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CLERGY
Many people are reluctant to donate organs
and tissues due to the misconception that their religion
doesn't support it. However, all major religions, including
all Christian faiths, either encourage donation or support
the individual's decision to donate life to others.
Donor Sabbath
National Donor Sabbath is celebrated each year two week-ends before Thanksgiving. DonorSabbath embraces the theme of “Give thanks. Give life," season by using houses of worship to educate Americans of the critical need we face with organ and tissue donation.
Observing National Donor Sabbath is an opportunity for religious communities to touch the lives of millions of people. Today, more than 105,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list, and more than 3,000 are in North Carolina.
Every year, thousands of people are in need of such things like corneal transplants to restore their sight. Without this transplant, they would not know the beauty of a sunny day! And hundreds of thousands of people rely on tissue transplants such as bone, skin, and heart valves to save or enhance their lives.
National Donor Sabbath is a time to bring the life-saving issue of organ and tissue donation into the season of giving.
Now is the time of the year when we gather with our families to count our blessings. It's an ideal time to talk about becoming a donor.
The number of individuals who need organ or tissue transplants is growing faster than the number of people who register to be donors. Every day 17 people die waiting for a transplant. Sign up to be an organ and tissue donor, and someday you may be a hero to someone waiting for a second chance a second chance at Life.
Carolina Donor Services can provide you with resources such as sample sermons and program inserts that will help you deliver the message to your fellowship. Help your congregation be able to make informed decisions about organ and tissue donation and sharing the gift of life by participating in Donor Sabbath. Please return the order form available below to obtain free materials.
For more information, please call your regional CDS office and ask to speak to the Community Relations Coordinator. Central NC region/Durham office: 800-200-2672; Western NC region/Winston-Salem office: 336-774-4450; Eastern NC region/Greenville office: 888-235-2672. You may also email info@carolinadonorservices.org.
Order Form:
Clergy
Order Form (Microsoft Word file)
Donor Sabbath is an event in November sponsored by Carolina Donor Services in which any Pastor may present organ donation to his/her church in an allotted space of time. Since I have had three churches which I served part-time as Pastor after my heart transplant, I worked closely with CDS to have relevant materials to pass out to any in the congregation who would like more information on donation of one's organs to save other lives. Along with materials I have also used staff persons to share with the congregation on at least one occasion. Since most all Pastors speak often on matters of the heart, it certainly was an opportune time for me to speak on donation of a heart and other organs by my donor which saved lives of at least five people. It is a very good time in the church to speak to younger people who may attend and suggest that they go ahead and state that they want to be a donor on their drivers license. Since a great many people are computer literate, it is a good time to tell them to sign up on line to be a donor. It has been my privilege as a Pastor to not only visit people in their end of life, but also to share how people can help others have a second chance at life and live more productively because someone gave them that opportunity by organ donation.
Gratefully,
Pastor Larry W. McEntire
Asheboro, NC |
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Resources and Samples
Below are some helpful resources and sample sermons
which you may print and use.
Sample Sermons:
Sermon
Ideas
Sermon
Outline
Baptist
Sermons
Catholic
Sermon
Jewish
Sermon
Methodist
Sermon
Presbyterian
Sermon
Presbyterian
Sermon II
Unitarian
Universalist Sermon
United
Church of Christ Sermon
Resources:
Worship
Resources
Prayer
and Benediction
Bulletin
Newspaper Inserts
Biblical
Principles
Evaluation
Form
For information on PDF files and for instructions on
installing the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader, please go to the Adobe
Web site.
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