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SRS Newsletter Repository
Welcome to the SRS Newsletter repository. Below, you will find an assortment of newsletters designed to train and equip you with the information and strategies you need to effectively fulfill your personal support needs. Click a title to open and read any issue.
The Art (and Skill) of Expressing Thanks
Last Updated Feb 2011
By:
Betty Barnett
Support Raising Solutions
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The Art (and Skill) of Expressing Thanks
By Betty Barnett
One of the most overlooked aspects of support raising is that of giving thanks, not only to the Lord, the giver of all good gifts, but also to those who partner with us in ministry. Communicating appreciation is essential in our relationship with God and is also a primary way of nurturing supporters. It needs special priority in our ministry. inadequate response for gifts may be a hindrance in relationships between ministry workers and their supporters. It seems to be a common human trait for us missionaries to fail to say thanks either because of forgetfulness or being too busy doing “God's work.” Jesus also experienced ingratitude when only one of ten lepers He healed returned to thank him (Luke 17:12-19). After that one appreciative leper came back, Jesus exclaimed “...Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?...Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” In other words, when we express thanks, could it be that our faith is at work strengthening us, while also appropriately responding to the gift? That may shed new light on the significance of communicating gratitude!
Whenever expressing thanks is in order—but not done—it may produce a literal break in relationship. This failure alone may cause diminishing support. One church I know of drops missionaries from the budget if they don't hear
from them. Donors may discontinue support to those who do not respond with gratitude for their giving. Aside from hearing that the gift was received, supporters need to be commended for their partnership in ministry. Paul's letter to the Philippians is a great example of this, expressing thanks to God and their church for the gifts sent to him. Paul thanks God, commends the Philippians, and expresses his commitment to them, while also taking time to speak words of life to build them up.
You may wonder if I'm always great at this? No! Even as I write, I'm experiencing “conviction nudges” about several recent special gifts I need to acknowledge, affirming the timeliness of their check, and the way in which God used their generosity to encourage and strengthen me. The more we understand the role of thankfulness in our life in Christ, the more sensitive we become to His nudges for “right responses.” The importance of expressing thanks came home to me in a painful way recently. One person to whom I had gone out of my way to be kind and give gifts to gave little acknowledgment to my generosity. Then I had the opportunity to do similarly to someone else who immediately and graciously acknowledged my gift. What a difference that made to my gift-giving experience! It made me want to give more to the grateful person, while I found myself pulling back from the one who seemed to expect me to give to them, and with little thanks expressed.
A gift, whether small or large, deserves a personal thank you (not every ongoing monthly gift needs this, but first-time or single gifts certainly do). A quick response of appreciation, whether by phone, email, or personal note, will be a special encouragement to those who have blessed you. Ask the Lord for words of affirmation, so you're not only conveying thankfulness, but also building up the other person.
Yes, expressing thanks is both an art and a skill. It requires listening and responding to the Lord, while also having tools (thank you cards, etc.) on hand to communicate gratitude and encouragement in a very practical way. May the
Lord help each of us to “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18-19)
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NOVEMBER 2010
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This Month's SRS Article Writer
Betty Barnett has been in full-time Christian service for over 30 years, dependent upon missionary support from her church and individuals. She has held various positions in Youth With A Mission (YWAM) over the past 25 years, including managing editor for Zondervan's Christian Growth Study Bible, the first missions-focused study Bible. Over the years, Betty's dynamic speaking ministry has taken her throughout the world, encouraging thousands of missionaries with the principles found in her book, Friend Raising -- Building A Missionary Support Team That Lasts. She resides in Colorado Springs.
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20 Practical Ways
to Say "Thank You"
1. Thanks for your gift last month. It encouraged me.
2. It’s a privilege to serve the Lord here in ____. Thanks for standing behind us.
3. I never get tired of thanking you for your support.
4. When David commissioned Solomon to build the house of the Lord, “the people rejoiced because they had offered willingly & made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart...” I thank God for your willingness and wholeheartedness in giving.
5. It’s a joy to serve Him in this ministry with you.
6. We are grateful for your gifts these past months. They have freed us to focus on training ten college students to share their faith.
7. I thought of the story of the widow in Luke 21 today & praised God that you also reach past your surplus to give to the Lord. Thanks for sharing it with me.
8. We rejoice that you faithfully supported us this year. That meant a lot to us.
9. I am filled with thanks to the Father as you help supply my needs & make this ministry possible.
10. We praise God that you “do not neglect doing good & sharing.” We appreciate how you share with us your gifts unto Him.
11. Your giving is a ministry of His grace to us.
12. You are a continual source of joy and encouragement to us as you pray & give so faithfully.
13. We thank God for you & pray that the Lord will “supply and multiply your seed for sowing & increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
14. I am glad that the Lord brought you into my life and for your continued support.
15. Each time your gift comes, I realize that your prayers back it up. That is such an encouragement!
16. The Lord overwhelms us with joy through your faithfulness to us.
17. We appreciate your friendship & partnership. We love you!
18. As Paul said to the Philippians, your gifts are “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable & pleasing to God.”
19. Your prayers & gifts often cause me to praise God for His goodness.
20. Each month you bring a smile to my face as I see your gift. His blessings to you.
By Sandy Buschman, June 1995
Some material adapted from Fifty Ways of Expressing
Gratitude by Ken Williams, Wycliffe Bible Translators
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Betty Barnett
YWAM |
Ellis Goldstein
Campus Crusade |
Scott Morton
The Navigators |
Mike Riggins
North American Mission Board |
Steve Shadrach
SRS Editor
The Bodybuilders |
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Kansas City, MO . . . . .Nov 5-6
Orlando, FL . . . . .Dec 13-14
Dallas, TX . . . . .Jan 20-21
Indianapolis, IN . . . . .Mar 17-18
More dates coming soon!
CONTACT US TO
HOST A BOOT CAMP
info@supportraisingsolutions.org or 800.595.4881
Integrated Solutions
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SRS Products
We publish an assortment of resources focusing on crucial topics in personal support raising. The following are some of them.
Recommended Books
We have chosen these books because we feel they are helpful in the area of support raising. We have made these titles easy to purchase by linking the book title on the page to Amazon.com.
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Friend Raising: Building a Missionary Support Team (by Betty Barnett, YWAM Publishing) |
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Getting Sent: A Relational Approach to Support Raising (by Pete Sommer, Intervarsity Press) |
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People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support (by William Dillon, Moody Press) |
SRS Support Raising Documents
Links
Check out some other links that can help you in this area of support raising.
For help with downloading your contacts from Excel to TntMPD, please click here.
For help with using TNT software on a Mac, click here.
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