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.
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April 5, 2025 | Local Church Budget
Researchers estimate that there are 10 quadrillion ants on Earth. Ants live in colonies and are very industrious with various tasks. Everything they do is for the sake of the queen ant. It’s been noted that an ant is helpless without its colony, but when ants work as a team, they are practically unstoppable.
Psalm 8:4, NKJV, is humbling. It says, “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” Why is God the Creator so mindful of us human beings? Of all His creatures, God has uniquely lavished His love on us by sacrificing His Son to redeem us. On top of that, He invites us to join Him in the grand purpose of saving humankind.
If we insist on doing our own thing, we are no better than an isolated ant, just struggling ineffectively to store enough food for the next winter. But when we make God’s interests our interest, we adopt His plans as our plans. When we return our tithes and give our offerings, we honor Him and acknowledge Him as our Redeemer. Then, like the many ants working together, we take our place in the eternal plan of salvation.
Let’s work together, returning our tithes and giving our offerings, to further God’s plans.
Let’s pray…
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April 12, 2025 | Hope Channel International
Hope Channel International (HCI) is an Adventist global media network that offers programs on Christian living with a holistic focus on faith, health, relationships and community. Hope Channel began broadcasting in North America in 2003. Today, Hope Channel is a global network with more than 80 channels broadcasting in over 100 languages. In December of 2023, in response to the heightened sense of loneliness prevalent during the holiday season, Hope Channel International stepped forward with a heartfelt campaign to foster connections and address the epidemic of isolation in our society. At the heart of this initiative was a strategic billboard placement in the iconic Times Square in New York City. Positioned where an average of 330,000 people pass through daily, this strategic move amplified Hope Channel’s reach to millions from diverse backgrounds.
Jesus quoted the following passage from Isaiah 61:1, NKJV,
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted.”
Through this campaign in Times Square in New York City and all of the different TV programs being shown 24/7, Hope Channel is truly preaching the good news to all the world.
Let’s pray…
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April 19, 2025 | Local Church Budget
Charles Schwab, Bank of America and Fidelity are among many financial institutions that provide financial advisers to help people invest their money to prepare for retirement.
Christ gave solid investment advice in Matthew 6:19- 21, NKJV, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In other words, invest your treasures in the kingdom of heaven.
God has a simple plan in place to finance His kingdom work here on Earth. It’s so simple. First, He blesses His children, and then they return faithfully the tithe and give freewill offerings. That’s it.
To keep pace with the growing needs as God’s kingdom expands, He increases the blessings He gives to His children. So, the more faithfully we return, the more He gives. This is the divine partnership God wants His people to understand.
There is no other plan, no substitute, no alternate. An all-wise God knew the right plan from the beginning. His investment system is fail-proof.
Do you want to see God do a miracle? Let’s invest in Kingdom work and watch Him work His wonders.
As we return our tithes, let us also remember today’s offering focus and give liberally for the local church budget.
Let’s pray…
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April 26, 2025 | Texas Vision
Melvin Santos, the offertory reading author, shared a story from when he was a little boy. He was asked to help collect the offerings with the adult deacons and deaconesses. He wondered how the money reached God. His young, innocent mind tried to process this dilemma. Is there a special place we deposit the money and God sends His angels to pick it up later? Then he learned that the church represents the body of Christ on Earth. So, when we give to the church, we really give it to God by faith.
God doesn’t need our money to do His work on Earth. He owns the universe and galaxies. But He allows us to partner with Him so He can bless us and use us as the funnel to bless others and grow His kingdom. God’s systematic giving plan enables us to develop His character. Our great opportunity is to join heavenly agencies in the great plan of redemption.
Ellen G. White shares in Counsels on Stewardship, “The Lord does not need our offerings. We cannot enrich Him by our gifts. Says the psalmist: ‘All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.’ Yet God permits us to show our appreciation of His mercies by self-sacrificing efforts to extend the same to others. This is the only way in which it is possible for us to manifest our gratitude and love to God. He has provided no other” p. 18.
Today, let us be a blessing that extends to others. As we return our tithes, let us also 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
