Thanksgiving Sunday

In practical terms Thanksgiving Sunday fixes a date for the return of the response forms and promotes a sense of urgency and immediacy. As Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church about their collection for the poor in Jerusalem, "..now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. (2 Cor 8:11) However, there are other factors.

In spiritual terms returning and offering the response form in Sunday worship on Thanksgiving Sunday links the response to worship, discipleship, spirituality, resourcing ministry and mission and seals the commitment of the individual. In addition Thanksgiving Sunday provides liturgical closure to the programme and starts follow up activity.

• Thanksgiving Sunday should be set no more than two weeks after the last sermon of the preaching series. It may well be that churches will request return of response forms earlier than this, perhaps even at the end of the preaching series.
• Make sure that this Sunday is clearly identified on the response forms as the latest date the response forms should be returned.
• The clergy ask letter requests the return of response forms before or at the Thanksgiving Service.
  • Where the Thanksgiving Sunday is very close to or is part of the last service of the programme it is acceptable to open response forms immediately after the Thanksgiving Service and send out the thank you letters.
  • Where Thanksgiving Sunday is a couple of weeks after the end of the preaching series then responses received before the Thanksgiving Service should be opened, the contents recorded and the thank you letters sent out. The response envelope is then resealed (for confidentiality) and kept with other responses until the Thanksgiving Sunday. Do not delay sending thank you letters until after the Thanksgiving Sunday.
• The Thanksgiving will not dominate the service but should be a district and significant element within it.
• On Thanksgiving Sunday all responses (including those returned on the day) are placed on the offertory plate and brought forward at the offertory in that Service. Elaborate liturgy is not required but there should be a note of thanksgiving and celebration in a special prayer an appropriate hymn before, during or after the offertory according to local custom. Consider using the Litany of Thanksgiving or some liturgical provision from the Prayer section.
• Thanksgiving Sunday may be linked to a significant festival such as Harvest, a church anniversary or a patronal festival. As a significant proportion of the congregation will be in church that day it may be possible to request that all response forms be brought to church on that specific day. Passion Sunday, Trinity Sunday or celebrating the last Sunday of Ordinary Time as a Feast of Dedication are also appropriate.
• Practical arrangements should be made for collecting the response forms and bringing them forward as part of the offertory. Special arrangements may need to be made for the housebound.
  

Always leave an additional Sunday after the Thanksgiving Sunday for those who were absent from Church that day but after that send the non response letters quickly and efficiently.