Dear Presenter,
Thank you for your willingness to share the offering appeals with your local congregation. It is a wonderful and gratifying responsibility. How you present these readings will determine how effective they are. Here are some suggestions to consider before you share:
Pray: Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray that God will use your words to speak to the hearts of the congregation.
Practice: Read over the appeal at least three times to familiarize yourself with it. Read slowly and clearly. Underline or highlight keywords to emphasize during the reading. Strive to share these readings with excellence.
Prepare: Sometimes materials for special days are sent to your local church to distribute or present along with the appeal. Determine how they can be used most effectively.
Personalize: If you have a personal experience that you think will add strength to the appeal, please share it. People connect with others through stories.
Present with Passion: A presentation can include all of the above elements, but without passion, it may not stir the hearts of the hearers. Ask God to fill your heart with His Spirit so that you can present the appeal with spirit and truth.
May God richly bless you and speak through you as we take this journey together in 2025.
January 4, 2025
Local Church Budget
The first Sabbath of the new year is an opportunity to press the reset button of our lives, goals and relationship with God. If you keep a prayer journal, take it out sometime today and reflect on how God has led in your life within your family. During this self-evaluation, ask God what changes you need to make for the coming year. Then pray for the Holy Spirit to give you strength to transform each area of your life that needs a fix.
Jesus emphasized the great principle of life when He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” Matthew 6:33, NKJV. The key word is FIRST. Many people seek the kingdom of God, but they allow the cares of this life to dominate and consume them, so they don’t have anything left to give to God.
Let’s put Christ and His kingdom first. Jesus didn’t say NOT to ask for other things such as happiness, security, success or even money. When God comes first, He will reorder our lives and show His power by blessing us in all ways according to His purpose. Sometimes He will even bless us through trials.
Let’s ask God to empty us of ourselves and fill us with the Holy Spirit each day of this year so we can do what He wants us to do. As we return our tithes, let us remember today’s offering focus and give liberally for the local church budget.
Let’s pray…
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January 11, 2025
Religious Liberty
It’s often said that religious liberty is in the DNA of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. From the very start of the Advent movement, we stood for an idea that was radical for its time—that religious freedom was for everyone, regardless of who they were or what they believed.
What shaped this belief? It was our conviction that God doesn’t want forced obedience. As Ellen G. White wrote in Patriarchs and Prophets, “God desires from all His creatures the service of love—service that springs from an appreciation of His character,” (p. 33-34).
And so, in the very first issue of Liberty magazine, which rolled off the presses in 1906, the editor described this unique Adventist understanding of religious liberty. He wrote: “We believe no power but the power of love can rightfully compel the human conscience.”
Today, almost 120 years later, the culture around us has changed dramatically. But our commitment to religious liberty as a reflection of God’s character hasn’t changed.
As students of prophecy, we know that a time will come when our freedom to worship will be taken away. But until then, God calls us to be His ambassadors of liberty—to faithfully reflect His character and His love within our communities and our nation.
Today, let’s continue in the footsteps of our early Adventist pioneers in generously returning our tithes and supporting the religious liberty ministries of our church with our offerings.
Let’s pray…
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January 18, 2025
Local Church Budget
Melvin Santos, the offertory reading author, shared that when he was young, he was confused about why there was an offering call every worship service. He did not understand why a church that worshipped the God who owns the universe and galaxies would let His people beg for funds. He rationalized that perhaps God could not afford to take care of His children, or maybe He wanted His children to be poor. He also wondered why God didn’t just provide for the needs miraculously when He could.
A passage in Psalm 50 helped Santos understand. Verses 12, 14 and 15, NKJV, share, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
Through these verses, Santos learned that God wants His children to trust Him for their needs. Through this experience, God wants a RELATIONSHIP with His children, not a donation. This giving, however, builds the relational experience where we learn to glorify Him in all things in our lives. As we give, God blesses us so we can bless others and grow His kingdom.
Let’s glorify the Lord by returning our tithes and giving our offerings to support today’s offering focus for the local church budget.
Let’s pray…
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January 25, 2025
Texas Vision Conference Offering
God is the Creator and Owner of everything, and we’re created for His glory and honor. In His divine design, God’s purpose for us is to be His managers on Earth. As we work closely together with Him, we take part in His divine nature, His mercy and love. After sin entered, this relationship became vital for God’s work to restore His divine image and character in us.
God uses the church for our restoration process. Giving offerings becomes more than just a religious obligation. It’s a personal journey of growth, learning and transformation. It’s a way of life that brings us closer to God’s divine image and character. Giving and sharing is participating in this larger purpose, our worship and relationship.
This is the main reason for giving offerings. God wants us to participate actively in helping people restore their relationship with their Creator.
God designed tithing to be a blessing to His people, who carry it out to the end of time. Ellen G. White shared in Counsels on Stewardship, “Our heavenly Father did not originate the plan of systematic benevolence to enrich Himself, but to be a great blessing to man. He saw that this system of beneficence was just what man needed,” p. 67.
Everything we have is a blessing from God, and in return, we are to be responsible stewards and pass it on to others.
Today, let’s not hoard our blessing but instead, let’s share it! As we return our tithes, let us give our offerings generously for the Texas Vision conference offering.
Let’s pray…
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NAD Stewardship Ministries
Our mission is “to reach the North American Division and the world with the distinctive, Christ-centered Seventh-day Adventist message of hope and wholeness.” Stewardship Ministries is dedicated to helping members catch this vision.
Systematic giving is part of being a faithful steward. When we return tithe, we are recognizing that God owns everything. Giving offerings expresses our gratitude for what God has done for us. God loves a cheerful giver, and He has chosen this method to support those who preach the gospel as they reach the world with His message.
You will find an extensive selection of videos emphasizing various offerings by visiting our website at nadstewardship.org/videos. You can use them in conjunction with the offering appeals or in place of them. They average between a minute-and-a-half and two minutes in length.
Faithful stewardship is a matter of the heart. We don’t give to receive love and blessings from God. We give because we have already received God’s love and blessings. We give because our hearts and lives are full of the joy of the Lord. We give because we want to live out God’s character of abundant generosity—especially as exhibited through the ultimate gift: the life of His Son. Giving is a natural response for recipients of God’s goodness.
God’s blessings to you as you help others experience the joy of faithful stewardship.
Michael Anthony Harpe, director
Stewardship Ministries
North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists
About the Author
Melvin Santos serves as the vice president for Administration and Stewardship director for the Kansas-Nebraska Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He is also the author and presenter of the Discipleship Master Plan: A Disciple-making Strategy for Churches and Conferences. At a young age, he was greatly influenced by the teachings of Mel Rees, a former General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Stewardship director.
Santos is passionate about establishing discipleship-driven churches and maximizing every member’s ministry potential and effectiveness as a lay minister. He also enjoys mentoring and training pastors and church leaders around the country.
He firmly believes that a successful disciple-maker also needs to be a committed steward. In his leisure time, he enjoys being a digital creator and influencer, traveling, gardening, exploring different countries and learning new languages.
He currently lives in Kansas with his wife, Juliet Santos, who is a board-certified family practice nurse practitioner and the co-founder and co-speaker of the Discipleship Master Plan Institute. They are proud parents of three wonderful adult children (and two sons-in-law): Elizabeth (Paul), Lauren (Brad) and their youngest son, Michael.
Calendar of Offerings – NAD 2025
Special Offerings
January 11 Religious Liberty
February 8 Adventist Television Ministries Evangelism
March 8 Adventist World Radio
April 12 Hope Channel International, Inc.
May 10 Disaster and Famine Relief
June 14 Women’s Ministries
July 12 GC Session Offering: Digital Strategy for Mission
August 9 Christian Record Services
September 13 World Budget (Emphasis: Radio Ministries)
November 8 World Budget (Emphasis: Annual Sacrifice)
December 13 Adventist Community Services
Thirteenth-Sabbath Offerings for 2025
First Quarter Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD)
Second Quarter Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD)
Third Quarter Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID)
Fourth Quarter South American Division (SAD)
Summary of Offerings, including number of weeks.
Local Church Budget 27
Texas Vision (Conference Offering) 12
Union Designated 2
North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists 5
World Budget 6