Ending well: a thanksgiving service
A thanksgiving service or a simple act of thanksgiving in worship brings our responses before God and our giving programme to a good ending.
A Thanksgiving service is simply the moment when a church wraps up its Giving in Grace programme and takes a bit of time to say “thank you”. Thank you to God as we bring our responses in worship, and a thank you to God’s people for finishing what they started (2 Cor 8:11).
Thanksgiving Sunday
The planning group should get a date for Thanksgiving Sunday into the programme early doors. Share it clearly so everyone knows it’s coming. Make sure it is in the clergy ask letter and on the response forms. Sometimes a Thanksgiving Sunday can be linked with a special season: Harvest, a church anniversary, a patronal festival, Generosity Week. Whatever works best for you. At some point in the service response forms people have returned are brought forward in the service, usually on the offertory plate, and offered to God in prayer.
Getting practical
Practically speaking, a Thanksgiving service marks the final date for everyone to get their response forms back to church. It’s a line in the sand. One or two might trickle in after this date but we stop asking, reminding, talking about responses. Giving in Grace (any giving programme) is a season in the church’s life, ministry and worship and it needs to end well.
The public part of the programme is finished. Following up on people’s responses is the next task. That means gentle reminders to those who haven’t replied yet and sorting out requests for more information about the Parish Giving Scheme, legacies and Gift Aid. All the stuff in Preparing for a Response.
There’s one key exception which proves the rule. Your thank‑you letters mustn’t wait until after Thanksgiving Sunday. Always say thank you within a week of receiving a response.
Giving and worship
We’ve said it before so no apologies here! Giving is more than maintaining our church or making possible our mission. Giving is part of our worship. Thanksgiving Sunday helps us make that connection. What I give is part of who I am before God. It’s part of my discipleship and part of my life of prayer.
Thanksgiving Sunday gives us the chance to give thanks together. We have responded together.
Generous giving is not just about who I am before God, it is also about who we are before God. It’s about us as a church. We are not just individual givers going about our business in private. We are a generous community of disciples. We travel our journey of generosity together.
Thanksgiving together makes the connection obvious: generosity is part of how we live out our faith, together. It’s a reminder of what our weekly offertory in worship is and should be.
How will you end well?
So think about what Thanksgiving might look like for your church. It’s about celebrating generosity together, ending the programme well, and encouraging people in their ongoing journey of giving. Our resources give you some options. They’re starters for ten so you can get creative.
For a thanksgiving focus within a Sunday service check out the Litany of Thanksgiving. This cna be used out of the box or adapted to local needs.
To celebrate a Thanksgiving Sunday there’s a full service of Holy Communion which includes the Litany of Thanksgiving. Again, this can be amended as needed.
There’s also a Thanksgiving Service of the Word for non-Eucharistic worship
For something short and simple, check out the selection of stewardship prayers.
You’ll find all these resources in one place on our Thanksgiving page.
Rejoice in all the good things
Giving is more than the gift I bring. Giving is an an act of worship, the proclamation of all that God has done and all God has entrusted to me; and to all God’s people. (Deut 26:1-11)