By Sue Jensen
It’s December, and signs of Christmas are appearing everywhere. Again this year, ELCA Good Gifts offers the chance to honor loved ones by providing critical support to ministries and programs that mean the most to you and those you love.
The 2022 ELCA Good Gifts catalog can be viewed online . You can choose to give farm animals, provide school supplies, supply PPE to health care workers, feed refugee families, vaccinate the vulnerable, and much, much more. Every project in the catalog is supported through a churchwide ministry in at least one of 83 countries, and each project originated from a conversation with partners in that country – partners who know their communities best, and who are able to identify the needs and priorities in their local areas as well as the solutions that will make the biggest impact.
Giving a Good Gift is simple: Browse the catalog and choose the gift(s) that mean the most to you, then order using one of three methods.
• Online here. You can make your gift in honor of a friend or relative and you may personalize a card announcing the gift and have it sent directly to that person, or you can choose to print the card at home and snail mail or email it.
• By phone at 800.638.3522.
• By mail. Write a check payable to ELCA Good Gifts and send with an order form (available on the ELCA website) to
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
P.O. Box 1809
Merrifield, VA 22116-8009
Some important facts about ELCA Good Gifts:
• Every project in the Good Gifts catalog is planned so that each individual and community recipient receives exactly the kind of support that they need most and none of what they don’t need.
• More than 90% of your gift will go to the project you identify; less than 10% of funds raised are used for administration and fundraising.
• Your donation will be used where it is needed most within the wider category of gift you select. For example, a gift of vaccinations may go for another healthcare initiative that is needed more at that time. This policy allows the church to be flexible and adaptive to local needs.
• Your donation is tax-deductible as allowed by law. You will receive a receipt for your records.
Questions? Check the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Good Gifts website, or call the ELCA at 800.638.3522, or email the ELCA at info@elca.org. Let’s change the world!