For decades, Thanksgiving has been followed by a significant shopping day where shoppers rush to the stores to get holiday gifts. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that the term Black Friday was coined. In 2005, Cyber Monday joined the Thanksgiving weekend shopping lineup. Small Business Saturday was introduced as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2010. And most recently, in 2012, Giving Tuesday was introduced as a global day of generosity.
In 2021, Black Friday saw a decrease in spending. Traffic in retail stores dropped 28.3% compared with 2019 levels, and online spending decreased from what was seen in 2020. After almost two years in a pandemic, one could argue that people must just be spending less money. But as Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw declines in spending, Giving Tuesday generated a historic amount. Giving Tuesday raised a record $2.7 billion in 2021. Based on this data alone, it seems that people are prioritizing giving to others over spending for themselves.
For Northland’s 2021 Giving Tuesday project, we chose to raise money for our Benevolence Fund. We strive to help those inside and outside the church in their time of need and provide spiritual, emotional, and relational support. When it comes to financial emergencies, we have a rich history and tradition of walking with those in need during times of crisis. The current Benevolence Team consists of a rotating group of staff and congregants dedicated to offering compassion and assistance during a financial crisis. This assistance comes in the form of listening, praying, providing references to other resources in the community, and, when possible, paying for part or all of a one-time financial need.
Since 2020, our Benevolence Team has helped 120 families and individuals by providing over $92,000 of support. We allocate a monthly amount from our budget to the benevolence fund, but the need is more significant than what is currently designated from our budget. We have used these funds to assist those in our community facing medical issues, loss of job, and other unforeseen crises.
We set our goal at $30,000. And early on Tuesday, November 30, the giving began! By as early as 6:49 that morning, we were already halfway to our goal. At 11:30 that morning, we hit our goal of $30,000! But the giving didn’t stop there. By the end of the day, we raised a grand total of $49,114.25!
“I’m always blown away by the generosity of the Northland congregation,” said Bradley Nolff, Communications Director and former Benevolence Team member. “Sometimes we’re afraid to put a need out there and ask for too much, but every time they step up and many times exceed our hopes and goals. I love this church.”
“It always amazes me when we give the Holy Spirit free rein to work,” said Donna Gagnon, Accounting Manager. “We always see how we ask, get out of the way, and God works and people respond from the heart!”
“I find that God always exceeds expectations when we open our hands and our hearts to meet the needs of others,” said Accountant, Cynthia McInvale.
We are overwhelmed by the generosity displayed by you, our Northland family. Through your generosity, we will be able to serve so many people in our community who are facing financial hardships.
“The last two years have been tough, especially financially,” said Bradley. “Many have lost their jobs, received pay cuts, lost loved ones, and are worried about what the future will bring. I think many people are much more cautious to spend and donate money, so I anticipated this being a tough year to raise money. However, it’s clear that our church family knows how to give generously and with abundance. My prayer is that this benevolence fund will impact our local community for Jesus in a big way over the next year.”
“What I would like to say to the people who are truly living and giving generously - THANK YOU!” said Cynthia. ”Your gifts of time, talents, and financial resources truly do make a lasting impact on the Kingdom of God!”