Price of Thanksgiving, Charitable Gifts & Reasons to Evangelize

While many prices are noticeably higher at the grocery store this Thanksgiving season, one product – in fact the featured item on many Thanksgiving tables – is experiencing a decrease in price. Thanksgiving turkey prices are down nearly five percent, according to industry magazine Feed and Grain.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Thanksgiving dinner survey, a meal for 10 will be $61.17, or $6.12 per guest, representing a 4.5% decline from last year. They say the decline is the price of the turkey is the primary reason.
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Churches, ministries and other houses of worship were the top recipients of charitable gifts for the year, with religion one of the few sectors realizing an increase in receipts, ABS said. But when accounting for inflation, the estimated $143.57 billion in religious contributions – a 5.2 percent increase over 2021 –represented a 2.6 percent decline. That’s according to a recent survey by the American Bible Society.

Among the findings on generosity:

 -Regardless of faith, 68 percent of American households donated to charity in 2022, a rebound from the 62 percent who gave in 2021.

 -Elders, those age 78 and above, are by far the most generous age group, with 83 percent giving to charity and nearly half of those giving at least $1,800 a year.

 -People give to causes they consider important, regardless of their income or expenses.

 -People who volunteer, whether in the church or the community, are also more generous financially.

 -Percentage wise, families earning $30,000 or less a year give more money than those earning $100,000 or more, although larger income earners give larger numerical amounts.
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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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Jesus calls His disciples to share their faith. As we gather with friends and family over the holiday season, there may be opportunities to share your faith. In addition to Jesus’ commission, why should you speak of the gospel?

Tyler Sykora says,

We evangelize because tomorrow is not promised. Our lives, and the lives of those around us, could be gone in an instant. As we are told in James 4:14, our life is but a vapor. Therefore, we seek Gospel conversations with others in the here and now because tomorrow is not guaranteed. The Bible is clear that Christ could return, or we could die at any moment. Let’s share the Gospel with diligence and zeal because we never know when the Lord will either return or call us home.

Seventh, we evangelize because it sanctifies us. Evangelism is one of God’s means to kills our pride and make us more dependent upon Him. Some of you might find that evangelism is one of the hardest things you will ever do. You will find that you pray for strength a lot when you are sharing the Gospel with people. But this is intended! God designed it that way because we were never meant to live in our own power. Dependence upon God is a good thing. So, when you feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or fearful. Pray. That may be exactly why God has you in that moment.

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