About 375 WELS congregations and other participants in WELS VEBA, the synod's healthcare plan, also have remitted savings from the premium holiday in November to the synod as encouraged by the synod convention—for a total of over $600,000 to date. Those gifts combined with WELS VEBA savings from the synod's areas of ministry total about $900,000 for the current fiscal year—an amount to be placed in the Financial Stabilization Fund (FSF) to support the next fiscal year budget.

To date, more than $4.5 million has been given by congregations and individuals to Year of Jubilee, the debt-reduction offering authorized by the 2007 synod convention. Almost $.5 million of that has been given since the 2009 synod convention when official appeals for the offering came to a close.

"These statistics are examples of how many congregations and their members have taken to heart Paul's encouragement to the Corinthians," Liggett says. He cites 2 Corinthians 8:7, "But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving."