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LORD'S ACRE - THEN AND NOW

In the early 1900’s Dalesburg Lutheran Church was a congregation of farmers, farmwives, hired men, hired girls, blacksmiths, storekeepers, teachers, Swedish bachelor farmers, maiden aunts and a pastor. It was mainly a congregation of people who made their living off the land or supported the work of those who did. It was in this kind of congregation that the Lord’s Acre Offering was first discussed.

The first mention of the Lord’s Acre offering was in the Minutes of the Annual Meeting on December 11, 1941. At this Annual Meeting it was decided that every member use the envelope system and that the God’s Acre Plan Offering be adopted. The intent of this special offering was to set aside the income from one acre of land for the Lord, in addition to the member’s regular giving. The name of the offering changed from God’s Acre to Lord’s Acre the following year.

In the Annual Report, dated December 8, 1942, the Pastor wrote under the caption: “Our Harvest Festival” – “On Thanksgiving Day, as mentioned before, we had the joy to bring our Lord’s Acre Plan Offering. We hope that all will be willing to try this method in meeting our financial obligations.” In the Treasurer’s Report it is recorded that the Lord’s Acre Offering for 1942 was $850.42, which was 25% of the total giving for that year.

The congregation has changed. Today there are fewer farmers and no hired girls. There are more retired farmers and farmwives – many living in town – and fewer hired men. There are more health care workers, teachers and office & store workers. Today there are people employed in the tourism industry, and a wide variety of other occupations.

The Lord’s Acre Offering is still an opportunity to respond to the gifts of God in our lives. It is still a time to celebrate the gift of this congregation and its mission here and away. It is a time to respond to the gift of bounty in the bushels of beans and corn per acre. It is a time to respond to the bounty of wages & salaries and investment income. It is a time to share in the fruits of our labors whether the collars be blue, green, pink or white. It is still a time and a way to say “Thanks Be To God!”

--Archive Committee


Activities Women’s Ministries Youth Ministries Helpful Links Calendar of Events	LORD'S ACRE - THEN AND NOW In the early 1900’s Dalesburg Lutheran Church was a congregation of farmers, farmwives, hired men, hired girls, blacksmiths, storekeepers, teachers, Swedish bachelor farmers, maiden aunts and a pastor. It was mainly a congregation of people who made their living off the land or supported the work of those who did. It was in this kind of congregation that the Lord’s Acre Offering was first discussed. The first mention of the Lord’s Acre offering was in the Minutes of the Annual Meeting on December 11, 1941. At this Annual Meeting it was decided that every member use the envelope system and that the God’s Acre Plan Offering be adopted. The intent of this special offering was to set aside the income from one acre of land for the Lord, in addition to the member’s regular giving. The name of the offering changed from God’s Acre to Lord’s Acre the following year. In the Annual Report, dated December 8, 1942, the Pastor wrote under the caption: “Our Harvest Festival” – “On Thanksgiving Day, as mentioned before, we had the joy to bring our Lord’s Acre Plan Offering. We hope that all will be willing to try this method in meeting our financial obligations.” In the Treasurer’s Report it is recorded that the Lord’s Acre Offering for 1942 was $850.42, which was 25% of the total giving for that year. The congregation has changed. Today there are fewer farmers and no hired girls. There are more retired farmers and farmwives – many living in town – and fewer hired men. There are more health care workers, teachers and office & store workers. Today there are people employed in the tourism industry, and a wide variety of other occupations. The Lord’s Acre Offering is still an opportunity to respond to the gifts of God in our lives. It is still a time to celebrate the gift of this congregation and its mission here and away. It is a time to respond to the gift of bounty in the bushels of beans and corn per acre. It is a time to respond to the bounty of wages & salaries and investment income. It is a time to share in the fruits of our labors whether the collars be blue, green, pink or white. It is still a time and a way to say “Thanks Be To God!” --Archive Committee
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