As believers called by our Lord to pledge our oath, accept the accolade as Templars, and devote ourselves to stand in the gap for our fellow Christians who are at risk in the Holy Land, many find ourselves frustrated and concerned about the escalating hostilities in the region and the tremendous negative impacts on the body of Christ there.
We are Templars. We are wired by God for action. We want to DO something to help – NOW!
Here is great news:
Just as our forefathers lent aid directly to the body of Christ at risk in the Holy Land, SMOTJ has the established and proven means of delivering assistance directly to the Christians in desperate need there today – the Jerusalem Mite.
No overhead.
No unknown organization that you don’t know if you can trust to actually deliver your support.
No administrative expenses withdrawn to fund outlandish salaries like most non-profit support organizations deduct.
Just your offering delivered totally to support the Christian community in the Land of the Holy One.
As Templars, many of our traditions originate from scripture, such as the season of the giving of the Jerusalem Mite we have set aside to lend comfort and assistance to the Christians at risk in the Holy Land. We call our offering the “mite” to honor the
well-known story of the widow which came directly from the mouth of Jesus. (Mark 12:41-44)
Although the two mites the widow put into the treasury were worth only 1/8 of a penny each, Jesus stated, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
Jesus gives to us abundantly and He knows that we will give in abundance, even if it is all we have, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” (Luke 12:48)
We are not only soldiers of Christ, we are His elite Templar Knights who have sworn an oath to faithfully follow and obey the Captain of the Lord’s Army while protecting and defending our Christian family in the Holy Land as He provides the opportunities.
Well, your opportunity is here – the opportunity as a Templar to participate in our SMOTJ Jerusalem Mite offering and take action to assist the Christians at risk and suffering in the Holy Land!
Remember, the Jerusalem Mite offering is different than your annual Oblation commitment (which is collected in January and is a fixed amount). The Jerusalem Mite is a voluntary love offering and the amount you are convicted to give by Jesus is not shared with anyone – it is private.
Pray about it before you give. Let our Righteous Father guide your heart. Give yourself time to give as the Holy Spirit leads you. Remember: it is truly between you and God.
Have important family and job commitments decreased your availability to participate in Templar events?
Are there health, medical, or physical issues that prevent your presence at Templar gatherings?
Are the tough financial climate and recent storm impacts inhibiting your ability to give as you would like to?
That is the beauty of a cooperative offering. The final combined total of each and every donation creates a generous gift on behalf of all Templars who contribute.
As Jesus – Who watched the widow and forever memorialized her gift of two mites –pointed out, the obedience is not in how much is given, but in the heart of the sacrificial giver. If you can only afford the cost of a cup of coffee – then by all means, make that sacrifice, skip the coffee, and joyously give to our Christian family that is suffering so much in the Holy Land. Through the cooperative SMOTJ Jerusalem Mite, you will help to enrich and safeguard their lives!
We can achieve 100% participation and each of us can know the satisfaction of actually fulfilling our Templar vow and calling despite family and job commitments; health, medical, or physical issues; or the tough financial climate and recent storm impacts.
If you are unable to do anything else as a Templar at this time, you can add your mite to our Order’s offering!
As your Prior, I request two things of Temple Church Templars:
- Ask the Lord God Almighty before you give a cent;
- And then give as He leads you to do.
Here is how to give your Templar mite:
Go to “smotj.org.”
- Click “Member Login” in the upper right corner and log in. If you have problems logging in, please let Chancellor Tom Beaton know (chancellor@templechurchpriory.org), and he will reset your password.
- Once logged in, mouse over your name in the upper right corner.
- Select “Oblations / Donations” from the drop-down menu then the “Donations” option that appears.
- Select “Donations” at the top of the page, then select “Jerusalem Mite Donations.”
NOTE: If paying by check, see the directions below the donation boxes on this page
- Follow the instructions from that point, entering your amount, contact, and payment information.
And finally, please check out this excellent video to see how your contributions make such a difference to so many of our Christian brothers, sisters and families in the Holy Land!: